Intel's New Image and Apple's Role

[maya]

Yeah that's a good point. FireWireless is a very interresting concept, seeing as how (at least in my experience) that the majority of FW400 hardware is 6-pin (external Hard Drives etc.) and as such, they utilize the built in power in pins 5 and 6. That said, we all know that there is no such thing as wireless power, so these devices would have to have an alternate power source in order to utilize FireWire wireless or whatever it's called. Only the 4-pin FW400 stuff will be able to use this new technology.

FireWire-less 400 is essentially for networking purposes. And we all know that wireless products require some form of recharging or obtaining power. 🙂

FYI, my external HDD has a 6/6 pin, however it also uses a power brick. 😉

6/6 pin is mainly used for mobile devices, for example: iPod, travel HDD, etc...

 

[~Shard~]

Here ya go....

 

[Peace]

Here ya go....

As I said in a different topic...

You read it here first!!

Come next December look to see "10,000,000 Leopards Leaping" as a slogan.

 

[hmmfe]

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.

I think you are mixing terms here. A chip foundry is a company with a chip manufacturing facility (a fab) that will contract it's services to a fabless IC design company (e.g. Transmeta). In this sense, IBM is the largest - at least in the US last i checked. TSMC and other overseas foundries are much larger though.

Intel's foundry business is a small part of it's overall business. So, it is not the largest foundry in the world. Intel is, however, the largest manufacturer of chips in the world - by a wide margin.

 

[Norse Son]

... I do not believe Apple or Jobs will ever allow the Intel logo to grace the outside of the computer... it is completely void of goddie logos. they have the Apple logo and the name of the product..., look how many processor Apple has gone through over the yrs, 68K, 020, 030, 040, PPC 601, 602, 603, G3, G4, G5, and for the most part Apple never really advertised on the computer what was inside.

If the logo shows up I would be very surprised... but Apple does not need Intel's advertising dollars they already spends $100's millions on advertising aready.

I could see it on the box, perhaps, but once you open that to take out your shiny new Mac w/Intel, I doubt you'd see Intel mentioned... Maybe on the back or bottom, where it lists the serial & model #s?

Also, a slight correction: I don't recall Apple using the PPC 602 - maybe I'm wrong; I thought it was strictly for the embedded market... hmm... But you did leave out the PPC 604, which was in the PowerMac 9600 series, I believe.

And with regards to Apple not needing the "Intel Inside" marketing dollars, because "they already spends $100's millions on advertising"... Well, other than in magazines, I haven't seen any Apple ads on TV since the humorous "bunnyman" days. In fact, the only non-static (i.e.: "moving images") ads I've seen from Apple in the past 6-7 years have been for the iPod + iTunes.

But now Apple is set to "swim in the big kids' pool" with the Intel switch, so they would be wise to put some of those Intel dollars to good use pushing the advantages of MacOS X versus Windows. Especially since they'll be running on virtually the same hardware.

 

[Cinch]

Of interest: Toward the end of the article, Kim the chief marketing guy for Intel pointed out that the Viiv chip will be on computers with other operating systems e.g. Linux or OSX. I think the Mac Mini is one such computer.

Regarding branding and the union of Intel and Apple, Apple is selling a lifestyle. They are not selling computers with mail in rebate like Dell (dear god).

Cinch

 

[Seasought]

But now Apple is set to "swim in the big kids' pool" with the Intel switch, so they would be wise to put some of those Intel dollars to good use pushing the advantages of MacOS X versus Windows. Especially since they'll be running on virtually the same hardware.

Do you see Apple starting to really push itself with regard to advertising? I've had a difficult time figuring out what Apple's theme is concerning its business ideology. I've read that they "don't compete" and just make quality products, but that just sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.

What is the idea behind them? Is it a sort of "we make products that speak for themselves" sort of a thing, or are they just very, very private about what they do?

In short, they're different than the majority and I'm just trying to figure out what their angle is exactly. All opinions are welcome of course.

 

[mdavey]

Apple is selling a lifestyle.

Well, Apple only delivered me a Mac mini before closing my order as fulfilled. So, I am still without a life and style 🙁

 

[mdavey]

In short, they're different than the majority and I'm just trying to figure out what their angle is exactly.

I suspect that in the last ten years or so, Apple have seen their Macintosh business as niche providers: supplying a premium product to a small, close-nit and dedicated type of consumer.

In those conditions, it doesn't make sense to use untargeted advertising campaigns such as mass-media (TV, newspapers, radio, etc.) as there won't be a good fit between actual recipients of your marketing message and those you want to target (those that are pre-disposed to buying your product).

It makes more sense to use guerrilla and viral marketing such as referral schemes, group incentives (discounts for teachers, stundents, health workers, etc), adverts in specialist publications, roadshows, product placement (giving products to TV shows and film companies, etc) and so on.

If Apple does start to advertise its Macintosh products more, I would expect to see one of two things:

# Apple placing many more banner adverts, but for Machintosh. Particularly on popular sites such as Slashdot, microsites for TV and Film where they already have product placement (such as the Spooks BBC TV series*), and general technology or current affairs sites like BBC News, CNN and C|Net.

or

# Apple bringing out new product lines that sit in the gap between iPod and Macintosh (such as the oft-mentioned Home Theater / Media Center market) and advertising those heavily, continuing to leave Macintosh with its current Marketing plan.


* Okay, bad example - neither BBC nor Kudos currently offer advertising space on their sites - but Apple could advertise on A&E if they wanted.

 

[xDANx]

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.

Apart from the Xbox and a few input devices, Microsoft makes software. They'd be happy if someone figured out how to run Windows on a toaster (giving new meaning to the term 'crash and burn'). While Intel and Microsoft have an important relationship, Microsoft is not a customer of Intel's in the same way that Apple will be. As long as Dell and HP ship computers will Intel processors and Windows preinstalled it's business as usual. Otellini has lots of room to talk about Intel processors running OS X without stepping (very hard) on any toes. Microsoft won't shut up about 'choice' as a thinly veiled criticism of Apple...it's about time the tables were turned.

 

[centauratlas]

Updating the Apple Store?

What I am curious about is why the Apple Store is updating now (world-wide it looks like). Probably nothing, though.

 

[hulugu]

That comfort only comes from being a Mac user, I've found. From an outsider's perspective the prices seem dramatically over-priced and I think some of the Mac criticism stems from this. Now, if the critics had the opportunity to sit down and use a Mac for a month I'm sure their tone would change.

I love people who criticize something based not on real world experience, but on some small data set like price. Anyone who uses price as their only reason why not to buy a Mac is an idiot. People have no sense of value versus cost and they're judgemental to a fault. We could use the reverse psychology and say that any computer under 1000 is a total pile, but that also would be incorrect.
The mistake is comparing Apple to Dell (or homebuilt machines) which is always the critics' primary judgement.

 

[50548]

Apart from the Xbox and a few input devices, Microsoft makes software. They'd be happy if someone figured out how to run Windows on a toaster (giving new meaning to the term 'crash and burn'). While Intel and Microsoft have an important relationship, Microsoft is not a customer of Intel's in the same way that Apple will be. As long as Dell and HP ship computers will Intel processors and Windows preinstalled it's business as usual. Otellini has lots of room to talk about Intel processors running OS X without stepping (very hard) on any toes. Microsoft won't shut up about 'choice' as a thinly veiled criticism of Apple...it's about time the tables were turned.

True, but the interesting thing to see is how the powerplay has changed when compared to the last years. Apple is back in the prime league of hardware/software makers, and this counts a lot for Intel.

The whole Apple philosophy has also shifted from "we're closed, therefore we are the best" to "we are the best, therefore we are open"; Apple is no longer considered a simple rogue pirate on the seas, but an avant-garde titan player in the realm of computers...

MS has different allies and priorities now, mainly in those that use Winblows as their main OS (Dull, HP and few others) and IBM as a supplier to XBox chips. And this is because Winblows runs on both Intel and AMD chips, thus making MS less dependent on Intel (yet a very important one, of course). It's still business as usual, but the underlying relationships between MS and Intel are not that strong anymore.

Apple will be able to chip in with the most powerful and best-designed laptops ever, along with the most powerful desktops which it already has (no, NO other PC is as powerful as the QuadCore for now)...add to that the best OS in town, and we're all set for the best years ever for the company in 2006/2007.

 

[kcmac]

The thing that still stands out to me the most in that article and what Intel said at the Developers conference/keynote is

"At the end of the day, we live to sell chips. First and foremost, it's market-expanding for us. Secondly, as I said at the developers' forum, the thing that Apple really brings to the Intel family of customers is their innovation. They [have an] ability to not just mix hardware and software, which is unique, but also to drop software upgrades rather frequently to take advantage of hardware changes."

Intel won't have to wait around for the cheapo, lemming-like PC market anymore. Apple always pushes the edges and is much more nimble than MS and the PC box makers will ever be at forging ahead and swiftly because of their vertical integration of hardware and software.

I think it will be very interesting to see just how unsettling this all is to the PC box makers if Apple is more able to use some new Intel stuff that either MS or the box makers are just not able to take advantage of as quickly or if ever.

I picture some screaming and squirming and more Michael Dell comments about how he would love to put OS X on his machines in the next year.

 

[Peace]

What I am curious about is why the Apple Store is updating now (world-wide it looks like). Probably nothing, though.

Stores up in the USA..It does show shipping time for the macs now at 1-2 business days but thats probably due to the holidays

 

[Norse Son]

Seeing the CPUs listed that Apple has used over the years, you can see the ones which made it into laptops (and, yes, I am leaving out that "luggable" Mac Portable monstrousity)...

Remember back when the first true Apple laptop had the 68030? And then the waiting for the '040 version began, but it was too much of a thermal challenge... Then Apple switched to the PPC 601, followed by a wait for the PPC 603 to make it into laptops - the PPC 604 was too power hungry & hot... And when the G3 came out, again we waited for the mobile version... Ditto for the G4 to shrink enough for a laptop... But then the longest, most frustrating wait of all - which happened to be the most pointless - the PowerBook G5...

Well, in a couple of weeks we begin the next chapter - this time we won't have to look in envy at the desktop Macs (or PC laptops), either.

My lemon of a Pismo with its uncanny ability to kill DVD-ROM drives desparately needs to be "put out of its misery"...

 

[Seasought]

Intel won't have to wait around for the cheapo, lemming-like PC market anymore. Apple always pushes the edges and is much more nimble than MS and the PC box makers will ever be at forging ahead and swiftly because of their vertical integration of hardware and software.

This raises another question of mine: how much of Apple's success, innovation and quality derives from Jobs, or what is Apple's success really derived from with regard to the people that are behind the scenes at Apple?

 

[kenaustus]

The story was interesting because it shows how Intel is moving away from the traditional WinTel mindset. Google and Apple are two good examples that show there is a crack developing between Intel and MS. That's basically a good thing.

In terms of Intel's ability to deliver for Apple I believe it will be far better than Apple has experienced from either Moto or IBM. Will rev a be perfect? About as perfect as any other rev a from Apple, but Apple will take care of the problems that show up.

Will the new Mactels be cheaper? Good question, but before you start thinking of super cheap you need to remember that Apple will continue to maintain their gross margin of around 28%. It's that gm that feeds the half a billion in R&D each year. Also, if Apple cuts that gm you can expect the Street to be unhappy and Apple stock to drop.

It's odd that people worry about "The Sticker". If it adds a ton of advertising & promotion dollars to Apple's budget it will be added to the Macs. It will take 30 seconds after you take your new Mac out of the box to get rid of it and the first 27 seconds you'll just be looking at your new Mac in wonder.

 

[Maestro64]

I think you are mixing terms here. A chip foundry is a company with a chip manufacturing facility (a fab) that will contract it's services to a fabless IC design company (e.g. Transmeta). In this sense, IBM is the largest - at least in the US last i checked. TSMC and other overseas foundries are much larger though.

Intel's foundry business is a small part of it's overall business. So, it is not the largest foundry in the world. Intel is, however, the largest manufacturer of chips in the world - by a wide margin.

I am very familiar with TSMC and they are a true foundary and that is all they do and they make chips for all the fabless companies and then some. Company like Intel and IBM have both the Foundry and Packaging side and as it stand right not IBM the largest at both. Like I said most all the chips they make go into thier own products. They still make mainframes believe it or not, they are call larger servers today. These things come with 8 terrabits of systems memory and IBM is the largest Memory manufacture in the world, they just do not share their product.

Because they do not sell their chips they are not seen on the competitive market as the largest.

 

[m-dogg]

Oh no. not that da-di-da-do stupid intel chime that they use in all of the commercials. Any startup noise besides that please. 🙄

I've never heard a PC start with that, so I doubt a Mac ever would.
The sound PC's make on startup is a Windows chime, not an Intel chime...

 

[hulugu]

Do you see Apple starting to really push itself with regard to advertising? I've had a difficult time figuring out what Apple's theme is concerning its business ideology. I've read that they "don't compete" and just make quality products, but that just sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.

What is the idea behind them? Is it a sort of "we make products that speak for themselves" sort of a thing, or are they just very, very private about what they do?

In short, they're different than the majority and I'm just trying to figure out what their angle is exactly. All opinions are welcome of course.

They have a very targeted sales pitch for the Macs mostly surrounding magazine ads, but more than that, I don't think it really exists. In some ways, I think Apple is too proud to advertise—although the iPod gets its own spotlight—and wants its products to sell themselves. I also think Apple see the Apple Stores as a kind of advertisement, which is very effective once the customer gets into the store. Really, I'll be surprised if there isn't some kind of major push once the Intel-chipped machines are ready for primetime.

 

[Norse Son]

Do you see Apple starting to really push itself with regard to advertising? I've had a difficult time figuring out what Apple's theme is concerning its business ideology...

What is the idea behind them? Is it a sort of "we make products that speak for themselves" sort of a thing, or are they just very, very private about what they do?

In short, they're different than the majority and I'm just trying to figure out what their angle is exactly. All opinions are welcome of course.

The major difference is in the OS, and of the (seemingly) "seamless vertical integration" of hardware, OS & software (iLife, FCP, iTunes, etc.).

The greatest advantage going forward will be the stability and rich feature-set that MacOS X already offers, and which Microsoft has woefully tried to emulate. But with Apple constantly upgrading that experience these last 5 years, while Microsoft struggles in the cesspool of code that comprises LongSNORE... Apple could use those Intel marketing dollars to advertise that benefit... And I wouldn't be surprised if they're cooking up a worthy sequal to the infamous "1984" ad - except this time it cannot rest solely on imagery and "esoterica" (is that a word?)... This time the TV ads need to speak of real people and real time/cost/productivity benefits of switching to MacOS X on Intel.

 

[Maestro64]

IAlso, a slight correction: I don't recall Apple using the PPC 602 - maybe I'm wrong; I thought it was strictly for the embedded market... hmm... But you did leave out the PPC 604, which was in the PowerMac 9600 series, I believe.

I believe you are correct, I could not remember which of the 6xx series was not actually used by Apple, I was pulling from memory.

I also know at one point there was suppose to be a 050 chip but it was canned when the deal was struck for the PPC. Also, there was a road map for a 605, 606, 607, but those must have been canned when the G series came along. I Personally think the G series is actually the 6xx series they just renamed them for ease of marketing the new chips.

 

[Peace]

Apple switching to Intel is more than enough advertising..
The whole computer world knows about the switch and will be eyeballing the first MacIntel..

 

[hulugu]

This raises another question of mine: how much of Apple's success, innovation and quality derives from Jobs, or what is Apple's success really derived from with regard to the people that are behind the scenes at Apple?

Ignoring that Jobs started the company, his return brought NeXT which begat OSX. Furthermore, Jobs was able to make the deals with media moguls that allowed the iTMS to exist. Jobs pushed for the Mac and the iPod as well. Now with that stated, the design has come from Jonathan Ives, while Apple's technological innovations have come from the legions of engineers who work there. Jobs is very good at demanding a certain thing, but the actual quality of design, the actual code and metal is from many more.