IBM has announced the latest version of the PowerPC chip, the one that was used in Apple computers before the switch to Intel Chips. The new Power6 chip is a dual-core 4.7 gigahertz monster that will be used in a new line of IBM servers. As many as eight, dual-core chips can be put inside each new server.

The new chip goes on sale next month.

The Power6 has a bandwidth of 300 gigabits per second, which, according to IBM, could conceivably process the download of the entire iTunes music catalog – more than 5 million songs – in about a minute.

So we finally have a PowerPC chip running faster than 3 gigahertz. Too bad it isn’t inside the Mac.

And what was the reason for switching???