Apple, Intel and 'Trusted Computing'

In the past few weeks, there has been much speculation and discussion about the potential use of 'Trusted Computing' technology in upcoming Apple-Intel machines. The Trusted Computing initiative has been speculated as a reason for Apple to move towards the Intel platform. The technology aims to provide a tighter control between hardware and software, allowing developers and media owners more control over the use of content on end computers. The plan, of course, has seen signficant criticism amongst many groups.

There have been reports that Apple's current developer kits have motherboards which include a Trusted Platform Module chip, however, it does not appear that Apple utilizes the technology at this time.

Readers are reminded that any speculation based on today's developer Intel Macs should be avoided as the actual production Macs will likely be entirely different. Current developer machines appear to simply be based on off-the-shelf PC motherboards.