Title: Module 4 Discussion: A Choice of Chips
Course: CGS 1560 Microcomputer Operating Systems > Section: Module 4 - Operating Systems and the Central Processing Units (CPUs)

It became apparent to Steven Jobs that, if he wanted to continually deliver speed increases to the Mac platform and particularly in the laptop arena, he had to move to either Intel or AMD chip architecture. The heat problems associated with the Power PC chip would prevent any further processor upgrades to the Apple PowerBook. The new line of notebooks would be called the MacBook and would utilize the Intel CPU. At the time the decision was made to switch, notebooks accounted for approximately 50% of Apple’s sales.

Read the Sound On Sound article, Macs with Intel Processors? and the CNET blog article Steve Jobs Knocked Intel's Chip Design, Inflexibility. OS X 10.4 Tiger was released prior to the Intel switchover and a subsequent update was released 10.4.4 with the Intel based computers. With additional OS releases and updates support was increasingly dropped for older machines.

In a minimum of 100 words, if you were Steven Jobs, how would you address your users at the annual convention? Describe what you would tell them about moving to the Intel CPU and reducing support to their current computer’s OS.

Once everyone has completed the initial posting, go back and read your classmates' postings. Respond to two people with a minimum of 100 words each and explain why you agree with his or her reasoning and are going to remain a loyal Mac fan. In the other response, explain why you are moving to another OS.

Use the information in the rubric as a guide toward successful completion of this module's discussion.