C|net news announced this weekend that Apple is switching from the the PowerPC architecture to the Intel architecture. What does this mean for the Mac faithful? Here are my insights:
- Apple will be able to lower the price of a Macintosh further, allowing more people to use the software
- Tools like Wine for Linux can be ported to the Mac OS, allowing many Windows applications to run INSIDE OS X without any modification. A open source project is currently developing this, however there are some problems since they need to emulate the Intel processor which will slow it down.
- Legacy applications will benefit from the recent releases of PearPC. Apple can incorporate the PearPC code into the Intel version of OS X allowing Power PC applications to be run on the Intel platform.
- Some smart student in Russia will find a way to install OS X on a Dell or a Vaio. I am sure that Apple would also lose some hardware sales, however their OS sales might someday be increased meaning that Windows has a true competitor for the Intel platform. This means you can no longer say WinTel.
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