IBM to Apple: Eat This, New PPC Chips!

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Magic-Merl wrote:
Why did Apple decide to move to Intel.

The PPC/Cell specs were enough to make the mouths of consumers drool.  The very same consumers that would have bought a non-Microsoft OS to run on it.

The PPC roadmap does not project as good a performance/watt ratio as the Pentium-M roadmap.

Apple, want to sell high powered computers that are cost effective. They also want to make sure their CPU supplier has the volume and capacity to meet their needs.

Also by moving to the x86, they have the advantage of the Intel/AMD competition.

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Magic-Merl wrote:
But the PPC market, IMO, will potentially, grow due to Cell/PPC combo.  Granted, at face value, the PPC seems to be nothing more than a Co-Processor or controller for the Cell but the fact remains that PPC will still be manufactured and a future roadmap does still exist.  Unless I am mistaken (please feel free to jump in at this point) the Cell will perform beyond the Intel roadmap [as far as performance is concerned] and should it continually grow will leave the market wide open.

The Cell is not relevant to this discussion, it's not a desktop CPU.
The PPC will exist, and will continue to be developed for the high performance embedded market by Freescale. IBM have stated that there isn't any money to develop the 970, at least at the pace intel can push their chips.