apple moving to x86

[Freddie Cash]

On June 9, 2005 12:43 pm, you wrote:
> Freddie Cash <fcash-ml at sd73.bc.ca> writes:
> > If they went with AMD processors, then they would have to either
> > build or find someone to build a chipset.

> FYI, AMD makes chipsets.

Yes, and some nices ones at that, especially on the server side (our new 
dual-Opteron boards use AMD 8xxx chipsets).  But they don't make 
motherboards, they don't make audio/video chipsets, they don't make 
ethernet chips, and they don't sell everything all nicely packaged up as a 
single "platform".

I'm not saying that's definitely why Apple went with Intel.  But it does 
make sense, if you think about it for a bit.  Going with Intel gives Intel 
a place to show off their "complete platform solutions", and gives Apple a 
single configuration to code for.  Going with AMD would require too much 
work on Apple's part to get everything working together, and would be a 
pain to certify the hardware configurations as "Designed for Apple".

This way, they just say that MacOS X will only run on Centrino2 laptops, 
whatever the desktop equivalent of Centrino will be called, and they're 
done.  Intel takes care of the hard parts for them.

-- 
Freddie Cash, CLCP CNCP            Network Support / Helpdesk
School District 73                 (250) 377-4357
fcash-ml at sd73.bc.ca