Apple's PowerPC Revolution: Breaking Intel's Monopoly?

Strategic Insights -

Apple's latest move, the Power Macintosh, introduces a new type of microprocessor, PowerPC, marking a significant shift in the company's strategy to bypass Intel's dominance in the PC market. This breakthrough technology, developed alongside IBM and Motorola, presents a robust alternative to Intel's CISC-based machines. The Power Macintosh, priced from £1,299, boasts a unique feature: it can run both Macintosh and Microsoft Windows applications, leveraging Apple's SoftPC emulator. While emulation comes with performance trade-offs, Apple claims users can expect speeds similar to Intel 386 and 486 computers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Power Macintosh features the PowerPC microprocessor, a RISC-based alternative to Intel's CISC-based machines.
  • The new machine can run both Macintosh and Microsoft Windows applications, providing two operating systems in one device.
  • Emulation of another environment has performance and speed overheads, but Apple claims similar speeds to Intel 386 and 486 computers.
  • The expected street price of the Power Macintosh begins at £1,299, with an additional £420 for the SoftPC emulator and sufficient RAM for optimal use.
  • Up to 50 native applications are expected to run on the PowerPC environment, with over 150 developers worldwide committed to creating software for the new machines.
  • Apple anticipates a shift away from Intel Pentium machines as users adopt the benefits of smaller, cooler, and cheaper PowerPC chips.

Statistics:

  • The Power Macintosh is priced from £1,299.
  • An additional £420 is required for the SoftPC emulator.
  • The machine requires sufficient RAM for optimal use of the emulator.
  • Up to 50 native applications are expected to run on the PowerPC environment.
  • Over 150 developers worldwide are committed to producing software for the Power Macintosh.

Sources:

  • Bryan, Paul (1988). The Acorn File. Howes Clyat.