Apple-Intel explainers

A computer-science researcher friend of mine recently lamented the appalling ignorance and paranoia that have greeted the news that Apple Computer is switching to Intel processors for future Macintoshes.

Fortunately, the voices of sanity are now sounding off about what it means and why it probably won't be that big a deal for most people.

As Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walter S. Mossberg writes in an explanatory column: "For all but the techiest techies, changing the processor in these machines will be a nonevent, sort of like changing the engine in next year's Lexus cars. As long as the new engine is at least as fast and smooth as its predecessor, few drivers would notice or care."

Elsewhere, Princeton professor Ed Felton effectively -- and succinctly -- quashes the notion that Intel's hardware-based digital rights management scheme is the true motivator. "Most likely, Apple is switching to Intel chips for the most basic reason: the Intel chips meet Apple’s basic needs better than IBM chips do," he declares.

And Macworld editor Jason Snell compiled a handy FAQ that addresses many questions about how the switch might affect end-users (it depends a lot on the software they use) and developers (for most, not as much as they might have feared).