alik_05
06-08-2005, 01:27 PM
Apple using Intel - [Computer Hardware]
Should Linux worry?
What does Apple's recent move to Intel CPUs mean for Linux? What I mean to say is, should the Linux community be worried that Apple will be able to provide a Unix-like OS that’s great for a lot of tasks and that runs on Intel processors? Well, as it turns out, probably not really.
It's true that Apple's desktop is ahead of Linux's desktop, and yes it is also true that Apple is developing a presence in the desktop and server market (where Linux has its strength.) But Apple seems poised to continue its exclusionary stance - that is, Apple's Mac OS X will only run on Apple hardware, whether its Intel CPU based or not, and Apple computers will still continue to carry a price premium. If Apple planned to allow users to run Mac OS X on any x86 machines, maybe Linux would be right to be scared. But it seems unlikely and indeed even impossible that Mac OS X will run on anything other than an Apple machine. Linux, on the other hand, runs on any old i386 hardware.
From this vantage point, it looks like the net effect for Apple is going to be break-even at best. I don’t think Apple’s move spells doom for Linux on the desktop, or poses a serious threat to Linux in the server market, and it certainly doesn’t mean that Apple is poised to defeat Microsoft on its home turf.
Cheaper Mac Laptops?
The move by Apple to Intel processors may spark a rise in cheap Mac laptops, it has been revealed. Laptops are becoming more and more popular, with a market that's growing more than three times faster than desktop personal computers. A move to Intel processors will enable Apple to produce laptops that run faster and cost less money.
Using Intel chips may enable Apple to make "smaller, lighter laptops" and "more macho higher-performance laptops" than possible with IBM and Motorola's chip business… That's because the processors create less heat and require less cooling, making it easier to build the slimmer styles consumers prefer.
The faster speeds may help build on Apple's recent gains in market share. Shipments of Apple's Macintosh PCs surged 45 percent in the U.S. in the first quarter, spurring the biggest market share gain in five years, as the success of its iPod music players drove new Mac purchases, according to researcher Gartner Inc.
Intel chips will debut in Apple's cheaper, less-powerful PCs starting in 2006, then in more-expensive models in 2007.
Should Linux worry?
What does Apple's recent move to Intel CPUs mean for Linux? What I mean to say is, should the Linux community be worried that Apple will be able to provide a Unix-like OS that’s great for a lot of tasks and that runs on Intel processors? Well, as it turns out, probably not really.
It's true that Apple's desktop is ahead of Linux's desktop, and yes it is also true that Apple is developing a presence in the desktop and server market (where Linux has its strength.) But Apple seems poised to continue its exclusionary stance - that is, Apple's Mac OS X will only run on Apple hardware, whether its Intel CPU based or not, and Apple computers will still continue to carry a price premium. If Apple planned to allow users to run Mac OS X on any x86 machines, maybe Linux would be right to be scared. But it seems unlikely and indeed even impossible that Mac OS X will run on anything other than an Apple machine. Linux, on the other hand, runs on any old i386 hardware.
From this vantage point, it looks like the net effect for Apple is going to be break-even at best. I don’t think Apple’s move spells doom for Linux on the desktop, or poses a serious threat to Linux in the server market, and it certainly doesn’t mean that Apple is poised to defeat Microsoft on its home turf.
Cheaper Mac Laptops?
The move by Apple to Intel processors may spark a rise in cheap Mac laptops, it has been revealed. Laptops are becoming more and more popular, with a market that's growing more than three times faster than desktop personal computers. A move to Intel processors will enable Apple to produce laptops that run faster and cost less money.
Using Intel chips may enable Apple to make "smaller, lighter laptops" and "more macho higher-performance laptops" than possible with IBM and Motorola's chip business… That's because the processors create less heat and require less cooling, making it easier to build the slimmer styles consumers prefer.
The faster speeds may help build on Apple's recent gains in market share. Shipments of Apple's Macintosh PCs surged 45 percent in the U.S. in the first quarter, spurring the biggest market share gain in five years, as the success of its iPod music players drove new Mac purchases, according to researcher Gartner Inc.
Intel chips will debut in Apple's cheaper, less-powerful PCs starting in 2006, then in more-expensive models in 2007.