I've heard that Cringely's track record is just slightly better than John Dvorak. (Dvorak is often, um, off the mark, no, that's not right, um, inaccurate, no, not enough emphasis, oh yeah dead wrong.)

Yeah, Dvorak has to have the very worst track record of any tech writer still drawing a paycheck. Stunning, really.

I don't buy it, personally. Doesn't Microsoft still own a big chunk of Apple? Or am I hallucinating that? Not a majority chunk, but enough to put the brakes on an Apple/Intel merger. It seems to me, anyway, just off the top of my head, that while it would appeal to Apple's from-the-ground-up design mentality to own/be-owned-by the chip manufacturer, it would make Microsoft shriek real loud.

If I'm wrong, though, I would be delighted to be better informed by others.

Doesn't Microsoft still own a big chunk of Apple?

No, they never did. In 1997, they bought $150,000,000 of non-voting stock in Apple (approx. 3-5% of the total shares at the time), with an agreement to hold the shares for three years. They have since sold all the shares at a healthy profit.

Why would Intel want to bite the hand that feeds it?

And why didn't Apple stick with IBM processors?

Uhm. No. Never happen.

They went to Intel b/c the consortium of IBM and a few other Austin chip companies failed to deliver enough processors on time for the last two Apple releases. Other reasons as well, but that was the big one.

You know, I said there was no way the Intel/Apple partnership would happen. I say theres no way in hell this happens. Wouldn't mind to see Apple go OSX v. Longhorn

A techy take on the new buisness aliance.

I've heard of Aspergers.

They have since sold all the shares at a healthy profit.

I ask, and apostropher giveth. Thank you!

I still fail, to be honest, to see what all the fuss is about. On the other hand, what I know about one chip vs. another wouldn't fill a thimble.

what I know about one chip

You and me both, amigo. I've since read that the last four or five OSX releases had been cross-developed for Intel architecture already, though.

Yep. Steve Jobs came out and said as such during the keynote to the WorldWide Developer's Conference, to which the response was, "Well I be damned, the rumors were true!" And he trotted out a nondescript PeeCee onto the stage for some good ole reality distortion drama.

I used to know a lot more about chip architecture. Now, it's really too much to keep up with, what with having a real job and family and all.