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Apple switches to Intel |
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Apple Computer announced last week that it will be switching to Intel Corp's microprocessor chips, and begin phasing out its current supplier, International Business Machines Corp [IBM]. In a speech to software developers Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed that Apple has been working on the move for at least five years, creating two separate versions of its Mac OS X operating system for both the current Mac chips and those built by Intel. Analysts say Apple risks alienating historically loyal users with the move. Though the long-rumored transition will help the Mac compete against Windows PCs in performance and potentially price, software now built for Macs will have to be rewritten and then may not work on older Apple machines reports Forbes
"Our goal is to provide our customers with the best personal computers in the world, and looking ahead, Intel has the strongest processor roadmap by far," Steve Jobs said. "It's been ten years since our transition to the PowerPC, and we think Intel's technology will help us create the best personal computers for the next ten years."
Jobs admitted the change will not be fast or easy. The first Intel-based Macs won't appear until June 2006, and the full product line won't shift to Intel until the following year, he said.
"This is not going to be a transition that happens overnight," Jobs said. "It's going to happen over a period of a few years."
IBM's PowerPC CPUs, have served well for the past 10 years, but recently they've been unable to compete with the faster Intel chips reports National Ledger. Some anticipate that Apple's move could hurt IBM, Market Watch reports Apple's decision may not have as great an impact on current chip supplier International Business Machines Corp. because IBM has been shifting its emphasis in recent years away from PC chips to those used to power other types of devices, especially video game players.
Software makers Microsoft and Adobe, who have some recognition in the Mac community for their productivity suite and image manipulation products, endorsed the change. Fortune Magazine writer David Kirkpatrick says "In the long run, this move could make a big difference for Apple. It could substantially increase the company's current piddling 1.8% market share of the global personal computer market. (Its market share in the U.S. is slightly higher.) Powered with Intel chips, future Macs will be able to also run Windows. I'd wager that Macs could become the top-of-the-line PC for the style-conscious. "
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