Some analysts have also urged Apple to move to microchips from Intel Corp. INTC.O from those made by Motorola Inc. MOT.N and International Business Machines Corp. IBM.N to cut costs.

Asked about that possibility, Jobs said that first the company had to finish the transition to the OS X operating system, expected around the end of this year.

"Then we'll have options, and we like to have options," he said.

Paul has this to say:

Actually, that's not CEO-ese. That's politic-speak, much as Clinton used on the Koyto thing. "Yeah, well, we'll take that under strong advisement and do it as soon as is possible. And in the meantime, we'll study it a whole bunch."

Read: "Yeah, that'll happen about three years after the end of eternity."

Jobs said that for two reasons. 1) To have IBM nicely call up and start negotiating cost cuts on power4's, and 2) To scare the fuck out of mot for various reasons. Or, the lucky third reason he uses so well: 3) Time to say something vague the media can't read in to so they'll leave me the hell alone.

Besides, it would be nearly impossible for them to switch to intel. Even of compiling OS X into an intel environment would be quite simple (which it is), the problem then lies with the thousands of apps. They're all distributed in binary images. They'd all have to be recompiled and redistributed. So vendors would either have to eat the cost and provide intel version to their ppc registered users, of make everyone buy all of their software again.

This is, of course, ignoring the obvious alienation of Apple's loyal user base.

I don't see it happening.

Also, physics comes into play. They'd have to redesign every single case for every single computer they make, else they'd melt with P4 procs. Further, things like the cube (which may be coming back), the new iMac, and all of the laptops would be impossible, as you simply couldn't get the heat out.

That also includes the XServe.

Nooo, Apple isn't going to be doing that. IF (big if, aside from what den Beste would have one believe) Mot cuts the chip fab, Apple will either strike a deal with IBM real quick (and with millions of users-- they have bargaining power), or start their own chip fab. It's not like they don't have the money to build the site, hire the people, and license the design. Or roll their own.

The latter is considerably more expensive, and no doubt people would be calling for the doom of apple if they go and spend a few billion so they can make their own chips for their slow [sic] computers. But, it would remove the gloves so far as processor design goes.

Know how much of a perfectionist Jobs is? Wait until he has his own chip fab to play with.

Ehh, maybe. Yes, I agree that he's certainly likely to have had some kind of massive contingency plan all along, and one that doesn't involve a huge compromise of his design ideals which currently make Motorola's chips the only ones suitable for the job.

But, you know... I'm half tempted to say "Hurry up and let's have whatever's going to happen happen", so we can stop with the guesswork and know what we're up against.