Apple unveils first Intel-based Macs

Embracing Intel
Apple’s historic shift to Intel microprocessors came months earlier than expected. When it first announced plans to switch in June, Apple said it expected to begin making the transition by mid-2006. Jobs said Tuesday the entire Mac line will be converted to Intel by the end of this calendar year.

“Companies don’t typically under promise and over deliver, and that’s exactly what Apple has done,” Sam Bhavnani, analyst with Current Analysis, said of the early launch.

For years, Apple shunned Intel, which has provided chips that power a majority of the world’s PCs, along with Microsoft’s Windows software. In the late 1990s, Apple even ran TV ads with a Pentium II glued to a snail.

But on Tuesday, Jobs was joined onstage by Intel CEO Paul Otellini to unveil the new jointly designed computers. Otellini wore a clean room suit that the chip company has famously used in its ad campaigns — and that Apple once lampooned in its own ads.

Apple premiered a new television ad Tuesday touting its new partner: “For years, it’s been trapped inside PCs, dutifully performing dull tasks when it could have been doing so much more. Starting today, the Intel chip will be set free and get to live inside a Mac. Imagine the possibilities.”

Apple had become increasingly frustrated in recent years as its chip suppliers, IBM Corp. and Motorola Corp.’s spinoff, Freescale Semiconductor Inc., failed to meet its needs for faster more energy efficient chips. Of particular concern was IBM’s apparent inability to develop a G5 chip that would work well in notebook computers.

Intel, on the other hand, has been focusing on developing chips specifically tailored for notebooks. During last week’s International Consumer Electronics Show, Intel unveiled its latest, the Core Duo, which features two computing engines on a single piece of silicon. It was that chip that Apple decided to fit into the new iMacs and MacBooks.

Windows on a Mac?
Though the change to Intel has occurred faster than expected, it still poses some risks.

Besides potentially alienating a fan base that’s accustomed to doing things differently, Apple’s move opens up the issue of backward compatibility and the possibility that PC users might run pirated versions of Mac OS X, Apple’s critically acclaimed operating system, on their generally cheaper non-Apple computers.

Jobs demonstrated new software, called Rosetta, that will let owners of the new Intel-based Macs run older applications. But he did not comment on how the company will lock its operating system to its hardware.

With Intel processors inside the new Macs, users could technically and theoretically load Windows onto a Mac computer, although it would require some technical expertise to pull it off. That would allow a user to run both Microsoft and Apple’s operating systems on the same Apple machine.

Neither Apple nor Microsoft appeared bothered by the prospect.

WHAT WAS ANNOUNCED iMac with Intel processor Two to three times faster than older iMacs, with built-in Web camera and a remote control to access music, videos and photos. Priced at $1,299 with a 17-inch display and a 1.83-gigahertz processor and $1,699 with a 20-inch monitor and 2.0 GHz processor. Shipping now. MacBook Pro with Intel processor Up to four times faster than earlier laptops, with built-in Web camera and a remote control. It's an inch thin and weighs 5.6 pounds. Priced at $1,999 for a 1.67-GHz laptop with a 15.4-inch display and $2,499 for a 1.83-GHz model. Shipping in February. iPod Radio Remote Device that plugs into iPod Nano and newer iPods with video capabilities, allowing them to play FM radio. Available immediately for $49. iLife ’06 Latest version of Apple’s multimedia suite includes new features for sharing pictures over the Internet and additional production capabilities in iMovie. It also includes a new application called iWeb that gives users the ability to quickly compose a Web site and deliver webcasts, grabbing content from other iLife programs, including songs produced in the GarageBand application. Available immediately for $79. Free with new Macs. iWork ’06 Latest version of Apple’s software for creating documents and presentations. Apple says the upgrade is easier to use. Available now for $79. Chrysler iPod integration Available in most Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge cars, feature makes it easier for drivers to listen to iPods with vehicle’s stereo system.

Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said in an interview Tuesday that the company won’t sell or support Windows itself, but also hasn’t done anything to preclude people from loading Windows onto the machines themselves.

“That’s fine with us. We don’t mind,” Schiller said. “If there are people who love our hardware but are forced to put up with a Windows world, then that’s OK.”

“Any new machines that are on the market that run Windows are great,” said Scott Erickson, director of product management and marketing for Microsoft’s Mac business unit.

Though Windows sales could benefit, Microsoft risks losing ground unless its operating systems keep up with the Mac OS X. Windows Vista, the next major update, won’t be available until later this year — and its promised features copy many of those already in Mac OS X.

The two companies also announced a five-year pact for Microsoft to continue offering a version of its Office business software for Macintosh computers. No money changed hands; Erickson said the announcement was aimed to quell customer concerns that Microsoft will stop developing software for its rival.

Microsoft said a new version of Office designed for Apple’s new Intel-based computers would be released, but did not give a release date. Erickson said the company last released a version of its Office business software for Macs in May of 2004, and Microsoft generally releases updates every two to three years.

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