Featured Article: Podcast - Apple Weekly Report #125: iPhone Expansion, NBC and Zune, Apple's Eco-stance
TMO Reports - Apple Considering Intel Chips, WSJ Reports
by , 5:30 AM EDT, May 23rd, 2005
Apple Computer has held talks with Intel Corp. to possibly use its chips in future models of Macintosh computers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Neither company would confirm the report, but one source said the announcement could come at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference, set to begin June 6 in San Francisco.
The report, citing two industry executives with knowledge of recent discussions between the companies, said Apple will agree to use Intel Pentium processors, but gave no further details.
"Talks between Apple and Intel could founder, as they have before, or Apple could be engaging in negotiations with Intel to gain leverage over IBM," the WSJ report said.
It is not known if Apple would use Intel processors together with the Power PC processor, made by IBM, or if the deal with be a dramatic shift entirely to Intel chips.
"Using Intel chips also makes it at least theoretically possible that users could install Windows on Macintosh systems, though it is not clear that Apple will support software other than its Mac OS X operating system," the report said.
One of the two industry executives said Apple isn't likely to market OS X for other PCs. "Instead, the company is likely to package its modified software with its own Intel-based hardware, though it is not clear how the company will prevent users from shifting the software to other machines," the executive told the respected financial daily.
An Apple spokeswoman called the report "rumor and speculation", but did not outright deny it. Apple's "rumor" comment is something it usually only uses when it refers to Mac rumor sites, many of which it has taken legal action against in recent months.
A move to Intel chips, either completely or only in certain situations, could allow Apple to be more competitive in a market where it has been unable to match lower priced Windows-based PCs. Only recently has Apple started to compete in the sub-US$500 PC market, with the announcement in January of its $499 Mac mini.
Rumors of Apple using Intel chips in its computers have long been a subject of speculation. Published reports say Apple toyed with the idea of a Intel-based Mac back in 1992, but chose not to release it. In the past four years, Apple has been working on a version of Mac OS X that would work with Intel processors, sources have confirmed.
Observer Comments
Mon May 23, 2005 7:33 am Subject: I'm going to make 'report' as well...
Mon May 23, 2005 7:53 am Subject: hello? Cell processor?
Is it really feasible for Apple to switch anything to Intel when Microsoft and Sony are about to debut dual and NINE (nontuple?) core Cell processors running at 3.2 GHz?
In small (compared to the G5) form factor boxes?
Obviously, not being an Apple insider, I can't even see the tip of the iceberg, but from the uninformed layman's point of view, this seems most bizarre.
And isn't the uninformed layman's point of view the one that counts?
Isn't it?
Mon May 23, 2005 8:11 am Subject: Intel Inside - Not For Me
Intel doesn't only make CPUs, they make a wide variety of chips and technologies.
In fact, Intel is the original creator of USB. Apple the the original creator of Firewire. Maybe they could have been talking about the USB vs. Firewire issue.
It doesn't HAVE to be CPUs they were talking about.
Mon May 23, 2005 8:58 am Subject: iLemmings Will Soon Be Buying Overpriced Apple PCs
Using other-than-CPU Intel chips wouldn't be much of a story, but the TMO story said they were talking about using Pentium chips, which are definitely CPUs.
This sounds like more mental masturbation from some anal-yst. Using an Intel/x86 CPU would be commercial suicide on Apple's part, and while Steve Jobs may be eccentric, I don't think he wants to take Apple down.
Maybe it'll be for an upcoming tablet (which they recently got that patent for). People always imagine those as running full versions of OS X, but that's just wishful thinking -- more realistically, it would have its own embedded operating system, so there's no harm in starting fresh using cheaper x86 chips.
Mon May 23, 2005 10:15 am Subject: if this doesn't scream
Snopes hoax, I don't know what does.
P4s in a Mac wouldn't make it less expensive, just cheap. At least if you're going to go to x86 architecture, go with AMD.
And for your customers sake, I hope this is all just another round of speculation.
If you ever want to learn (that means YOU RC) what the CPU chip equivalencies are, check out www.systemshootouts.org and you will know that 3.2G PIVs aren't the end all be all in the CPU world.
It would be just bass ackwards to have XBox on Power PC and Apple on Intel.
Power PC's roadmap has attracted MS and Sony for good reason - it's got legs. I really don't see any good reason for Apple to replace IBM at this point. What does 32-bit x86 have left in the tank at this point?
I agree this is probably either a). a rumor b). Apple leveraging against IBM c). not cpu talk but discussions over some other type of chip for some other type of device.
Mon May 23, 2005 12:36 pm Subject: The article specifically discusses replacing the G5.
The WSJ article indicates specifically that the story is about replacing the G5 processor with an Intel chip. All the talk about the existence of OTHER Intel chips is irrelevant.
The biggest obstacle here is not whether OS X will run on Intel. It's that moving to an Intel architecture would require another revision to application software to make it compatible. Photoshop for Mac as it is built today would not run on OS X for an Intel chip, nor would the rest. While it might be possible to emulate the G5, there'd be a massive performance hit. The revised apps would no longer run on legacy macs with PPC chips.
There's a point past which both users and vendors will no longer support Apple. Another platform change would likely be the end for me.
Mon May 23, 2005 2:46 pm Subject: The What Street Journal?
I seriously doubt that WSJ know anything more than the fact that some Apple execs have met with some Intel execs and the rest is pure speculation.
Apple will not put OS X on x86. Apple will not put their supporters in the position of having to rewrite everything for yet another platform switch. These are both absolutes that no one can intelligently deny.
Intel makes many products (including the old ARM processors that powered the Newton, remember those?!) that Apple could very well be considering for products that we'd only love to be able to reasonably speculate about.
To honestly consider Apple converting to Intel as their CPU provider is asinine, period.
...and the lion shall lie down next to the lamb. And men shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. And nation shall not lift up sword against nation..." It isn't the end of the world folks, get a grip.
It could be talks over the new rampant use of FW on Intel motherboards. It could be discussions of different chipsets to be used in future machines for secondary processing tasks. It could be discussions over the possibility of designing the "G6" since IBM appears to have hit a wall in production of faster G5's and maybe Intel wants a crack at it. Maybe it is even a disussion about designing Apple's new tablet/PDA/iPod video processor- something akin to the XScale (but better I hope). Relax...I doubt we will see Pentium Macs any time soon, if EVER.
Mon May 23, 2005 4:36 pm Subject: Re: The article specifically discusses replacing the G5.
"The WSJ article indicates specifically that the story is about replacing the G5 processor with an Intel chip. All the talk about the existence of OTHER Intel chips is irrelevant"
No, the talk about the other Intel chips/technoligies is not irrelevant. Everybody posting this type of information, including myself, are just pointing out that the WSJ is doing some speculation that doesn't make sense. We are doing our own speculation based on the talks they Apple is not looking to replace the G5, but doing something else with Intel.
Mon May 23, 2005 4:59 pm Subject: Re: The article specifically discusses replacing the G5.
Mon May 23, 2005 7:42 pm Subject:
Pentium-M in a Powerbook would still raise the issue of application support. Any attempt to do PPC emulation on x86 will entail a performance hit (regardless of what Transitive says, it will not run as fast as native), and nobody is developing OSX for x86 apps. Classic Chicken and Egg problem.
Talks don't mean a sudden jump to a different architecture. They mean talks.
Mon May 23, 2005 8:01 pm Subject: chips is chips
who cares what hardware we run on its the software that does it for me as long as it goes when i step on the gas im happy
apple would not screw up the big mo it has built up with a flaky move (trust the reality distortion feild) i squawked at the usb switch bit the bullet and am a better man for it todaty
Mon May 23, 2005 11:19 pm Subject: Apple already uses Intel chip …
in the XServe Raid. They might be considering building a new type of server, a tablet, a video iPod, a new Newton or anything else … this is a report of a meeting (or several) between 2 companies in a very closely related business …
Apple owns patents on the PPC and probably derives some profit from IBM and Freescale processor sales, so I don't really see what type of savings they could get from moving to x86. These "savings", if any, would be far outstripped by the extra expense of having to totally rewrite all of their software, not just the OS, to have it run on the new platform.
The 2.7 G5 runs circles around the latest Intel processors, so there is really no point in switching, unless Intel has something awesome in production that nobody has heard about yet … Very unlikely, IMHO. ![]()
Wed May 17, 2006 11:22 pm Subject: Re: AMD Sucks
Recent Headlines - Updated Thursday, May 15th, 2008
- Thu., 4:50 PM
- OWC Adds Sizes, Reduces Prices for Portable Hard Drive Line
- 4:20 PM
- Battlestations: Midway Set for June 27 Release
- 3:40 PM
- ForeSee Survey: Apple, Newegg and H-P Lead in Online Satisfaction
- 1:30 PM
- Apple's Bolyston Street Store Sign of Things to Come
- 1:05 PM
- TMO Appearances - TMO's Dave Hamilton, John F. Braun at NCMUG
- 12:30 PM
- Mozilla Releases Thunderbird 3 Alpha
- 12:10 PM
- Marware Introduces C.E.O. Envi for MacBook Air
- 11:25 AM
- Icahn Ready to Dump Yahoo Board
- 10:40 AM
- Hot Forum Topic - Time Capsule: Reader Experiences
- 10:15 AM
- Take Control Unveils New Apple Mail Books
- 9:50 AM
- iPodObserver - Intel Debunks iPhone Atom Rumors
- 9:20 AM
- iPodObserver - AT&T: One iPhone Per Customer
- 8:50 AM
- Skype 2.7 Hotfix Improves Firewall, Router Support
- 8:05 AM
- Cyberduck 3 Adds WebDAV, Amazon S3 Support
- 5:00 AM
- Adobe Intros Flash Player 10 Beta
- 3:40 AM
- User Friendly Blog by Ted Landau - The iPhone needs a faster better Safari
The Mac Observer Reader Specials
- Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
- Other World Computing: Go Longer Between Charges with a NewerTech NuPower Batteries! Not just another battery, NuPower available for PowerBook and iBook models, is built in the USA to offer the longest Run Time + the longest useful LifeTime too! In Stock at OWC from $99.95
Memory For New Intel Core2 DUO MacBooks, MacBook Pro, MacMini & iMacs" 4GB Kit $80, 3GB Kit $60, 2GB Kit $40, 1GB $20. Click to Maximize your Macs...
Mac observers can now play Party Poker for Mac as well as Mac casino games by going to MacPokerOnline.com.For the latest Apple products use Ciao a comparison website to find laptops like MacBook Air. Then find the best prices on MP3 players and use our comparison tool to evaluate cell phones.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
