Apple cheats on IBM with Intel. But who is the loser?

The frenzy with which everybody is analyzing Apple's unforeseen migration in Intel's land seems to know no boundaries. Still, let's not forget that in this game there are three players.

For Apple, being on the first page of magazines and IT sites for almost two months in a row is a remarkable success. With April and May dominated by Mac OS X Tiger and the comparisons with Longhorn (which have been present in every Tiger presentation), no one foresaw, excepting WSJ and CNET the IT earthquake from June: Mac and Intel were having an affair.

I don't know precisely how significant will be the performance boost once Intel starts powering Macs, but for the processor manufacturer, the partnership with one of the most important computer producers is a reason to celebrate.

Although at first glance, it might seem that IBM is playing the role of the wife left for a more sensual lover, in reality, IBM might be the big winner of this switch.

Let's not forget that between the launching of Mac OS X and WWDC, E3 Expo took place. There, Microsoft and Sony crossed swords, sorry, controllers from Xbox 360 and Play Station 3 in an attempt to win the gamers' sympathy.

And what do you know ... both Play Station 3 and Xbox 360 have as brains IBM processors. I don't know how many Macs with IBM processors would have been sold in the next years, but I'm convinced that their number would be much smaller than the number of consoles gamers are anxiously looking to get their hands on.

In conclusion, IBM got out from a relationship with a finicky partner and is now able to focus his attention on The Cell. It remains to be seen how well will the relationship between Apple and Intel go, but IBM's strategy has a lot of chances to succeed. After all, not all left wives are victims.