Mac Scope

Intel to Join Apple in Debunking the Megahertz Myth?

Stephen Van Esch - 2003.03.19

As mentioned by Steve Jack at MacDailyNews, there's likely a bit of head scratching as the Wintel crowd tries to process the claim that the 1.6 GHz Centrino performs just as well as the 2.4 GHz Pentium 4-M.

However, in what will likely be a wondrous somersault worthy of any politician, the Wintel camp will strike up the band and flog this modern wonder for all it's worth. Repeat after me: "1.6 good, 2.4 bad."

I really don't envy the writers who have to explain this to the flock. Imagine trying to undo years of propaganda claiming that more is better. While I fully expect every PC journalist to fully embrace the reasoning, the reason they will embrace it (and quickly, I'm sure) is the fact that they really knew it all along. While chip design is not a walk in the park, the basics can be explained quite easily.

The teeming masses might be a little harder to convince. I'm certainly not saying that people are stupid but heck, considering that How Car Engines Work is the 5th most requested explanation at the How Stuff Works website, I'm not expecting the "1.6 is faster than 2.4" to garner instant acceptance.

It will be an uphill battle, as Apple fans already know - which is why I think it's great that Intel will be throwing some of its marketing muscle behind the "MHz doesn't matter" campaign.

Intel, after all, pretty much single-handedly created the MHz myth. Who better to debunk it? The Pentium Snail

Perhaps Apple and Intel could join forces to help teach new computer buyers why faster processors are not necessarily better. Perhaps they can have a great little traveling road show with stops all over North America. A public display at malls across the country would do wonders. Heck, they might even be able to use the Apple Store for a few of these little seminars.

Shouldn't they be good friends united against a common enemy, the Megahertz Myth?

You don't need me to tell you that you shouldn't hold your breath.

Even if Apple and Intel don't join forces for the common good, at the very least Intel will be the one explaining how the heck slower can be just as good (and in some ways better).

Again, not a task I would relish. Better let someone else do it.

Thanks for coming on board, Intel.

Stephen Van Esch is the founder and president of the E-learning Foundry, an online training resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual, since he's also fluent in Windows and French.

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