Is Apple getting into the chip business?

MarketWatch ^ | Therese Poletti,

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Commentary: Jobs has the cash, and may want more control of devices

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- A brewing battle between Apple Inc. and its frenemy, IBM Corp., over the role of an executive who at one time managed Big Blue's PowerPC chip business may be an early sign that the Silicon Valley wunderkind is considering designing some of its own semiconductors.

On Tuesday, Apple said it was hiring Mark Papermaster from IBM as a senior vice president of devices hardware engineering. Apple made the hire despite a lawsuit last week by Big Blue against Papermaster. IBM wants to keep him from working at Apple for a year, because of the sensitive information Papermaster is believed to have on its chip business, especially the PowerPC processor, which the companies developed together nearly 20 years ago. See full story.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

ping

[untrained skeptic]

I'm sure Apple has other plans for Papermaster at least for the first year. I doubt they plan to get into the chip business, but if they do they will keep Papaermaster out of it for the next year at least.

IBM's lawsuit will make sure the do, but they can't keep Papermaster from earning a living as long as he isn't using IBM's proprietary information to do it.

[anymouse]

The RISC PowerPC chip was certainly orphaned too early.

The Intel Pentiums have been hitting the wall on packing more inefficient circuits into ever growing (size and heat generated) chips. If the RISC concept is married to more recent chip technology, it could be a game changer.

But if Apple locks in proprietary code in hardware like the early days, it would be a major step backwards.

[Lx]

I thought Apple had switched to the X86 architecture years ago and dumped the PPC. Are they going to compete with Intel? With what, stolen masks and no foundry?

More that this is for embedded chips like for the Iphone and Ipod.

[Vaquero]

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

According to the article this is about chips for the iPhone.

[ShadowAce]

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

The Intel Pentiums have been hitting the wall on packing more inefficient circuits into ever growing (size and heat generated) chips. If the RISC concept is married to more recent chip technology, it could be a game changer.

---

From what I can see, your assessment is 180 degrees off.

I see industry moving away from PPC and towards X86. Apple’s switch in their computers is only but one quite visible example.

Theory would say you are right, but practice proves you wrong. The move to dual core and now multi-core has proven to be the way of choice around the power and heat issues. X86 may be ugly, it may be CISC, but it is the future for non-mobile applications.

[antiRepublicrat]

Why not? Apple has chip design experience (the PPC was done by the AIM Alliance, "A" for "Apple"), they recently bought a low-power chip maker and they are concentrating on low-power mobile applications. Intel's Atom isn't quite there yet, and Apple probably doesn't think the current ARM chips have enough performance.

Apple didn't move away from the PPC for architecture reasons. The main one is that their suppliers let them down. IBM produced a powerful chip that took too much juice to put into laptops, and Freescale couldn't make powerful chips, period. Neither wanted to do the R&D to make better chips just for Apple.

But PowerPC chips did find their way into the latest generation of gaming consoles, as each of the three has a PowerPC core (or three).

[anymouse]

You missed my point. Of course the x86 Intel chips have become the defacto PC chip for even Macs. But Intel is hitting the technical walls and is hurting financially. AMD already is on the ropes. If Apple can marry the PPC tech. with the lessons learned of the rise of x86 tech., they could do an end run around Intel - as Apple has done numerous times before. Of course they could fall on their face too. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. And Jobs is if nothing else a smart gambler on pushing smart design over raw power.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Of course the x86 Intel chips have become the defacto PC chip for even Macs.

- Not just for PCs. I only mentioned PCs as they are an obvious example. Also happening in the embedded space, which is a bigger, if less obvious market.

But Intel is hitting the technical walls

- I have never seen a shred of evidence to support this. In fact I would argue that when it comes to process technology (how to build wafers in all their glorious complexity) Intel has repeatedly shown that it has the edge over everyone else.

and is hurting financially.

- I suppose everyone is hurting financially in the current environment, but again, Intel having deeper pockets than its competition is no doubt hurting *less*.

AMD already is on the ropes.

- Agree.

If Apple can marry the PPC tech. with the lessons learned of the rise of x86 tech., they could do an end run around Intel - as Apple has done numerous times before.

- Apple just moved from PPC to x86 for Mac computers.
- Apple has never, to my knowledge “made an end run” around Intel i.e. competed head to head with Intel and won. Apple has made an end run around *Wintel* to be sure, but that is
a whole different statement.
- Intel is a freaking chip juggernaut, Apple has basically zero chip expertise. Designing and building new Asics these days is frightfully expensive and technologically unbelievably expensive. Intel has their own fabs. Would apple build or acquire their own? If not Intel would have the advantage of controlling their own operation.

Of course they could fall on their face too. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. And Jobs is if nothing else a smart gambler on pushing smart design over raw power.

- Jobs is a marketing and consumer device design genius. Jobs has always let other companies do the technological grunt work and he would focus his energies on the design, fit and finish, where he sees a lot of value add. Steve Jobs as the next Gordon Moore? I suppose anything’s possible but I wouldn’t bet the rent money on it. Also keep in mind that Jobs’ health has been the subject of many rumors and he’s had serious issues with cancer I believe. Is he at the stage of his life to embark on a venture such as this? Not in my view.

[SunkenCiv]

[interesting... from November 2008] Apple’s switch to nVidia graphics in the latest revision Macs is a hint, a clue, IMHO, to the actual direction of Apple’s evolution.

but anyway...

IBM gets hip with ‘cool’ Ubuntu PC deal
The Register (UK) | 5th August 2008 19:02 GMT | Gavin Clarke in San Francisco
Posted on 02/10/2009 11:29:23 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2182524/posts

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2145058/posts?page=7#7

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2145058/posts?page=42#42