Intel's New Image and Apple's Role

[MacRumors]

Much of the news surrounding Apple these days has Intel intimately involved. Intel Macs are widely expected to be announced soon at Macworld San Francisco.

Businessweek looks at Intel and their recent corporate shift which will be featured at CES next week.

Indeed, Intel does plan to change their corporate branding by changing their logo and spending $2.5 billion advertising and marketing glitz. Now led by Paul Otellini, Intel is shifting its focus from PCs alone to software and hardware "platforms" ranging from consumer electronics to health care.

Apple's role in this is also a departure for Intel:

For years, Grove and Barrett pooh-poohed Apple as a niche company whose products had sleek form, but nowhere near the function of computers with Intel's chips. Yet Otellini set about wooing Jobs almost from the start.

Otellini believes that Apple has been a front-runner in design and "as they start taking advantage of some of our lower-power products, that form factor will improve significantly. I think it will help drive a trend toward smaller, cheaper, cooler."

 

[Lacero]

That's great that Apple is influencing Intel in a positive way.

Paul Otellini is proving himself to be a worthy CEO successor to Andy Grove, who himself I adore just as much as Steve Jobs. Only good things can come from their collaboration. Buy Apple stocks.

 

[combatcolin]

Intel = Cute And Fluffy!

 

[zv470]

as long as the Intel inside logo is on the back, hang on... on the inside of the case


edit: sorry Intel, you are cool, just... we don't want extra logos on the outside.

 

[javiercr]

Computing is so present in everyday life that it is about time design becomes more imporant, enough ungly grey boxes. Apple has again been a pioneer, others will follow, lets hope apple still keeps an edge.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I wish Mr. Otellini would say "At Intel, we are happy to showcase our products with a real OS" rather than mentioned something about lower-power products. It sounds like lower-power means Powerless Mac to the newbie or hardcore PowerPC fanboy. I know they can't say anything bad about Microsoft because they are major customer.

I agree with the post earlier. Apple stock will most likely go up with the increase publicity. I predict a stock split by Feb 2006.

 

[zv470]

hmm, strange love decrangle:

Excel on Apple,
MS DOS on Intel,
Windows on MS DOS on Intel,
Office on Windows on MS DOS on Intel,
Apple on PowerPC,
Office on Windows on MS DOS on AMD,
iTunes on Motorola ROKR,
Microsoft uses PowerPC chips in XBox,
Palm Treo running Windows Mobile,
Apple uses Intel processors,


Whats next?

 

[runninmac]

As long as they dont make "cheaper" computers im fine with this thing. There design should help them lead the way though this transition

 

[Sol]

Design goals

'Smaller, cheaper, cooler' sounds like a great direction for Apple's computers. They allready lead the rest of the PC industry in design but if they can make improvements then why not? Ultimately I would like to see fans disappear from computers so that Cube-like silence could be achieved again.

 

[Lacero]

Ultimately I would like to see fans disappear from computers so that Cube-like silence could be achieved again.

Noise still comes from the hard drive, so zen-like silence would be nearly impossible. I'd wish the hard drive manufacturers could come out with variable speed drives that can rev down, say 2400 rpm, to near silence during periods of inactivity such listening to tunes or watching DVDs.

Drives are getting louder and hotter, so something's going to have to give.

Here's to the Crazy Ones ​

 

[J@ffa]

Noise still comes from the hard drive, so zen-like silence would be nearly impossible.

Well, i'm not an acoustic engineer or anything but if it was making a low enough amount of noise, a bit of trickery could probably dissipate it enough to make it sound as if it was silent, even if it wasn't, right?

 

[thequicksilver]

I both look forward to this and fear it. My 12" iBook is probably going to look like a tank and lose about 30% of its resale value the second the Intel ones come out.

But, to coin a phrase from the original TiBook advert… "but boy, I'm going to so want one".

 

[scheming]

Cheaper from Apple?

You know Apple has never been a company to sell anything that didn't seem to cost a lot. Take a look at the Powerbooks and Power Macs now and it will put a frown on your face. I mean, I could get a laptop from so many different manufacturers with some great specs for way under $2,000 but this isn't the case with Apple. If Intel steps in and really makes it so that the new laptops from Apple are smaller and cooler that would be great. You throw the word cheaper in there and im in .

 

[Darwin]

Times are certainly a changing

Its gonna be good

 

[Norse Son]

"Stop the NoisE!"

Well, what about the recent stories regarding flash chips? Didn't some major supplier just announce 16GB chips?

Now, I know that doesn't mean that if you "glue" 8 of 'em on a slice of silicon that you have 128GB, but it does signal that flash drives in the 30-60GB range are "just around the corner" (maybe late 2007?).

Perhaps by 2010 our PowerBooks will have a 10GB flash drive, for "instant on" booting, as well as a 200GB S-ATA 300(?) hard drive... Flash drives of that capacity are "affordably" at least 10 years off.

But just think how quiet that laptop would be...

 

[YS2003]

You know Apple has never been a company to sell anything that didn't seem to cost a lot. Take a look at the Powerbooks and Power Macs now and it will put a frown on your face. I mean, I could get a laptop from so many different manufacturers with some great specs for way under $2,000 but this isn't the case with Apple. If Intel steps in and really makes it so that the new laptops from Apple are smaller and cooler that would be great. You throw the word cheaper in there and im in .

I think the price of admission (to Macintosh) is higher than the run-of-the-mill Windows-based PCs. As far as I am concerned, I am very comfortable with the current pricing of Apple products. Especially the current 12" iBook is very competitively priced

 

[Peace]

Sounds to me like Otellini and Jobs are making smart moves.

I'd buy APPL and dump MSFT...

 

[artistry]

as long as the Intel inside logo is on the back, hang on... on the inside of the case

It won't according to the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4568920.stm

 

[tom.96]

I was quite sceptical when the intel venture was announced, but now I'm really keen on it and comments like the above really make me think this is the best way to to go.

The last machine I had with an Intel chip was a Pentium running at 133mhz !

I can't wait to buy a new intelmac in the new year!

 

[Maestro64]

What we all have to be concerned about here is what will happen to the quality and reliability of the systems. No one can argue that Apple has the highest quality of all systems manufacturers out there with a few except of lemons that Apple has made I the past.

This is by no means an accident on Apple's part. Part of the reason we all pay so much more for an Apple is becuase of the amount of testing, qualification and attention to details Apple puts in to every product. Intel does not have the same reputation. I concerned that these lower end products being mentioned here will fall well short of a standard apple products.

Plus with the rumors of the pending new Intel product to be announce with the help of Intel's design center I am afraid we will all get the same crap the PC world has been getting. I do not believe Apple had the bandwith or the time to fully test and qualify an Intel design, plus it so hard to transfer lessons learned from previous designs to a new design group. One of the reasons Apple designs are so good is their design teams have been together so long and they learn from the past.

I think it will be prudent before we all buy to find out who actually did the design, Apple or Intel, personally I stay way from anything that has an intel PCB in it, remember intel is a Chip company not a systems company go with what you do best and stayway from everything else.

 

[Porchland]

Mac mini media center?

John Markoff, who covers Apple for the New York Times writes today

"It is possible that Mr. Jobs will extend the company's iTunes video strategy from the current portable iPod video player into a Yonah-based set-top box that would permit Apple to define the next generation of home video as completely as it has dominated the market for digital audio."

The article was more about Intel, but Markoff is one of the reporters that broke the Mactel story earlier this year.

For licensed Times users, here's the full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/30/technology/30chip.html

 

[Maestro64]

It won't according to the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4568920.stm

I find the first statement in that article interesting " the world largest chip manufacture" this is not necessaryly true, for people in the industry it is know that IBM is still the largest foundary of chips in the world. Howevery most of those chips are not sold in the open market IBM uses them internally.

 

[Peace]

What we all have to be concerned about here is what will happen to the quality and reliability of the systems. No one can argue that Apple has the highest quality of all systems manufacturers out there with a few except of lemons that Apple has made I the past.

This is by no means an accident on Apple's part. Part of the reason we all pay so much more for an Apple is becuase of the amount of testing, qualification and attention to details Apple puts in to every product. Intel does not have the same reputation. I concerned that these lower end products being mentioned here will fall well short of a standard apple products.

Plus with the rumors of the pending new Intel product to be announce with the help of Intel's design center I am afraid we will all get the same crap the PC world has been getting. I do not believe Apple had the bandwith or the time to fully test and qualify an Intel design, plus it so hard to transfer lessons learned from previous designs to a new design group. One of the reasons Apple designs are so good is their design teams have been together so long and they learn from the past.

I think it will be prudent before we all buy to find out who actually did the design, Apple or Intel, personally I stay way from anything that has an intel PCB in it, remember intel is a Chip company not a systems company go with what you do best and stayway from everything else.

I believe Apple is in Oregon with Intel to make the best computer.Two heads are better than one in some cases..
Who knows.Maybe these two thinktanks are trying to come up with the next great thing..
Intel does some good design work as does Apple..

 

[Marx55]

The "Intel Inside" or "Intel whatever" or "Intel" sticker on the new Mactels is GREAT news because it will bring:

- Cheaper Macs.
- Halo effect: millions of new switchers
- Larger Mac OS X and Mactel market share

Grow up! --A sticker will not harm your Mac!

 

[Maestro64]

I believe Apple is in Oregon with Intel to make the best computer.Two heads are better than one in some cases..
Who knows.Maybe these two thinktanks are trying to come up with the next great thing..
Intel does some good design work as does Apple..

I do not beleive Apple engineering is in Oregon, and Intel has be in an out of the PCB and System business so many times it will make you head spin. Intel has only does these kinds of things to help promote the selling of chips where they make the real money. Trust me I have seen Intel designs and had to deal with their lack of attention to details and thermal management. Plus I am very familiar with Apple's design methods and qualification and Intel may try but in the end they will ship the product no mater what.