Apple and Intel

I was one of those who firmly disbelieved the rumors. Every single news source was using the same CNet news.com story as a source. I refused to trust a single source. However, it is true. Apple will be using Intel chips. Since the introduction of the Titanium Powerbook G4, I have become a hardcore Apple user after an absence of about 15 years. I love Apple and Mac OS X. Changing to Intel won't alter that. However, it does present some things for me to muddle over. I need a Windows-compatible computer. I don't need to use it constantly, but there are times I need one. I need it to sync my PocketPC, to use Wordperfect, to play games. I can do all that on a Mac, but with great complications. This has required me to have two computers: A Mac laptop and a Windows desktop. With Apple and Intel, I could possibly just make do with an Apple laptop that will run both Mac OS X and Windows. Apple Vice-President Phil Schiller has said that Apple will not support running Windows on a Mac, but they "won't do anything to preclude that". That is great for me. I don't mind having to run it on an Apple-designed platform instead of being able to build my own computer. Apple has had great stylish hardware design, even though one has had to pay for it.

I also have to wonder what this will do for AMD. I was considering building an Athlon64-based desktop before the announcement. However, I will now hold off to see what an Intel-based Mac will be and if it will let me run Windows. It has closed off AMD for me, even though I was a big supporter of AMD in the past. I go where the Mac goes, so I go Intel. I don't mean that I'm a blind Apple follower. However, if the chance comes to run both Mac OS X and Windows on one desktop, I will go with that chipset, and if it's possible with an Intel, it's also possible that an AMD chipset will be too different. Lots of if, but this is all a year or two years off in the future.