Architosh Staff ([email protected])

4 Nov 2003

 

Architosh Predicted PowerPC Dominance in consoles and mobile computing in 2002 Report - Highly Refined and Researched Paper Includes Analysis and Prospects for Apple, IBM and PowerPC as it may pertain to AEC Market Position

Architosh 2002 AEC CAD IT Survey Predicts Microsoft's Adoption of PowerPC Architecture.

Authored by Architosh founder and editor, Anthony Frausto-Robledo, Architosh's published AEC CAD IT Survey Report - 2002 contains a detailed section in the final chapter prognosticating the rise and dominance of IBM's PowerPC line of processors in mobile, game console, and server computing -- in addition to workstation computing from Apple.

In a section entitled "Forward Looking Analysis" -- a section designed to discuss positive symptoms in the overall IT landscape that foretell of Apple's improved strategic position going forward, the report delves into a discussion of "inevitable changes in microprocessor architectures".

The report discusses IBM's longer term goal of ruling the data center in the next Internet era -- an era accurately described by IBM's former CEO, Lou Gerstner, in his bestselling book, Who Says Elephant's Can't Dance: IBM's Historic Turn Around. Here's an excerpt from the report, and why this vital goal for IBM presages a historic rise in Apple's strategic position:

The DataCenter and Apple. Apple becomes a beneficiary of IBM's decade old PowerPC strategy going forward because IBM's strategy to conquer the lucrative datacenter market is located in a product that is perfect for Apple's short-term computer needs: the PowerPC 970.

The new focus on power for blade servers and 1U devices creates a beautiful by-product for Apple, in that these chips can lend industry leading performance in workstations and mobile workstations (PowerBooks). This is because eventually the battle for the datacenter processing supremecy is more lucrative in Gerstner's Second Internet Era than supremacy in the aging PC model world. That is partly why Intel wanted a powerful chip like the Itanium in the first place -- to challenge Big Blue and Sun in the datacenter and corporate server room.

While the connection between the "datacenter" and Microsoft's choice of the PowerPC for the next XBox may not be apparent in the quote above the full report discusses in detail the significance of the market forces now affecting architectural considerations of microprocessor design. The obvious architectural considerations behind Microsoft's decision to move to IBM's microprocessor are enumerated and discussed in the full report, which discusses -- among other items -- the value shift in processor design towards power consumption over raw megahertz; towards specialized functions over general processing; and lastly, towards a unification and utilization of legacy code and a multiprocessor and multi-bit scaling structure.

The PowerPC architectural line of microprocessors answers these new and emerging IT forces in the market better than any other chip architecture in existence. A comprehensive analysis of future needs for game consoles, smart phones and numerous mobile computing format devices will lead one to consider IBM as the top choice for chip architectures. Analysts and IT readers everywhere should be asking themselves one key question about the XBox decision: given the marketshare dynamics surrounding the game console market and the huge stake the winner will have in the future, how hard was this decision for Microsoft?

While the market knows little about the details, this decision (by Microsoft) to dump Intel and the x86 (Pentium) chip architecture in lieu of IBM' PowerPC architecture for the future XBox will likely prove to be one of the most difficult and historic decisions ever made by Microsoft.

To learn more about our Microprocessor Analysis read our AEC CAD IT Survey Report - 2002 which can be acquired here.

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