Walter Basil writes: >"As Apple Computer Inc. draws up its game plan for the CPUs that will power >its future generations of Mac hardware, the company is holding an ace in the >hole: a feature-complete version of Mac OS X running atop the x86 >architecture."
Apple has been porting the Mac OS to Intel since the "Star Trek" version of System 7.something. NeXTstep, the OS most directly related to Mac OS X, started on 68030 and '040 hardware, but it was later ported to Intel as well. But as Steve Jobs mentioned, Apple likes to keep its options open. You can bet that Apple is also porting OS X to other platforms -- maybe the Alpha chip, IBM's Power series, Itanium, and who knows what else. This means that if Motorola ever collapses under its own incompetence, Apple can pick up without missing a beat. It doesn't mean Apple will ever sell x86 computers, but it does mean that Apple could sell OS X as an alternate OS for that hardware. Imagine how many might abandon Windows and Linux for such an OS.... But don't expect Apple to ever move to Wintel hardware. Even if they did decide to use the Athlon or Pentium, I'd expect them to design their own motherboard with their own ROMs to keep the Mac experience integrated, something Wintel kludge hardware simply can't offer. -- Dan Knight, president, Cobweb Publishing, Inc. <http://cobwebpublishing.com> <http://lowendmac.com> <http://digital-views.com> <http://digigraphica.com> <http://lowendpc.com> <http://reformed.net> The more acceptance that technology gets, the harder it is to change. If enough people are stuck at the same level, they think it's the truth. -- Bjarne Stroustrup -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
