Apple to use stock Intel chipsets

Maxim: If that's how Apple does it, I doubt very much that they will make it easy to remove the CPUs from their systems! Another possibility is a custom BIOS. Their options really are limited if they're not using any custom hardware.

I'm kind of surprised to see an ATX motherboard in there. You would think that it would have a BTX, since that is what Intel is pushing these days. The latest dell has a BTX (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dimen_9100?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs)

so according to your theory, a simple CPU swap from a Mactel to a Dell would allow it to run OSX? hmm...

Remember that Darwin, the underlying UNIX OS, has run on x86 from day one. So by default, OS X x86 should be able to run on generic Intel hardware; Apple has to actually make an affirmative effort to make that not the case.

Want to know how I think it will work? No? Well, who asked you anyway? ;) Here goes: The CPU has an ID code in it (every CPU Intel makes has one). Intel makes sure Apple gets CPUs from a certain ID code block and Apple tells the OS to check the ID code during boot. Easy peasey, and Apple doesn't have to do anything sneaky or underhanded. There's no 'spying' involved and nobody knows that you visit transsexual monkey S&M porn sites at 2 a.m. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think that I remember Steve Jobs saying that Apple will be releasing 5 version of the next OS X release? If so, I wonder if one of those versions is for the puspose of running it on non-mac x86 machines?

People seem to think that loading up OSX on a Dell will magically make it work. Who is going to write the OSX drivers for the hardware inside the Dell machine? I'm pretty sure that Apple will not be wasting resources creating drivers for hardware they have no intention of supporting. People have issues with windows and drivers, and it's >supposed< to run on Dell, et. al.

well the first batch of mactel machines will be shipping by the end of june...as long as you are either a 'select' or 'premier' developer. you have to stump up around 599/$800 for a machine though. apparently, apple will simply be adding an extra chip onto the actual motherboard that will communicate with os x to determine if it's running on a mac(which leads me to believe that their motherboards will be specifically built for apple rather than off-the-shelf). incidentally, does anyone remember the hubbub caused when intel launched the Pentium 3, which was one of the first chips to allow the gathering of info such as machine IDs? there was so much trouble, that intel provided a switch in the BIOS to allow you to turn it off

why do people think x86 = virus...] linux is relativly low on viruses and as long as there isnt a huge demand for mac and they stay with a relatively low market share they should be safe. x86 and ppc have nothing to do with virus vulnerbility.

*thud thud thud*