I think Stevie Boy has a great opportunity...
1) Right now we have entering the universe a version of OSX via the ADC route that boots (I believe) on STOCK INTeL motherboards and Phoenix BIOS.
2) This version will not be the final deal, IMHO, as I am suspecting we will see Apple using EFI based motherboards (see posts, passim) and OSX requiring same with other tweaks.This would be to ensure we have the Mac Experience and not the Plug-and-hang-yourself alternative that is the current WINTEL offering using a 8088 CGI 640x400 16 colour steam powered BIOS.
Where am I going with this? Well, I think it may be an excellent way to allow all those WINTeL clockers, hackers and slackers to take a good long sneaky look at OSX on their beige towers using pirated bit torrent copies without diluting the real deal OSX that will emerge.
When INTeL Apple Macs emerge, they will be EFI rigs. EFI rigs will not work with anything other than Longhorn in WINTEL land. How many clone EFI motherboards will be sold widely in WINTeL land before Longhorn gets loose? Not many, especially as Longhorn is backwards compatible with Phoenix (har har, never free of the legacy, eh, Bill?)
The EFI rigs will be the catszazz. Apple rigs will be top quality and stylish to boot (in more ways than one). The PC crew will by then know OSX. They will look longingly at the Apple lineup of EFI kit and think to themselves that this is familiar OS ground, a superior architecture and drop-dead gorgeous to look at. They will not be scared.
Apple have switchers at the top of the tree asthetically and, frankly, economically. With this move, they may just get the geek-side clocker/board swappers too.
|