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Mactel move to change Apple's product intro strategy?

updated 01:50 am EDT, Thu June 9, 2005

IA-shift may spur changes


Apple's move to Intel-based Macs for the company, including a departure from its unique product introduction strategy, according to a BusinessWeek column: "Until now, Apple has announced products on Jobs's timetable -- when they met his stringent demands. With Intel defining the hardware guts, he'll have less flexibility. 'Apple faces the risk of becoming [just] another player coming out with new products at the same time as everyone else,' says Forrester Research analyst Simon Yates. Still, hooking up with Intel is worth the risk. So long as Apple is growing, software developers are likely to adapt their programs to run on the 'MacIntels.' And in the long term, Macs with Intel inside could spark growth. For starters, it could help close a speed gap in the fast-growing laptop market."


by MacNN Staff

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  1. scotty321

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 1999

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    06/09, 02:02am | report spam | Reply |

    This week

    This entire week has been a whirlwind. My head is still spinning. Can somebody please assure me that this is going to look like the greatest decision ever, 10 years from now? Because right now, it just seems like a big headache. I was just feeling like we could relax from the last transition -- and now this?

  1. pascalpp

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    Joined: Nov 1999

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    06/09, 02:19am | report spam | Reply |

    dude, chill

    i assure you. unless you're a metrowerks developer, you will never know the difference.

  1. kuzelnik

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    Joined: Mar 2000

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    06/09, 02:55am | report spam | Reply |

    Never?

    Never know the difference? Early benchmarks are pretty crappy and the outlook for binary translation on the fly can only improve moderately.

    I was on the verge of getting a new Powerbook. Now I can't even think about upgrading for 6-12 months, because only a few months laters I'll be running emulation on that machine for years to come--which sucks a$$.

  1. 11011001

    Mac Elite

    Joined: May 2001

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    06/09, 03:08am | report spam | Reply |

    Second the chill

    Why the heck would you be running emulation?

    To clerify: Developers will be providing their customers with PPC and Intel applications, if they aren't, then their application probably isn't that critical, and Rosetta is more than enough. Second, developers are not going to be dropping PPC any time soon. The transition is going to take years and years, and it doesn't cost anyone anything to keep the PPC around.

    You won't be emulating anything, it's only the Intels that are going to be emulating the PPC.

  1. devilla101

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    Joined: Dec 2003

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    06/09, 03:20am | report spam | Reply |

    IF only

    Man, if these Mactels, once released, are still commanding a premium price compared to Wintel machines, I think I'll wait until someone manages a hack that will allow OSX to run on any PC hardware.

  1. ZinkDifferent

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    Joined: Jan 2005

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    06/09, 03:43am | report spam | Reply |

    I don't get analysts

    "With Intel defining the hardware guts, he'll have less flexibility."

    How so? How is this any different than being held up by IBM or Motorola, and hvaing them define what can be announced, and when???

    If anything, Intel's product availability, and ability to meet demands, should provide Jobs with MORE flexibility, not less - not to mention that I am certain that their contract has certain Jobsian clauses in it, assuring Apple would get first and exclusive dibs at new Intel technologies, with something like a 6 months exclusivity window.

    Hence, Apple can announce Macs with new Intel chips, and retain the claim of 'fastest computer in the world' for a comfortable lead -- while Intel gets to use those Macs in their own claims and commercials.

    Can't wait for XServes running on Xeons 4 GHz (or, whatever the equivalent then will be).

    ZinkDifferent

  1. bigpoppa206

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2003

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    06/09, 03:49am | report spam | Reply |

    as far as hacking

    Mac OS X to run on anything, ain't gonna happen or else the experience will probably be so crappy people will still go towards Apple hardware.

    With this move, Apple does forever give up the right to claim the fastest processor on the planet though as they will be stuck on the coattails of what they can get from Intel. SO if IBM decides to put out a G6 that blows away the Pentium, tough for us!

  1. Drakino

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Apr 2001

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    06/09, 04:31am | report spam | Reply |

    This changes nothing

    This changes nothing announcement wise. Intel announces processors, not new Dell towers. Apple is buying Intel CPUs to put in Macs, just the same as They buy CPUs from IBM.

    If this transition to Intel happened two years ago, Jobs would have still been on stage in January showing the Mac Mini for the first time.

    If anything, Apple may expand their product line a bit more allowing for new Jobs announcements. With the variety of CPUs they now have access to, it's feasable they could do things like a thin and lite notebook (sub 3 pounds and such) as an example.

  1. slider

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Oct 1999

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    06/09, 06:26am | report spam | Reply |

    Analysts, FUD, 3rd Chill

    Here is a better question. If Apple didn't move to Intel chips, what were they suppose to do? Really, who'll answer that one? Moto isn't doing anything, IBM doesn't seem to think Apple is important enough to pour R&D dollars into mobile G5's. I just read that this pass month of so notebooks sales have out sold desktops. Jobs has also continued to say, "Intel has the best product map for things Apple wants to build".

    So here's my thoughts on all of this concern. This is huge, a major move, gigantic, if you will: Don't Panic :) Apple knows all of this and if you watch the keynote, which I recommend for anyone panicking about this, and read some of the other interview with Jobs, you realize Apple this under control and most Mac users aren't going to notice a thing. I have a 1.25 PB and a 2000 867 QS PM which I have upgrade to a dual 1.25 processor. The latter is old, but it runs great as configured and guess what, it'll be running great in 2010. The upgrade was because I needed to upgrade. My point is that if you bought an iMac in 1998, your probably not running OS X and software is no longer being written for OS 9 anyways (relative). However, if you're like me and can actually track your upgrade cycle to 5ish years, you're good to go. The idea of holding on to really old systems in really practical if you're always running the latest OS anyways. And if you're not, tiger, or panther, or Jaguar it'll still run on whatever machine you're still running it on. I am about to buy an eMac for my office, it's a great machine and I am complete confident it will continue to operate as a great machine.

    Apple has already invested a lot of time and money into this. If anyone knows how big of a thing this is it's Apple. And Apple know it has a very large user base out there and will still be producing PowerPC products in 2007. Don't panic. Oh, and one more thing, it is all about the OS, it always has been. Whether the PowerPC was twice as fast of twice as slow, it's about the OS. Now the OS will be on the same playing field as Wintel machines, oh it is so about the OS.

    It's a great move by Apple and we'll all benefit from it.

  1. blidd

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2003

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    06/09, 06:28am | report spam | Reply |

    Lets face it

    The Freescale processor was becoming long in the tooth compaired to the Pentium M Processor. Apple did not sell enough powerbooks to make it worth freescales will to develope faster Notebooks processors. The 970FX G5 processor is a very fast processor that holds its own against the fastest Intel processors. Buying a Dual G5 if you are working with the likes of Final Cut and DVD studio Pro will still be a good move if you need the speed, but! Facts is only a small number of people does that and Apple are likely buying fewer of those from IBM than the G4 processors from Freescale. Apples small markedsshare proberly did not generate enough sales for IBM to invest the nessesary amount of money in developing faster processors.

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