from SiliconValley news

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

siliconvalley_editor () esp realcities com

Quoted
John Paczkowski
Today, 05:00 PM
"I felt something, a disturbance in the network, as if a million mac  
zealots cried out in horror and were suddenly silenced."

-- One Slashdot reader comments on Apple's switch to Intel

Plus, Santa Clara's a lot closer if Steve needs to slap somebody around

By JOHN PACZKOWSKI
Looks like Intel CEO Paul Otellini will soon be able to, in good  
conscience, buy the Mac he's long dreamed of (see "Sure, I could get  
a Mac, but the time I spend with my daughter removing spyware is very  
precious").  Apple is expected to announce today that it will use  
Intel chips in its computers beginning next year, ending a  
longstanding relationship with IBM. During his keynote speech at the  
company's Worldwide Developers Conference today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs  
will reportedly announce a two-year transition plan to Intel-based  
Macs that will see the company shipping low-end machines, like the  
Mac Mini, in mid-2006 and their higher-end brethren in mid-2007.  
Rumored for ages now (see "For the x86th time, no way"), the move,  
should it prove true (and it seems it will) is a major shift in  
strategy for Apple -- one certain to test the loyalty of Apple  
developers (an architecture shift would require the re-release of all  
Mac software recompiled for the new chip) and the Mac faithful,  and  
perhaps even spawn a crowd of clone manufacturers.

So why bother?  Well, Apple is said to be quite annoyed with IBM's  
failure to produce a 3 GHz G5 chip and a low-power G5 for laptops.  
But is that cause enough for a shift of this magnitude? Probably not.  
So, again, why bother? InfoWarrior's Richard Forno offered an  
interesting explanation in a post to the Interesting People mailing  
list. "Jobs wants the Mac to be more entertainment-friendly boxes,"  
Forno wrote.  "Intel has already started selling CPUs with DRM built  
in that facilitate Hollywood's control over content played/processed  
by Wintel PCs. What if the  change to Intel is designed to 'protect'  
Apple from MPAA lawsuits etc. or at least 'better position it' (in  
Hollywood's eyes) from a technological sense if/when it starts to  
offer video-on-demand type stuff via iTunes? Frankly, if that's true,  
I'll be off to buy the biggest baddest IBM PowerPC G5-based non-DRM- 
toting box I can get and have my order placed well before Jobs  
finishes his keynote speech at WWDC."
Comment on this post

The next "Switch" ad should be interesting:

UPDATE: The rumors are true. Apple is transitioning its Macs to Intel  
microprocessors.

From Apple CEO Steve Job's WWDC keynote address:

"We are going to make the transition from PowerPC to Intel  
processors, and we are going to do it for you now, and for our  
customers next year. Why? Because we want to be making the best  
computer for our customers looking forward. ... This time next year,  
we plan to ship Macs with Intel processors. In two years, our plan is  
that the transition will be mostly complete, and will be complete by  
end of 2007. So today for the first time, I can confirm the rumors  
that every release of Mac OS X has been compiled for PowerPC and  
Intel. This has been going on for the last five years."
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