In what could be considered one of the smartest moves in Apple’s history, the innovative computer and CE maker announced that they would be dropping IBM in favor of Intel’s processors for their Macintosh computers. Apple is hoping to transition all of its Mac products to using Intel microprocessors by the end of 2007.
Steve Jobs showed a demonstration of the Mac OS X Tiger operating system running on an Intel-based Mac system to over 3,800 developers at a keynote address. Apple’s move opens the door for a number of possibilities including lower development costs and ultimately lower prices for the consumer. Still there are even more questions people are going to want answers for. Will Apple plan on introducing their operating systems to non-Apple computers? Could this partnership be a signal for future opportunities with Intel, including the possibility of Intel chips in upcoming iPods or other Apple CE products? And, lastly how could this partnership affect Microsoft?
“We are thrilled to have the world’s most innovative personal computer company as a customer,†said Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel. “Apple helped found the PC industry and throughout the years has been known for fresh ideas and new approaches. We look forward to providing advanced chip technologies, and to collaborating on new initiatives, to help Apple continue to deliver innovative products for years to come.â€
“We think this is a really smart move on Apple’s part and plan to create future versions of our Creative Suite for Macintosh that support both PowerPC and Intel processors,†said Bruce Chizen, CEO of Adobe.
