What's Really Behind the Apple-Intel Alliance

NY Times ^ | 6/11/05 | John Markoff

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Nearly a quarter-century ago, Apple Computer ran a snarky ad after its onetime rival encroached on its territory: "Welcome, I.B.M. Seriously." This week, however, Steven P. Jobs had a different message for Big Blue, which had since become a chief ally: "Goodbye. Seriously."

Mr. Jobs, 50, a co-founder of Apple, is famously brash and mercurial. Even so, the Apple faithful - not to mention I.B.M. itself - were caught by surprise by Apple's decision to end its 14-year relationship with I.B.M. and team with Intel for its computer chip needs.

The buzz that began Monday among developers, bloggers, analysts and Apple followers trying to guess Mr. Jobs' true designs has not let up. After all, Mr. Jobs is a legend in no small part because he defied the monster combination that is Wintel - as the digerati call the Windows and Intel alliance - and lived to talk about it.

Apple's decision in the 1980's to use a different chip from the one put in most personal computers "fit in with the idea of Think Different," Stephen G. Wozniak, who founded Apple with Mr. Jobs in 1976, said in an e-mail exchange. "So it's hard for some people to accept this switch."

So what could a Macintel possibly hope to accomplish?

Potentially, quite a lot. In striking the deal, Mr. Jobs, Apple's chief executive, has opened a range of tantalizing new options for his quirky company.

Many people in the industry believe that Mr. Jobs is racing quietly toward a direct challenge to Microsoft and Sony in the market for digital entertainment gear for the living room. Indeed, Sony's top executives had tried to persuade Mr. Jobs to adopt a chip that I.B.M. has been developing for the next-generation Sony PlayStation...

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

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[Abcdefg]

"brash and mercurial"
Doesn't that translate to "a-hole"?

[ikka]

It only translates to that if you are not successful. If you are succesful (Jobs co-founded Apple, founded NeXT which was bought by Apple, and bought Pixar from Lucasfilms and turned it into a Hollywood powerhouse), you are brash and mercurial.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Apple has done some great things, but they shot themselves up front with the software issue and defied logic with the non portability of OS with new introductions of machines.

[Swordmaker]

More motive speculation on Apple/Intel or might it become ApTel?

PING!!!Freepmail me.

[Nick Danger]

Apple's decision in the 1980's to use a different chip from the one put in most personal computers "fit in with the idea of Think Different," Stephen G. Wozniak, who founded Apple with Mr. Jobs in 1976, said in an e-mail exchange.

The Woz lies. If there even was such a thing as a "chip used in most personal computers" at that time, it was the 6502 used in the Apple ][, the Atari, and the Commodore 64.

It could not have been obvious to anyone, when the processor for the Mac was selected, that the IBM PC platform would evolve into an almost universal standard. The Compaq portable, which was the first "clone," was announced in '82 and didn't ship until 1983. By that time, work on the Mac must have begun.

[John Valentine]

Apple has done some great things, but they shot themselves up front with the software issue and defied logic with the non portability of OS with new introductions of machines.

A widely held, but in my view, completely erroneous point of view, both as to matters of fact and opinion.

[mhx]

Yes, it was IBM at the time that was picking something "nonstandard" that no one else was using. Of course, being IBM, they didn't need to care about that.

[TexasTransplant]

You are good!

TT

[N3WBI3]

THis is driven by the heat problems with the G5, and production problems at IBM..

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Not so...................

************************************************

On stage, Mr. Jobs noted that he had promised both a 3-gigahertz Macintosh as well as a more powerful PowerPC-based portable computer, promises that he had not been able to deliver.

In the end, Mr. Jobs was given no choice but to move his business to Intel, when I.B.M. executives said that without additional Apple investment they were unwilling to pursue the faster and lower-power chips he badly needs for his laptop business.

"Technical issues were secondary to the business issues," said an executive close to the I.B.M. side of the negotiations. Because the business was not profitable, I.B.M. "decided not to continue to go ahead with the product road map."

[Hank Rearden]

Indeed, Mr. Jobs has always set himself apart from other corporate executives. After all, which other American business executive would have thought to name the holding company for his executive jet airplane "Marmalade Skies"?

That, in a nutshell, summarizes why the whole B.S. "Saint Steve" idiotic, scraggly-goatee Apple subculture just sucks.

Bunch of 2% marketshare dopes with pretty-colored toy computers.

[spower]

I think someone had a very troubled childhood.

[Boss_Jim_Gettys]

"...with the non portability of OS with new introductions of machines."

Huh?

[N3WBI3]

Youre post indicates you think he is no longer a kid.. YOu should have said 'is having'..

[SunkenCiv]

"Mr. Jobs is racing quietly toward a direct challenge to Microsoft and Sony in the market for digital entertainment gear for the living room."

Hmm. Thought that was what the Mac Mini was about.

[Hank Rearden]

I think someone had a very troubled childhood.

Yeah. Jobs has been weird a long time.

[papertyger]

Yeah. Jobs has been weird a long time.

Hank, this is really getting old. Why don't you just go on and get those nipples pierced instead of projecting every expression of societal contempt you can think of onto Jobs.

I'm sure you'll feel better once you're "out," and no one has to know except you and your significant other!

[Hank Rearden]

What's getting old is the "Macs are so cool they really should be ruling the world!" hype and blather. All the tangerine-colored kids PCs hasn't changed their irrelevence to the working world.

Even this stupid article claims people would buy Macs for their "industrial design" if only they could do real work.

Sure.

[papertyger]

Hank, Hank, Hank... do you know of a single "working world" shop that allows any and all of its employees absolutely unlimited access and control over the company's IT assets?