Ap-tel

So the rumours turned out to be true after all -- Apple is adopting Intel chips.

Intel's scale, R&D, and cost position meant that Apple could not remain competitive by using IBM/Motorola chips (although I thought ths IBM chips were quite good). The big question is what does this do to Apple's hardware business?

I doubt that Apple will ship OS X/Intel, that people can buy and load onto their PCs. And while I don't see how Intel would lose if people bought Apple/Intel hardware and then loaded Windows XP on it, it does seem weird. This suggests that the hardware and/or software will be crippled in some way to prevent interoperability. Traditionally, customers do not like crippled hardware.

Maybe the iPod has convinced that it was win through design and ease-of-use, since mp3s and Napster++ don't have any lock-in to speak of.