| | And there are unconfirmed reports that Apple wants to use Intel's spanking-new Pentium D chip, which has antipiracy technology, as the core of a new movie-downloading system that could involve a new video iPod. Goldman Sachs analysts said the Intel deal could help Apple build new WiMAX products (Wi-Fi on steroids) that will form the brains of brave, new digital homes of the future. "On the whole, we believe this is a net positive for Apple's positioning for the next five years," Banc of America Securities analyst Keith Bachman wrote in a note.
But the path to a new chip system is treacherous. Software must be rewritten to work with the new system. Some users may delay upgrades until the storm passes. It could become easier to make an Apple "clone," using Apple software on an Intel-powered PC. And Apple could lose some of the air of anti-Windows, anti-Intel (the components of "Wintel") exclusivity that has long attracted tech snobs. Investors, at least, seemed anxious, amid talk that demand for Apple's ubiquitous iPod is slowing down. The rumors sank Apple's shares on Friday, and they fell again today. "The transition to Intel … increases the risk to Apple at a time when the company is trying to grow its market share and increase its desktop volumes," Goldman Sachs analysts wrote.
The Wall St Journal Online |
|
