Steve Jobs sent a seismal shocker across the tech landscape in June when he announce Apple would phase out PowerPC chips and put Intel central processing unit inside Macs starting in 2006 . To some , the move seemed puzzle : Why would Jobs , the king of cool plan , make a batch with half of the empire that conquer the world with cooky - cutter beige boxes ? Jobs had an answer at the ready during his Worldwide Developers Conference keynote — a electric switch to Intel chipping intend better Mac hardware down the line . And analysts agree that the move ensures Apple ’s power to craft singular designs .

But one panorama of the “ Why switch processor provider ? ” question has n’t been do . Intel is n’t the only X86 chipmaker in town . Why did n’t job , ever the rebel , opt for the scrappy contender , Advanced Micro Devices , instead of the old - money establishment , Intel ?

The intellect , industriousness analysts say , is that Jobs has a readable finish in mind : innovative designs . And such designs require the lowest - voltage check , which IBM and Freescale were not going to make with the PowerPC silicon chip essence — and which AMD has not yet perfect .

“ This is a hardheaded , hardheaded Steve Jobs conclusion , ” says Shane Rau , Program Manager , PC Semiconductors for market enquiry firm IDC . Intel serves up the most accomplished channel of low - power chips for roving and pocket-size contour element computers , and a good - look future roadmap for it . Also , Intel ’s mammoth output capacity erase any supply worries .

Intel ’s privileged advantages

Mac users have hail to see that Apple had safe reasons for kissing PowerPC auf wiedersehen . The company knows trends when it go out them : wandering computing has move past being a simple fad among a few users to become a way of life for many consumers . Yet PowerPC chips are n’t travel down this road . Apple also needs faster microprocessor chip , with more room to grow , and a chip cooperator with a unmortgaged roadmap for the futurity . Otherwise Wintel PCs could run too many miles out front of Macs in the functioning race .

Still , that does n’t explain how AMD lost out to Intel . AMD has made a name for itself with super - profligate machines , especially popular with gamers and bargain hunters , who assess the couple hundred clam you could often write by buy AMD - based PCs instead of Intel - power I . Jobs may have wish AMD ’s hard - charging rep — but it ’s possible he saw some problems he could n’t discount .

“ One of the biggest considerations for Apple was getting a roadmap in all potential markets where they may play , ” says IDC ’s Rau , “ and if you look at AMD ’s product line , there are some pickle . ” Most notably , AMD has n’t invested in creating a crinkle of low voltage and extremist - low voltage central processor that competes with what Intel tender .

AMD would require to develop a chip nitty-gritty particularly suited to low - king , as Intel did with the Pentium M , a costly task . Plus , the overall sales opportunity for such chip is n’t vast yet , says Nathan Brookwood , principal analyst for Insight 64 . Because AMD ’s research and development budget pale next to Intel ’s , AMD has to pick its fight with Intel carefully — whereas Intel makes chips for almost every market ecological niche . “ Intel can open to dedicate the resources , ” Brookwood says .

By choose Intel , Apple gets access to the extremely - anticipated chip codification - named Yonah , a low - mogul silicon chip with a dual marrow processor , which aim to band together the business leader of two veritable chips . Aimed at notebooks , Yonah should arrive in personal computer in the first quarter of 2006 ; in hold on with its custom of remaining tight - lipped about future products , Apple has not commented on when Yonah might show up in its fluid argumentation .

“ Yonah could have been the tipping point for Apple , ” says Kevin Krewell , editor program - in - chief of the Microprocessor Report . Yonah can power Apple notebooks that fly past today ’s framework .

AMD does not have a direct Yonah competitor that would be available in the same timeframe that Intel is discussing . Is AMD working on a Yonah - like competitor ? AMD wo n’t discuss timeframe or specifics , but the company is currently develop a broken - power , dual - kernel chip for slight and lightsome notebooks , companionship spokesman Damon Muzny say .

Intel also employs a huge cell of programmers , a resourcefulness that could be important to Apple as software system gets rewrite for the x86 computer architecture , say Microprocessor Report ’s Krewell . AMD ’s software engineer ranks do n’t compare in size .

Future AMD chance

Interestingly , performance really is n’t the beat back force behind Apple ’s Intel vs. AMD decision . While the chip competitor have battled on performance for age , the machines now go toe - to - toe on unremarkable productiveness applications . For most consumer on the PC side , the buying decision is much more about the PC Godhead than the chip supplier . ( That aver , on some measures , AMD shines . Gamers , for example , who want the absolute fastest speed on traditional apps jazz that AMD ’s individual - inwardness Athlon 64 XP FX chips bid an border over Intel ’s best aright now . ) As more multi - threaded apps contrive to better take advantage of dual substance CPUs arrive , Intel and AMD will keep battle .

Dual - core micro chip , which both AMD and Intel are emphasise , espouse two CPU together for horsepower , but can share certain parts like caches and buses . Unfortunately , the dual - core chips are presently throw a lot of heat , so both CPUs can not go at their maximum clock speeds .

Intel will harness this problem in the second one-half of 2006 , revising its product line with a new propagation of lower - power duple - core chips code - named “ Merom ” for mobile , “ Conroe ” for background , and “ Woodcrest ” for servers . Intel will emphasise low power consumption and performance , but not megahertz , Brookwood says . ( AMD has emphasized performance , not megahertz ratings , for years . )

“ Intel seems to have kicked the megacycle per second habit , ” says Insight 64 ’s Brookwood . “ It ’s probably music to Steve Jobs ’ ears , ” he adds , noting how Jobs had to explain PowerPC buffalo chip public presentation on applications , not sore megahertz evaluation .

Might Apple turn to AMD for future processor need , post - transition to the x86 architecture ? An AMD humbled - power chip line would be required for Apple to consider a switch , Brookwood tell . But Intel will have a production mental ability edge for at least a couple of class , an important factor , so a switch seems unlikely before then , Krewell state .