Last year’s WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, released the ground-shattering news that during June of 2006, all Apple computers will be built on the new Intel processors, thus replacing the IBM PowerPC chip. The main reason behind this announcement was the fact that Apple needed a chip that was fast and used less power. They needed a company like Intel to allow them how to deliver the demanding speeds that PowerPC could not.

Along with this main announcement from last year, Steve delivered his products even earlier when he made the announcement at the 2006 Mac World Expo. The new line of PowerBook replacement, called MacBook Pro, will be shipped in February, and will feature the new dual core Intel chip. The iMac model will also be available on this chip and they have promised that in the second quarter Apple will release the new Intel chip on the iBook and PowerMac models as well. A marketing point of view predicts that they are getting rid of the letter “I” and the word” power” in their product line and want to use the word “Mac." This means that PowerBook will be called MacBook Pro and the old iBook model will simply be called MacBook.

This partnership between Apple and Intel will build a great future for both, as Intel leads the market in processor technology and Apple leads their market in innovative electronic hardware like the iPod and full services such as iTunes. When it also comes to development, Apple knows how to make their applications and products cross-compatible. What they call "universal binaries" will allow both PowerPC-equipped Macs and Intel-equipped Macs to run the same program without worrying about for which platform the software is compiled.

This synergy of bringing Apple to the x86 platform has brought a lot of good news to many Windows users who always wanted to have best of both worlds. Apple is counting on more sales from the Windows users because of the fact that Apple will not stop anyone from installing Windows XP (or the new Windows Vista) and OSX on the new Intel-enabled macs. Apple’s only concerns are with those trying to modify the current Intel OSX versions to be able to run on non-Apple branded PCs, which can cut into Apple’s hardware sales. Another possibility is that we will soon have some type of WINE emulator feature called Darwine, which is currently in development and that will allow a Mac user to run Windows executables. Thus the range of excuses for PC users who are reluctant to switch to Macs will be diminished, and this will open more doors to Apple to boost their user base market.

When it comes to technology it all comes down to compatibility. More users will use your product if more hardware and software is supported. A good example is Microsoft because they dominate the market due to their interconnected relationships with many hardware and software makers. This makes sure that their Windows operating system is always in demand no matter who the manufacturer of the computer is. Although Apple was always right around the corner in sales, it is possible that they will easily attain the sales volume of even major PC manufacturers such as Dell and HP. In terms of software, Microsoft might have to be on their toes to make sure OSX doesn’t also become a ubiquitous operating system. So watch out, 2006 will be the year that Apple will grab even more of the spotlight and steal nearby markets.