[X4U] Apple to move to Intel

[Peter Saint James]

     It's all true, according to Macworld.  Interesting note that OS  
X is already set up to run on Intel.



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As the Intel logo lowered on the stage screen, Jobs said, "We are  
going to make the transition from PowerPC to Intel processors, and we  
are going to do it for you now, and for our customers next year. Why?  
Because we want to be making the best computer for our customers  
looking forward."

"I stood up here two years ago and promised you 3.0 GHz. I think a  
lot of you would like a G5 in your PowerBook, and we haven't been  
able to deliver that to you," said Jobs. "But as we look ahead, and  
though we've got great products now, and great PowerPC products still  
to come, we can envision great products we want to build, and we  
can't envision how to build them with the current PowerPC roadmap,"  
said Jobs.

Intel processors provide more performance per watt than PowerPC  
processors do, said Jobs. "When we look at future roadmaps, mid-2006  
and beyond, we see PoweRPC gives us 15 units of perfomance per watt,  
but Intel's roadmap gives us 70. And so this tells us what we have to  
do," he explained.

Transition to Intel by 2007, and yes, Marklar exists

"Starting next year, we will introduce Macs with Intel processors,"  
said Jobs. "This time next year, we plan to ship Macs with Intel  
processors. In two years, our plan is that the transition will be  
mostly complete, and will be complete by end of 2007."

Jobs then confirmed a long-held belief that Apple was working on an  
Intel-compatible version of Mac OS X that some have termed "Marklar."

Mac OS X has been "leading a secret double life" for the past five  
years, said Jobs. "So today for the first time, I can confirm the  
rumors that every release of Mac OS X has been compiled for PowerPC  
and Intel. This has been going on for the last five years."

Jobs demonstrated a version of Mac OS X running on a 3.6GHz Pentium 4- 
processor equipped system, running a build of Mac OS X v10.4.1. He  
showed Dashboard widgets, Spotlight, iCal, Apple's Mail, Safari and  
iPhoto all working on the Intel-based system.

Apple needs developers' help to complete the transition

"We are very far along on this, but we're not done," said Jobs.  
"Which is why we're going to put it in your hands very soon, so you  
can help us finish it."