Will Dell sell intel based Macs?


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If you look around for Apples' project Star Trek, (when Apple created a version of OS 7 that ran on Intel 486-based PCs); According to some (but not others) before preparing for a commercial release, Apple approached OEMs and the only one who was prepared to offer Intel OS7 was Dell - but at no cost because Microsoft were offering Dell such a good deal on Windows.

Apple CEO John Sculley commissioned the project in 1992, because he wanted Apple to get out of the hardware business and become a competitive software company, like Microsoft. Michael Spindler (who became Apple CEO mid-term) let the project wither and die as he prepared the company for the transition to the PowerPC processor and System 7.

Steve Jobs has surprised us with an official x86-based, binary-compatible release of Mac OS, here's hoping that Apple reintroduce the clones.

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Will Pepsi start selling Coca-Cola? Discuss...

No, I don't think that they will, as they compete directly to the same market share - Apple and Dell compete for the same market share, however, Dell probably doesn't give a damn about how many copies of WIndows XP it manages to ship with its computers, as it does not manufacture the OS. Apple on the other hand, creates its' own OS and sells its' own hardware - if it were to licence the OS out to other OEMS, it would lose a large share of its revenue from hardware sales (as other manufacturers would undercut prices by Apple, no doubt) but it would make money from the licencees of Mac OS (probably enough to offset the lost revenue from the hardware department, assuming that the computers were marketed properly and were within the right price-bracket).

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Dell probably doesn't give a damn about how many copies of WIndows XP it manages to ship with its computers, as it does not manufacture the OS.

Uh, what? Microsoft pays them for each copy of XP that ships on one of their computers. Did you think they just gave Windows away for free? Anyway this is stupid, forget about the OS a minute. Dell builds computers, and Apple builds computers. Why would Dell start selling competing hardware? Would Dell start selling Compaq computers?

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Obviously not, since Apple sells software and hardware, but with the software intended as a loss-leader for the hardware. Apple's business would dry up if they didn't have any hardware sales.

Oh, also, OS X doesn't work on PCs, so it's not like Dell could offer OS X with its systems instead of Windows.

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Ahem.

I think Dell will start selling Macs, no question. They sell their computers for a good price. I wonder if they'll sell Intel iBooks to regular consumers, and MacBook Pros to business users? You know, like the Inspiron and the Latitude.

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Oh, also, OS X doesn't work on PCs, so it's not like Dell could offer OS X with its systems instead of Windows.

The ill mis-informed. :rolleyes:

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Only if they do well. But then again amd cpu's do well and dell doesn't sell them. I guess it comes down to noob consumer demand. Will the average noob want an intel based macintosh? Probably not. At least, not anytime soon.

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The ill mis-informed. :rolleyes:

Intel Macs don't use conventional BIOS, and thus neither does OS X, making use of the platform on the PC impossible. Sure, it's been done before, but it requires using 'hacks' and workarounds to bypass authentication, something that a commercial entity doesn't do.

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Bingo!

Well, I guess I don't see the advantage to Dell, Apple, or us if they chose to. Apple sells their product right on apple.com, why would I need to go through a middleman (Dell) when I can buy from the source? I don't think Apple would let Dell sell their product for cheaper, that wouldn't make much sense. I can't say it wouldn't happen but can anyone give a reason why it would?

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