Intel promotes Blackberry, Google and Apple

PCs running Intel's Viiv technology are specced up with Windows Media Center, but at the chipmaker's keynote speech last night, CEO Paul Otellini appeared keen to distance himself from Microsoft.

Talking about the next wave of platforms, Otellini stood up in front of a large slide that appeared to promote everyone but Microsoft. Behind him was clearly an Apple Powerbook, which had a Google window open. An iPod video and Blackberry were also present, as well as a digital camera.

Microsoft make competitors to all those products, in the form of MSN and Windows Live, PlaysForSure Media Center compatible devices and Windows Mobile.

However, bizarrely, the menu bars on the Apple Powerbook in the picture look like Windows.

Are we speculating too far? Are we going to see Intel Apples soon, and might they run Windows as well as OSX? Is this a teaser, or simply a badly-put-together promo slide?

An Intel employee all but confirmed to us that there will be Intel chips at Macworld in San Francisco this week, so we can't help but wonder if this has been choreographed.

Regardless, it's interesting to see that Intel is clearly thinking outside the Microsoft box, even if Viiv is dominated by MCE. Are Intel Macs coming sooner rather than later? Let us know what you think in the forum.