Todd Walton wrote:
On 6/6/05, Gregory K. Ruiz-Ade <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I'm also quite puzzled why Apple would go with Intel instead of AMD,
Given it's Apple, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the only reason
was to staunch the sting of commoditizing their product, since Apple's
reputation is built on being different and high quality. Intel is bad
enough, but at least it's a brand name. AMD is just a commodity chip
maker, competing with The Brand Name.
I wonder what this means for IBM's Cell processor plans? Maybe the
Cell will become the next major alternative to x86? Maybe IBM will be
so heart-broken by the Apple thing that it will neglect to give the
Cell the attention it needs?
-todd
Not to worry for IBM (from
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/06/technology/06apple.html?):
/By contrast, the chips I.B.M. makes for Apple represent less than 2
percent of chip production at its largest factory in East Fishkill, N.Y.
And while the microelectronics business as a whole is strategically
important for I.B.M., it is a small part of the revenue of a company
that increasingly focuses on services and software. A. M. Sacconaghi, an
analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, estimates that the company's
technology group - mostly microelectronics - will account for less than
3 percent of I.B.M.'s revenues and 2 percent of its pretax income this
year./
...
/For years, according to industry analysts, the work for Apple has been
barely a break-even business for I.B.M. When the two companies were
negotiating a new contract recently, Mr. Jobs pushed for price discounts
that I.B.M. refused to offer. For I.B.M., "the economics just didn't
work," said one industry executive who was briefed on the negotiations.
"And Apple is not so important a customer that you would take the
financial hit to hold onto the relationship."/
...
/However, [Apple Senior Vice President Phil] Schiller said the company
does not plan to let people run Mac OS X on other computer makers'
hardware. "We will not allow running Mac OS X on anything other than an
Apple Mac."/
No doubt there is a world of good hackers eager to take up that challenge.
--
Best Regards,
~DJA.
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