Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more reasons to use a Mac, Intel goes and throws another one on the pile. Perhaps you've heard about the Pentium III? It's yet another instance of Intel's brilliant engineers managing to strap more rocket engines onto a roller skate; the fundamental technology at the heart of the Pentium line goes all the way back to the '70's, and it's a real testament to Intel that they've managed to squeeze six gallons of juice out of a single orange. Since the next-generation Merced chip is still in development, the Pentium III will be Intel's big gun until the Merced finally sees the light of day sometime next century. That's all well and good-- heck, we don't have to use it-- except that a recently announced "feature" of the Pentium III has some people concerned about their online privacy.

See, according to the Chicago Tribune, every Pentium III will include an "embedded electronic serial number" ostensibly to be used in Internet commerce scenarios. The idea here is that the new embedded ID number will allow remote sites to verify the identity of the computer connecting to them. Since the ID number isn't changeable, it'll be a simple matter for net sites to be sure that a returning visitor is in fact connecting from the exact same Pentium III computer. Doesn't that sound great? Unless, of course, you're concerned that any site you visit on the internet can know that you've been there, and could even share that data with other sites. When you connect from your Pentium III system, you're no longer anonymous.

Oh, sure, users will be able to turn off the ID mechanism-- but they'll have to turn it off every single time they boot their system. Oh, sure, a lot of "average users" are going to do that. And, Intel warns, since they've got a crushing grip on the industry and everything, they expect plenty of e-commerce-oriented web sites to embrace the the new ID technology, so people who turn it off are likely to be rejected at those sites. The message is clear, here: submit to electronic tagging, or accept the consequences. Oh, joy-- buy a Pentium III and get a steaming helping of Orwell on the side.