J-Ray1000 said:
Intel will not make PPC for the same reason IBM is slacking: apple's volume isn't large enough to warrant a specific chip (which is a more profitable market? 2 million ibook/pbook vs 20 million xbox/nintendo/playstations?). Thus, Apple will use x86.
That's reasonable. x86 will stay the big-volume chip line in the world. BUT...
what if Intel sees a future in PPC too? Why? Several possible reasons:
1. Marketing: the mindshare of being associated with a cool, visible company like Apple.
2. They see the chance that x86 may hit a wall sometime, and would like to diversify a bit--well in advance--or at least dip their toe in.
3. Apple getting slowly bigger and Intel wanting to be part of that. Volume is low... for now!
4. Linux on PPC.
5. Embedded market.
6. Game consoles (PS4 on Intel PPC?

)
7. Larger partnership, with CPUs being just ONE aspect of a deal that interests Intel in other ways. Joint wireless projects? Intel chips in iPods? Even Intel hardware DRM to allow iTunes subscription model with iPods?
Between all those possibilities, I think it's POSSIBLE that Intel might get into making PPCs--and might (along with Apple) even swallow some cost to keep the cost down at low initial volumes. It would be bizarre, but so would Apple on x86! (And so would C-Net being wrong on the front page... but not THAT bizarre

)
And some Intel rep just this week said they'd pretty much "do what it takes" to get Apple using Intel chips. I don't have the link, but it was today or Thursday. Sounded like future musings to me, but something to think about.
SiliconAddict said:
There is a substantial difference between knowing an architecture and fabing a chip. Of course Intel has the plants to build the hardware. What do they know about POWER and its PPC offspring? What? You think IBM pulled the design of the G5 out of their butt?
I've toured the IBM plant, and that is precisely what they do. It ain't pretty.
I agree that suddenly making a new chip line is easier said than done. But perhaps Intel could have been working with Apple on this for longer than we know. They COULD (cue Twilight Zone theme) be turning out PPC test chips already, and impressing Apple with the results.
IBM could even be involved, licensing Power5 or something. I don't know how that all works and who owns what. (Can you tell I don't want to let go of Power5?

)