Apple Computer Inc.’s first desktop PC to be based on an Intel Corp.-manufactured microprocessor carries a bill of materials (BOM) cost of $873, according to a teardown by El Segundo, Calif.-based iSuppli Corp.
The new Apple iMac desktop PC, introduced by Apple head Steve Jobs at last week’s MacWorld Expo, is based on Intel’s Core Duo microprocessor, marking a major departure for Apple, which has never used an Intel-made microprocessor in its PCs, instead opting to employ PowerPC chips made by IBM and Freescale Inc. over the past decade.
News source: Electronic News
The new Apple iMac desktop PC, introduced by Apple head Steve Jobs at last week’s MacWorld Expo, is based on Intel’s Core Duo microprocessor, marking a major departure for Apple, which has never used an Intel-made microprocessor in its PCs, instead opting to employ PowerPC chips made by IBM and Freescale Inc. over the past decade.

Yes it was. Apple could not pay IBM enough to get PowerPC chips to advance tech. speaking. So they switched to someone that was cheaper to produce chips for them (Intel).
i mean, if it's soo faster and all.
Apple have recently mentioned that they havent sold as much as normal possibly due to the wait for the intel switch. If they now start shipping loads of systems and it stays high enough i dont think they will lower the price, 'cheap' and 'good deal' are something i dont describe anything of apples.
As for the PPC stuff, i alos expected that to be lower, obviously not. I can't see anyone buying anything like a Mac Mini until they either lower the prices or release the intel versions.
Last edited by farmeunit on 26 Jan 2006 - 00:16
To make a IBM powerpc chip work (get it in a laptop) they would have had to supply a third party funds to produce a product, this I think besides not meeting mhz factors was one of the reasons for the switch
There's the labor that puts it all together. The testing of all the units. The included software.
Then there's the R&D that went into creating the machine in the first place. It probably costs many millions of dollars to create the first intel iMac. It'll be a while before all that's paid off.
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