Macs to Have Intel Inside

- 2000.11.14

I'm sure you've seen the tag line: Intel Inside, the world's most popular warning label. Well, if our source is correct, Intel may have the last laugh when it comes to the Macintosh.

In a huge surprise to the computer industry, Motorola is giving up on the PowerPC chip and selling its PPC business to Intel. Motorola has been unable to produce high yields of chips above 500 MHz, while Intel is already pushing 1.4 GHz with the Pentium 4 and has better manufacturing capabilities. Intel is able to quickly ramp up high speed processors with a high yield.

Intel has factories under construction in Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Colorado, and Massachusetts. Sources close to the deal say that Intel will soon outfit these factories not only for Intel Pentium 4 processors but for the PowerPC G4 processor as well. Sources also say that Intel has already acquired a site in the Nevada desert, code named Area 52, so they can produce small amounts of the superfast G4 chip "immediate after the deal closes."

Most of this information has been difficult to obtain, but Motorola sources have revealed that Motorola is selling all its PPC-related patents to Intel. The deal is similar to the way Intel acquired the Alpha processor from Digital.

It is not known what will happen to the PowerPC under Intel's direction. Sources says that Intel is not likely to change the name of the chip, but it may merge the Pentium architecture with the PowerPC to create a hybrid chip. This hybrid would be backwards compatible with older x86 apps, but allow the PowerPC to have the majority of the processing capabilities. (Remind anyone of the PowerPC 615 project long rumored from IBM?) These changes are many years off and will need a great bit of work.

This deal gives Intel an edge in the microprocessor wars, since it has "missed the boat" on the P4 and has been losing market share to AMD and its Athlon processors.

Sources says that Apple has been involved in the discussion since the beginning and may have started the deal. This helps explain the ongoing rumors of an x86 build of Mac OS X.

Motorola will continue to make other chips and computer components. The price of the deal is unknown. Sources indicate that the part of the deal may be include Intel acquiring key engineers from the Texas PowerPC design facility.

This information comes from a usually reliable source (the janitor responsible for shredding documents at one of the companies involved), but we give it about as much likelihood as the recount in Florida matching two times in a row.

- Anne Onymus

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Recent Rumor Mills

Driver Cell Phone Ban Only the Beginning, 2011.12.14. The NTSB wants states to ban texting and talking on the phone while driving, but what about the other 90% of traffic fatalities?
Buffalo Mouse Runs with Rumor Mill Concept, 2010.08.24. We thought the idea of a clickwheel mouse was off the wall when we presented it in 2004, but Buffalo Japan just introduced its own clickwheel mouse.
Microsoft Announces Cash for Clunker PCs, 2009.07.29. Beleaguered Microsoft, with declines in profits and market share, is offering cash for old computers to boost sales of new PCs with Windows Vista installed.
More in the Rumor Mill index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay