Report: Apple explores use of Intel chips

[fkloster]

Report: Apple explores use of Intel chips

11:36 AM PDT on Monday, May 23, 2005


Associated Press



NEW YORK ? In what would be a major shift in the computer world, Apple reportedly is talking with Intel about using its chips in its Macintosh line.



AP photo

Intel computer chips.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the computer maker has been meeting with Intel, the world's largest chipmaker. The newspaper cited two industry executives with knowledge of recent discussions between the companies as saying that Apple will agree to use Intel chips.


Neither company would discuss the report, which Apple calls speculation.


According to the Journal, it is unclear what a deal would mean to Apple's relationship with IBM. Big Blue is the major chip supplier for Macintosh computers.


The report said talks between Apple and Intel could fail, as they have before, or Apple could be engaging in negotiations with Intel to gain leverage over IBM.

 

[neutralizer]

Noes! Use AMD.

 

[wakawaka]

I heard about this on MSNBC. Maybe Intel can bring them some decent laptop processors. Their current ones pretty much suck

 

[pm]

This is not the first time that Apple and Intel have been in negotiation over this - as the article points out, this could be a negotiating tactic. Although there is reason to think that this time Apple has more motivation than they've had in the past to reconsider their primary CPU supplier.

 

[knothead34]

i think also they are not selling enough of there desktops so looking to improve them. im not talking about the emacs or imacs im talking about there tower desktops.

 

[Bateluer]

Apple has 'explored using Intel CPUs' in the same way that 'Dell has explored using AMD CPUs.'

 

[Dyloot]

Originally posted by: knothead34
i think also they are not selling enough of there desktops so looking to improve them. im not talking about the emacs or imacs im talking about there tower desktops.

They are too expensive. I bought an ibook for $1600 last October with a 1.25ghz processor and 512mb of RAM. I need the platform for various work duties, and I've really enjoyed it, but it's overpriced. OSX is nice, but nothing provided by that platform was worth the larger price tag.

There will always be a group of artists, designers and video editors who live and die by the Mac, but they'd sell a lot more of them if they found some way to lower their prices.

Dyloot

 

[pm]

An interesting article on this that explores the "whys":
http://yahoo.smartmoney.com/Techsmart/index.cfm?story=20050523&afl=yahoo