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Topic Starter Topic: Macs to use Intel processors...confirmation at last?
Psyche911
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PostPosted: 06-03-2005 09:54 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


How reliable is c-net news.com?

http://news.com.com/Apple+to+ditch+IBM% ... &subj=news

They're reporting that the new low end Macs will start coming with Intel processors in 2006, and high end in 2007.

Is this the beginning of the end? IBM wouldn't license PowerPC chips to Intel, would they?
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Canis
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PostPosted: 06-03-2005 10:50 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I wouldn't doubt an apple device based on intel hardware is around the corner, but I dont know if Apple would risk another architecture change, especially after all the investment in the PPC.
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4g3nt_Smith
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PostPosted: 06-04-2005 09:44 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


We'll know for sure Monday, according to the first line of the article, which is all I read. :icon25:
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bag0shite
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PostPosted: 06-04-2005 01:56 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Psyche911 wrote:
IBM wouldn't license PowerPC chips to Intel, would they?


IBM have no choice in the matter if one of the other partners in the AIM alliance (Apple, IBM, Motorola) was to approach Intel to help design/fab PowerPC chips. Apple did work closely with IBM in the G5 design so they could probably quite easily headhunt what talent they need and away they go... I think a move to *86 is likely (steve to crowd at WWDC *hi guys, you made OSX great, now go make it work on *86* lol) but a new partner to produce PPC seems plausible. Plus it would give Apple that recognisable Intel Inside branding so coveted by businesses :icon31:
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Dave
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PostPosted: 06-04-2005 02:16 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


This has to be one of the dumbest rumors of all time. Apple would be commiting corporacide if they moved to an intel platform. I can't believe cnet ran this story. Next they're going to hire Dan Rather



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ajerara
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PostPosted: 06-04-2005 09:55 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


That's what they're saying on the news tonight, that Apple is going to announce that they're switching to Intel on Monday. I rarely hear anything about Apple like that on the news even though Apple is only 40 minutes from here. All you hear is a tidbit about iPod here and there, or when Macworld convention is in town. They must be pretty confident about their source if they are blatting about it on the TV news.
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Geebs
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 02:05 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Back when they couldn't get the G4s to scale, this would have seemed more sensible. Now that the g5 has done a great job of catching up, it seems ludicrous. And as has been pointed out, making an announcement at WWDC that all of the current Mac developers are going to get put out of business seems a little odd.....

Plus why the hell would apple want half of their line on x86 and the other half on PPC? And why, if performance is the issue, switch the consumer line before the pro line?
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 02:17 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I'm not sure the rumor is far off the mark. They used to ship OpenStep on HP Vectra kit and the package format of applications allows fat binaries - I used to build for 68k and x86 on NeXTSTEP.

Perhaps Apple are going after Microsoft as there's been a lot of dissatisfaction voice over XP in the last year or so, a lot of Windows users have iPods.

Perhaps importantly, Apple can have Tiger out on Intel kit before Longhorn arrives meaning Longhorn is obsolete before it ever ships.
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Geebs
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 02:25 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Hmmm. "Think OS/2"?
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Geebs
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 02:27 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Plus, Apple would lose ALL of their reputation for reliability if they were coding for the PC base. MS does an amazing job considering that every PC user in the world, whatever their hardware (and even if they've inexpertly slapped together a few components by themselves), expects it to work out of the box. No way could Apple compete with that.
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Therac-26
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 02:08 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Something like 80% of Apple's income is based upon selling high-markup hardware. A switch to (basically) selling software ontop of commodity hardware is an exit strategy, not a growth strategy.

Don't forget, Apple probably uses Intel chips for gigabit ethernet, maybe for wireless, the Airport wireless AP is (I think) primarily an Intel 486. Intel makes other things than CPUs.
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codey-
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 02:37 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Geebs wrote:
Plus, Apple would lose ALL of their reputation for reliability if they were coding for the PC base.

Doubt Apple would make a OSX that 'works' on any standard pc even if they switch to x86 procs - they would probably still rely on proprietary hardware just like now, ie; few specific models that they build themselves.

cheers
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Canis
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 05:34 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I'd think about stuff like the Intel Mac Mini look-a-like, the rumored iHome device from Apple, as well as the iPod and other non-Mac hardware from Apple. At most they might try appealing to businesses with the Intel label, though I doubt Apple will scrap the PPC for intel at this point. Apple's G5 is still a pretty new item.
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ajerara
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 11:14 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


here's a link to an article in the NY times with info:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/06/techn ... yt&emc=rss
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Dave
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PostPosted: 06-05-2005 11:25 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


If this doesn't pan out cnet loses all its credibility



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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 03:03 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I think that any Intel based OS will be tied to Apple hardware which, essentially, was the case with the HP Vectras of NeXTSTEP. There'll not likely be MacOS for any other platforms.

Having closed hardware makes is cheaper to develop software as you don't need to deal with all the driver issues and so forth. With NeXTSTEP, you were required to use SCSI drives and a particular hardware configuration to get the OS running.

It doesn't mean that the hardware couldn't run XP too, which would be great for me.

If they do an Intel MacOS, I bet it'll be hacked to work on regular PCs with some limitations (drivers).

Anyway this is all speculation, as interesting as it is, but we'll hear in another six hours.
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saturn
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 06:03 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


i've been hearing this rumor for months now, but i'm not sure if it's wise for Apple to make this step.

*checks news sites*
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Doombrain
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 06:35 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


It’s not a rumor
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 06:36 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Migration path:

- WINE for Windows users, so they can run their current applications.
- Transitive for PowerPC application owners, so they can run their current applications.
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Canis
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 06:57 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Doombrain wrote:
It’s not a rumor


It's not, but what specifically does it entail?
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saturn
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 07:18 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Doombrain wrote:
It’s not a rumor


it WAS a rumor :dork:
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Canis
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 08:18 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


OOOOHhhhh....nit-picky details!!! gg Doc! :p
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saturn
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 09:02 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


i can play that game too :p
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 10:06 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Well, so much for hardware sales.
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Therac-26
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 10:30 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Hopefully two weeks is still inside of the return policy at the Mac store here.

No point in owning a system without a future.
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 10:32 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


lol
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Canis
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 11:00 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I'm wondering the same thing. Though I expect there is a future for the G5, I think the slow phasing out of hardware support will be a problem for PPC owners. I expect, like 68k chips, that FAT binaries will be around to deal with the transition.
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 11:26 AM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


That's the plan.

I'll be getting my grubby hands on one of the boxes ASAP and porting my crap onto it.
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Turbanator
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 11:58 AM           Profile   Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


i had my eye on this rumor for weeks, and laughed it off... to have it confirmed today... jesus... what a farce...

but apple aren't stupid, they know what they're doing... shame though, it's the end of an era, ppc and mac os x made a good combination, a very poweful one... if they do develop and release a g5 powerbook, i'll still buy one.
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 12:05 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


It's going to hurt their sales of Macs until the OSX86(tm) is released, for sure.
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saturn
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 12:16 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


damn, I don't know what to say or think. Especially since I bought my powerbook end of april.

*reads some more*
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 12:24 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


You'll be able to run the OS and the apps for the next five years or so after Leopard comes out.
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Therac-26
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 12:26 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


I think I'm returning my iMac (which was less than two weeks ago), as it's performance in anything I've done is not signifigantly faster than my 5 year old 1.3Ghz AMD box, and basically has no future. I had hoped that, you know, the OS, the OpenGL libraries, and Applications in general would be optimized for the G5 in the future.

Might be a stupid restocking fee, though. Grr.
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 12:56 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


"I'm returning my Mac as it's white and not black, like you illustrated at the keynote."

Really, I'm not worried about it at all. I got a dual 2Ghz G5 when they came out, a 1.33Ghz 15" PB and a 1.33Ghz 12" PB for the girlfriend.

We'll be able to run the apps until the machines are too slow to use, as always. I'll get a OSX86(tm) system when they come out because, as a developer, I need as much CPU power as I can get to compile with GCC.

I'll compiled a fat binary and, believe you me, will support it as long as Apple do.
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NCG_Mike
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PostPosted: 06-06-2005 01:23 PM           Profile Send private message  E-mail  Edit post Reply with quote


Awaiting the video: http://homepage.mac.com/only_mortal/scr ... pation.jpg
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