By now it is a well known fact that Apple Computer is switching to chips designed and manufacturered by Intel within the next year or so. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs confirmed that the company's entire product line will switch to Intel processors by the end of 2007.
But where does that leave Apple customers who are looking to purchase a system before that time? Analysts agree that a majority of consumers do not want to invest in technology that will be deemed "obsolete", which is exactly the problem that Apple might face during their transition period. With Intel processor based revisions of popular products such as the iBook and Mac Mini on the horizon, how willing are consumers to purchase a system right now?
The partnership between the two industry giants seemed unlikely about 10 years ago, when Jobs was not above taking shots at Intel, claiming that his Macs "toasted" the competition. But much has changed since then, and current Apple partners IBM and Freescale Semiconductor have been unable to meet Apple's needs for a fast, low power processor for its notebooks and Mac Mini.
So what should you do? Ultimately it comes down to whether or not you believe Intel will bring significant advances in performance to the Mac platform, or if the current line of products will satisfy your needs. It's a long wait till 2006, and you might just be persuaded to go elsewhere.
News source: Mac News
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