Daring Fireball: I’ll See You Intel — Not to gloat but I last suggested this in 2001 then found out about this deal actually beginning in 2003. Of course the poor Mac community has been in denial about it, for reasons unknown to me, since the beginning. And I had to take a lot of flak for even writing about the possibility let alone asserting that this was actually a done deal two years ago. Apple just had to keep it under wraps so they could develop middleware for the change-over. I’ll be discussing this in more detail in this week’s PC Magazine and Marketwatch columns. I don’t mean to point any fingers but I’m definitely going to highlight some of the mean comments in the PC Mag forum dropped in by the Mac users. And I might cite a few of the blowhards online who went on and on about how and why this couldn’t happen. Of course, knowing about a deal and extrapolating is different than just blowing smoke because you simply don’t like what “Dvorak” says when he chats up the Mac are two different things.
In fact when this issue again emerged last month the Apple mavens were all claiming it was about 802.11 or something as if they knew anything when they did not. It was all based on supposition and wishful thinking. What still baffles me is why so many Mac mavens do not see the advantages of such a change. I sure see it.
A couple of things I will mention. This sort of deal doesn’t happen overnight. So the supposed scoop of the WSJ a month ago seems a little behind the curve. This is not a spur of the moment idea.
So this one’s going to have a short lifespan, given that come Monday’s WWDC keynote, all of this weekend speculation is moot. But, come on, how can I resist?
Late Friday — 4 5 pm Pacific %u2014 CNet published an article by reporter Stephen Shankland, and the title pretty much said it all: “Apple to ditch IBM, switch to Intel chips”.
*On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal seconded CNet’s story. You need a paid subscription to read it, but Paul Thurrott who has been writing about this for weeks has an excerpt.
It’s essential to note that neither CNet nor the Journal are reporting this as a rumor. Two weeks ago, when the Journal first published something about this, they left themselves several outs: the only thing they reported as having happened for certain is that Apple had met with Intel and was considering the switch. They explicitly mentioned that talks could fall through; thus, regardless if it panned out, they could claim the article was accurate.
This time, however, both CNet and the Journal are reporting this as a fait accompli. Both reports flatly state that Apple is moving the entire Mac platform to Intel processors, and Jobs is announcing it Monday at the WWDC keynote.
