DBWI: IBM calls Apple's bluff in 2005

So back in 2005 or so, Steve Jobs was reportedly really pissed off about the heat/power consumption of the G5 processors. Like, to the point of switching the Mac over to Intel. (Issacson's biography mentioned this in the chapter "We were eyeball to eyeball.")

Supposedly there was a secret group in Apple that works of porting Mac OS X to various architectures in case IBM/Motorola/Freescale don't play ball with them.

What would have happened if Apple HAD switched to Intel after the G5 debacle?
 
I'd miss that lovely Freescale 64-bit e700 CPU @ 3 GHz, but I guess Intel's CPUs are ok. Nothing to match up with any of Apple's Cell Acceleration equipped ones, but good.

I can't even imagine what Intel chip could power the iPhone in 2008 though, PowerPC embedded completely outclasses x86. Perhaps Intel hangs onto Xscale and that powers the iPhone? ARM chips aren't PowerPC good, but they are cheaper.

Imagine Apple with no iPhone or maybe the Canvas came out first. Crazy! Could change all of computing history.
 
Honestly, I'm surprised that Apple didn't go with AMD at the time, considering that the Prescott chips Intel had at the time were just as bad as the G5's.

Either way, I still love my G8 PowerBook.
 
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