Looking Back: Apple+Intel was a great decision
I was working at an Apple reseller when the Intel switch was announced at WWDC 2005 and distinctly remember one of our employees in tears over the announcement and vowed to not sell Intel Macs when they began shipping. The same guy quit the day the iMac and Macbook Pro began shipping in January of 2006. I�m not telling this story for everyone�s amusement because there were thousands of Mac fans with the same feelings and anguish towards our favorite company. In fact, I know many fanboys that personally switched to Linux with AMD chips or bought the last Quad 2.5Ghz G5 powermac and stated it would be their last Macintosh computer.
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I was more optimistic about the news and decided to simply wait until revision two of the Intel Macs. I have and am now the proud owner of a Core2Duo Macbook and after using this machine for a week; I can see how great this has been for Apple. I don�t give a crap about Intel�s numbers and how well their stock is doing after partnering with Apple but for Apple and its customers, this has been an amazing partnership. For current Mac users, this has accelerated the speed, product cycles and development of new Macs. We have received much faster machines at an exceptional price and not to mention the quicker refresh cycles Apple is giving us in the form of speed bumps simply because Intel releases new chips constantly.
The Intel switch has also forced Apple to completely redesign its products in the form of amazing notebooks and an amazing Xeon powered workstation in the form of the Mac Pro. Cosmetic updates for the iMac and Mac mini are coming soon and I can�t wait to see what comes in those updates. New users to the Mac are benefiting by a couple of factors. For one, they have piece of mind. Intel inside means something to consumers for some reason and they appreciate the fact that they can just install Windows on their box if they absolutely have the Mac and that copy of Windows will have drivers for all of he hardware their Mac has like the built in web cam and IR port. The new users are also drawn to the Mac because these things all look like computers that look like iPods. The shuffle and nanos look like the pro systems and the white iPod matches the Macbook and iMac perfectly. It�s a match made in heaven if you�re going for aesthetics while sitting in the coffee shop.
Apple is also experiencing the benefits as well in the form of MORE MONEY! Think about it. Their profit margins have grown even though they are shipping faster and more capable computers, these computers have not dropped in price but Apple is experiencing lower prices for manufacturing these items. I�ll restate by saying that the computers cost less to make but are priced the same as always so customers feel that 1099USD for a Macbook is a great deal compared to last year�s 1.42Ghz single core iBook but Apple is definitely earning more money for these machines. I believe if they did drop the price to 999USD for the Macbook, they would certainly garner more success.
At the end of the day, it comes down to a few simple things. Are the computers faster? Do they cost the same as yesterday�s systems? Are our system�s running cooler and still maintaining 5-hour battery lives? Then I�m happy. No doubt there have been hiccups. Random shut downs, discoloration, batteries catching fire (thanks Sony) and let�s not forget my personal pet peeve of the Macbook Pro�s power adapter weighing similarly to a quart of milk but other than that, I�m pretty content with the Intel switch. It has been good to all of us.
