Apple Computeris Switch to Intel for the Macintosh is "the Ultimate Power Move," according to Fortune magazineis David Kirkpatrick. By doing so, Mr. Kirkpatrick said that Apple could increase its market share, in part by making it easier for Windows users to buy Macs, and by making Macs less intimidating to IT pros.
"It could substantially increase the companyis current piddling 1.8% market share of the global personal computer market (its market share in the U.S. is slightly higher)," wrote Mr. Kirkpatrick. "Powered with Intel chips, future Macs will be able to also run Windows. Iid wager that Macs could become the top-of-the-line PC for the style-conscious. Windows users wouldnit have to dump their precious applications and ingrained habits to take advantage of Appleis snazzy [iLife] applications."
Mr. Kirkpatrick also postulated that having access to Intelis low-powered processors will allow Apple to advance its portables more quickly. Freescale Semiconductor, the Motorola spinoff that makes the G4 currently used in the eMac, iBook, and PowerBook, has lagged behind in its development of the G4 for years. This has left Appleis once-market leading portables (in terms of power and performance) lag behind both Power Macs and portables from Wintel manufacturers in the last 12-24 months.
He wrote, "I can only imagine how creative Jonathan Ive, who designed the iMac and the iPod, will be when he can shrink the size of Mac notebooks even further. Weire likely to see some pretty cool boxes."
In the final portion of his editorial, Mr. Kirpatrick suggested that Apple might eventually decide to license Mac OS X to other manufacturers, something that flies in the face of repeated comments from Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller, and other Apple execs about Appleis strength being in being the only manufacturer that controls both the software and the hardware.
Then again, those same Apple execs have spent years telling the market place that PowerPC was better than x86, placing such suggestions as Mr. Kirkpatrickis in a different light.
You can find Mr. Kirkpatrickis full thoughts at Fortune magazine.