03-21-2006, 02:55 PM
BigGuynRusty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> davemchine Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Wow, the mhz myth must have been a...myth,
> this
> > new intel proc seems to have really opened
> some
> > doors!
> >
> > dave
>
> Actually, Intel kept innovating, IBM sat on their
> azz and did nothing.
>
> BGnR
>
>
The move to intel was not about performance.
The semiconductor product sector of IBM only has one fab capable of making dual core G5s, and selling G5s to Apple wasn't making them as much money as selling Cell processors or PowerCore chips for enterprise applications -- so they did not devote their limited engineering resources to producing a mobile G5 or tweaking up the clock speed on the desktop processors. Sort yields at 3.0GHz sucked on the single core chips and were not even on the horizon for the dual core.
About 5 years ago, IBM corporate decided to defund the semiconductor manufacturing, in order to focus on becoming a "service provider". Apart from the PowerCore line, there is nothing made in he IBM fabs that isn't also being made in an overseas fab -- so it is always possible that Sony and Toshiba will pull the Cell loadings from East Fishkill, at which point IBM wouldn't be able to keep the plant open -- cutting off Apple's supply altogether.
Intel, OTOH, was getting its ass handed to it by AMD on performance and has finally come to the end of the "eat our children" business model. There is very little product differentiation on the PC side of the market and "intel-inside" sticker wasn't helping the PC manufacturers sell any boxes, so intel was willing to sell high performance chips at a loss, and let Apple rebrand the chips, hoping that some of the Apple cool-factor would rub off.
Intel also has very deep pockets, lots of manufacturing capacity, is only (for now) in the chip business, and still has sufficient brand power on the PC side to keep making Apple chips at a loss for a long time.
-------------------------------------------------------
> davemchine Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Wow, the mhz myth must have been a...myth,
> this
> > new intel proc seems to have really opened
> some
> > doors!
> >
> > dave
>
> Actually, Intel kept innovating, IBM sat on their
> azz and did nothing.
>
> BGnR
>
>
The move to intel was not about performance.
The semiconductor product sector of IBM only has one fab capable of making dual core G5s, and selling G5s to Apple wasn't making them as much money as selling Cell processors or PowerCore chips for enterprise applications -- so they did not devote their limited engineering resources to producing a mobile G5 or tweaking up the clock speed on the desktop processors. Sort yields at 3.0GHz sucked on the single core chips and were not even on the horizon for the dual core.
About 5 years ago, IBM corporate decided to defund the semiconductor manufacturing, in order to focus on becoming a "service provider". Apart from the PowerCore line, there is nothing made in he IBM fabs that isn't also being made in an overseas fab -- so it is always possible that Sony and Toshiba will pull the Cell loadings from East Fishkill, at which point IBM wouldn't be able to keep the plant open -- cutting off Apple's supply altogether.
Intel, OTOH, was getting its ass handed to it by AMD on performance and has finally come to the end of the "eat our children" business model. There is very little product differentiation on the PC side of the market and "intel-inside" sticker wasn't helping the PC manufacturers sell any boxes, so intel was willing to sell high performance chips at a loss, and let Apple rebrand the chips, hoping that some of the Apple cool-factor would rub off.
Intel also has very deep pockets, lots of manufacturing capacity, is only (for now) in the chip business, and still has sufficient brand power on the PC side to keep making Apple chips at a loss for a long time.