I don’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved that the rumors — some of the rumors, anyway — were wrong; Apple is not introducing an Intel-powered iBook, yet. Instead there’s a pro level replacement for the PowerBook (the new name: MacBook Pro) and, big surprise to me at least, an Intel iMac (still iMac). Either of which I’m happy to covet, but… last month en route to Virginia I dropped my laptop, an ancient ThinkPad 600 running Linux. Not intentionally. As I told my wife at the time, if I were going to do that intentionally, it would’ve been on the way home. Anyway, I was kind of hoping to have to decide between buying an Intel iBook or a discounted PowerPC iBook early this year, even though the ThinkPad is back up and running after I replaced its gargantuan 4 GB hard drive with an even more fearsome 6 GB one I picked up on eBay for $30. I can’t justify $2000 for a MacBook Pro, though; not for my needs.
But Steve says the whole Mac line will go Intel this year. (Hmm, by analogy, will the new name for the PowerMac be MacMac Pro?) So I’ll have my chance to spend money later on.
By the way, I really, really like the tag line on today’s Apple web site: “What’s an Intel chip doing in a Mac? A whole lot more than it’s ever done in a PC.”
Doctroidal dissertations 
It makes sense to me that Apple would migrate pro-level product lines to Intel before the entry-level products. Power users are the ones who are more likely to be early adopters of new technology, more likely to be vocal about any problems they encounter, and there’s few enough of ’em to be manageable. It’s almost like a beta release period to give Apple a chance to work out any kinks in the system before the new iBooks and iMacs come out in Q3 or Q4. I also looked and looked for terms like ‘Centrino’ and ‘x86′ on Apple’s site today, and didn’t see them once. Good marketing by Apple, there; it helps keep Mac hardware distinct from commodity PC hardware in users’ minds even if really it isn’t very.
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Er, the new iMacs are out now. Pro laptops and entry-level desktops are the first Intel Macs.
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D’oh. I meant ‘Mac Minis’, which are Apple’s entry-level desktops now.
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