2005 December | The Mac Night Owl

Archive for December, 2005

The Apple/Intel Report: Yes, it’s Still a Mac!

Saturday, December 31st, 2005

Whenever you read a report about someone cracking Mac OS X for Intel and making it run on a plain, vanilla PC box, you have to wonder whether it’s something you need to take seriously. Lest we forget, we’re still talking about a beta operating system. You don’t know what sort of software and hardware protections Apple will place on its new Macs to prevent such shenanigans.

In the end, even if it happens here and there, it doesn’t mean that Mac OS X will be freely available so it can be installed on a $399 Gateway. There are issues of performance and peripheral drivers and the strong possibility that, even though the operating system may work after a fashion, the applications themselves may present obstacles.

There is also a published report from a Mac rumor site that Apple is handing off development of the logic board for the next Power Mac to Intel. I suppose it’s understandable that this can lead to speculation that the next generation Macs will be no different from standard PCs except for the form factor and operating system, as if that was a significant development. Why Apple might do this, of course, doesn’t matter. It may be, as claimed in that report, to save money and speed product development, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

In point of fact, today’s Mac contains lots of industry standard components, from hard drives and RAM to support parts that provide USB, Ethernet and various forms of PCI support. Aside from the processor the support circuitry, and the various cooling-related components, there’s probably not a whole lot that’s terribly different about the parts inside your typical Mac. But does that make a difference? Back in the heady days of the Mac OS clones, various companies slapped an Apple-designed logic board into a perfectly ordinary PC case with standard components from the parts bins, but it made no difference. Why? Because when you turned it on, the screen display told you that it was still a Mac.

Today’s Mac, as we all know, is no longer just the operating system. The computer itself has a distinctive look that stands out from the pack. Few PC makers understand or perhaps care about such things, except perhaps Alienware, which specializes in higher-priced gear for gamers and professional users.

So when the first so-called MacIntels appear, what do you expect they’ll become? Will they be no different from hundreds of other PC boxes? That’s absurd, of course, although I’ve seen that suggestion raised from time to time. The theory goes that, since the inner workings will be essentially the same as a Dell or an HP, Apple will lose its competitive advantage somehow. The possibility that they will be able to run Windows too may enhance that belief. The Mac difference will eventually vanish altogether, so they say.

At the same time, if you took any of today’s Macs and swapped out the logic board with one designed by Intel, and it booted Mac OS X for Intel, would it be a Mac or just another PC? What’s the difference if the parts are the same? Of course, that difference remains, and it’s the operating system, and the fact that Apple enhances the system by giving it attractive duds is the icing on the cake. Suggestions that Windows and the Mac OS are really quite similar in most respects, which is implied, for example, in the rather lame reviews from Consumer Reports magazine, are clearly as silly as they’ve always been.

Now it’s very possible that Apple will opt to put an Intel Inside sticker on the box or even on the computer itself, although you’ll no doubt be able to remove the latter with very little effort. No reason for Apple to refuse millions of dollars of marketing cash from its new processor partner. But to most of you, it should make no difference whatever to your perception about the finished product. A Mac didn’t become less of a Mac when it went from the original Motorola 680×0 processor family to PowerPC, even though software had to be reworked extensively to be fully compatible.

In the coming months, you will hear that Apple has sacrificed its distinctiveness to move over to Intel. However, the end result will be a sleeker, faster computer. If IBM had managed to produce the G5 chips Apple hoped for when it made its original deal, you’d still have a sleeker, faster computer. And that is both the beginning and end of the story.

Posted in News | Print This Article | | No Comments »

The Apple/Intel Report: Oil and Water?

Saturday, December 31st, 2005

I still remember the scene at the WWDC keynote where Steve Jobs and Intel CEO Paul Otellini embraced. It was all show business of course, a symbol to show the spirit of cooperation between the two companies. It doesn’t mean the two hang out Friday evenings at one of the local pubs in Cupertino or Mountain View to share a brew.

In any case, there’s been plenty of speculation, reasoned and otherwise, as to just how this relationship might continue over the long haul. Of course, nobody can really tell, other than to observe the histories of the two companies. Now Apple is infamous for being difficult with the companies with which it does business. The fact that they come back for more abuse clearly indicates that they still appreciate the payments Apple provides for their products and services.

But, according to long-time industry analyst Rob Enderle, Intel is not so sweet on its partners either. He writes that “Intel tends to make decisions critical to the success or failure of the OEMs without adequately taking into account the needs of these companies.” Now it’s clear that nobody dares dictate terms to Steve Jobs, and he is no doubt going to attempt to prod, incite and strong arm Intel into delivering its latest and greatest parts to Apple ahead of the rest of the pack. Sure I’m speculating, but I think I’m on solid ground here. Jobs wants Apple to be ahead of that large group of Intel OEMs that includes Dell, HP and countless other PC makers. It doesn’t matter that Apple is not nearly as big a customer.

At the same time, what terms is Apple going to demand for standing first in line? Will it pay more for the chips? Hardly. It would expect to get the same deal as the rest of Intel’s customers, perhaps even better for the “privilege” of doing business with Apple. What about the advertising subsidies that Intel provides for participating in the famous Intel Inside program? Yes, when you see that little logo at the end of a broadcast spot, Intel is paying part of the bill. Is Apple going to succumb to the temptation of the extra ad dollars? Enderle doubts it, but I’m not so sure. I can see where Apple might get some perverse satisfaction in having that little element tacked on to ads for a new line of Macs.

In fact, I can see it now, at the Macworld Expo keynote. Assuming all the predictions come to pass, Jobs introduces Intel-based iBooks and Mac minis. I’m not quite as confident about a PowerBook, although it’s possible Apple will begin to take orders for late February or March delivery. No matter. The first commercials for these new products appear, and they climax with the Intel Inside stinger. The crowd roars with approval. Really! There may be a couple of boos and hisses here and there, but I think most of you will enjoy the turn of events.

I suppose Enderle is right, though, that Apple and Intel are going to have a rocky relationship. However, I expect it’ll last regardless. Intel has been after Apple’s business for years, and Otellini and the rest of the key executives at Intel know full well what they’re getting into. The Apple/Intel partnership provides the latter with a level of prestige it doesn’t get from any other OEM. So long as Intel provides the parts Apple wants, even if the delivery follows a few screaming matches on both sides, it’s not as if Apple is going to go back to Freescale Semiconductor and Motorola as alternate suppliers. There’s no turning back here.

But it’s not as if Apple doesn’t have alternatives. Jobs went to Intel because Freescale and IBM didn’t deliver the goods. On the other side of the processor industry, there’s also AMD. I doubt very much if Jobs has any exclusive deal with Intel, and there’s nothing to prevent it from writing a check to AMD if it offers a better deal and speedier processors. In fact, if you read the published benchmarks of PC’s using the best Intel and AMD parts, quite often the latter comes out ahead. That equation might change with Intel’s new product introductions in 2006 and 2007. I suppose the PC magazines will let us in on the test results when computers with the most powerful Intel chips begin to ship.

If AMD emerges victorious, just how will Apple react? Will Jobs become upset that he cast his lot with the wrong supplier, or does he know something we don’t? Has he already seen the comparisons deep within Intel’s development labs to demonstrate that he chose the right supplier? Perhaps.

Regardless, the developments in 2006 are going to be fascinating. Unfortunately, a lot of what happens may actually transpire behind the scenes, and we’ll be left, as usual, with rumors and speculation.

Posted in News | Print This Article | | No Comments »