Apple & SGI sitting in a tree...k-i-s-s-i-n-g
You all recall that SGI very nearly migrated to Intel's new Itanium (or whatever flavor) but then pulled back because Intel's horse couldn't make it around the track fast enough? There were also rumors last Nov/Dec (?) that SGI was considered the much rumored G5.
As I understand it, SGI is losing market share in all of its market segments. SGI designs its own semiconductors and outsources production.
Remember that so-called option that Apple has to buy-out Motorola from AIM? Supposedly this implies that Apple would require the relevant intellectual capital.
SGI is likely finding it more and more painful to retain semiconductor in-house. Truthfully, I don't know how much they might be making on these low-end embedded versions.
Apple generates more semiconductor volume than does SGI, anyway you cut it. However, Apple does not generate enough volume to drive Motorola to a product life cycle comparable to that of Intel and AMD.
Apple has been rumored to be considering in-sourcing the design of its CPU's for over a year. On the other hand, IBM seems to be singing a different tune these days by working more closely with its customers in semiconductor design (the deal with Sony and ???).
Anyway, it is POSSIBLE that Apple and SGI might embrace a strategic relationship sometimes called co-opetition. However, given Apple's highly probably targeting of SGI's highest margin market segments, I'm not sure SGI would want to lend credence to an Apple challenge on SGI's surf by using similar/identical semiconductors.
Conclusion? Nothing really. I might as well pick the hairs from my ass because Apple is too damned tight lipped about their semiconductor strategy.
As far as I am concerned, we don't know ****!!! We can speculate adnauseum regarding all these miniscule tidbits of rumor. Frankly, I think this guy going over to SGI or MIPS means nothing. We've been experiencing a crunch in the high tech center for quite some time now. Many formerly high-flying firms have laid off many, including myself. This guy is most likely looking for greener pasteurs.
Don't get me wrong, I am not ruling out a strategic partnership in absolute terms. I'm just saying that no one has surfaced any weighty evidence; nothing but fluff.
I don't think we'll see the G5 at WWDC or any other major PowerMac upgrade. The most we could possibly hope for is a little telegraphing to the developers that someday, around ???, 64 bit code will be executable.
I wouldn't be at all surprised that if the G5 or MOBO'd G4 were ready for MWNY that Apple would instead announce it earlier but after WWDC.
Apple has staked a claim on Wall Street that it is one of the few prospering computer makers. Hence, Apple is more motivated than usual to throttle its earnings up. That means, it would be in its best interests to curb the usual sales (volume may increase but margin decreases a lot) drop-off that precedes a MacWorld by one to two months. This might just be something worthwhile to SJ to pass on his usual MW showmanship if he believes that doing so would notably increase year-end earnings. As usual, too many unknowns to say anything worth betting on. Apple doesn't need an MW to generate the publicity it desires. It can do so through media manipulation, as it has proved quite capable of doing effectively. We're the kindling wood that helps him build a publicity fire. A few hints and slips dropped here and there would set us off and then the publications. THIS IS NOT A PREDICTION; it is just another perspective to bear in mind.
Eirik
