Apple Considering Switch From Intel Chips in Future Macs

anubis said:

LOLOLOL. It's been 832 days since the last meaningful update to the Mac Pro because of limited availability of high performance processors. Oops.

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Exactly. Surf on over to the MacRumors Mac Pro Forum. The main subject there is how to get a modern, powerful video card to work on an antiquated Mac Pro (like the kind currently on sale at apple.com.)

Apple commitment to content creators is clear as a bell.

When such day comes I will switch to a Windows PC in no time... but WTF .... I don't want to use Windows 8.....

gotluck said:

no more bootcamp?

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Maybe if you want to run Windows RT.

Actually, I think this is all part of their long term strategy to merge Mac OS and iOS into a single OS that runs on the desktop and tablets, much in the same way that Microsoft have tried to do with Windows 8.

hathornb said:

We already deal with lagging gaming ability as it is, why do we have to have lagging core processors? Not a fan of this at all.

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Will have to see how this plays out.

Just as I was contemplating a complete switch to OSX with the abomination that is Windows 8... Apple (may) force me to stay put.

lilo777 said:

I definitely would not bet on Apple beating Intel in CPU design.

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There is no real need for Apple to "beat" Intel in CPU design.

All that is needed is for Apple to figure that they will make more total profits if they design their own chips. "Beating Intel" ain't got nothing to do with nothing.

iGrip said:

There is no real need for Apple to "beat" Intel in CPU design.

All that is needed is for Apple to figure that they will make more total profits if they design their own chips. "Beating Intel" ain't got nothing to do with nothing.

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sadly this is true

It's inevitable the prgress of ARM architecture will overtake x86 process for low-powered devices. As far as win8 compatibility, it may take a little cooperation from MS, if they decide Apple is a worthy alliance. I feel abandoned because it would end the community of Hackintosh, unless the MacPro still retains Xeon.

This has got to be solely about Apple not wanting to send $$$ out to Intel. Not a good idea. Kinda lame actually.

I like ability to work in Mac or Windows

But what else can you hope for. apple is moving into consumer stuff with low power. ack.... i hope for continued days of powerful Mac's.

Everyone is assuming that if Apple were to switch away from Intel it would have to be ARM. I would not be so sure if someone else comes up with a good x86 processor. I know AMD is not quite there, but you never know what ARM could have in the future or what AMD will do. Only time will tell.

the Motorola powerpc back in the day was a complete failure thats why they moved to intel now they want to drop it again i got to say the new imac already hurts since they dropped the optical disc now the rumour of a processor change i hope that the iMac with retina screen come out before this rumour becomes reality.

Renzatic said:

The only reason the Mac Pro hasn't been updated is because Apple doesn't want to update the Mac Pro.

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Why should they?

Macs are a tiny portion of the PC market, and the Mac Pro is a tiny portion of the Mac market. The Mac Pro is lousy place for Apple to invest their resources. They are much better off with consumer gadgets. They never made much money with computers, even in the heyday of the Mac desktops.

sirozha said:

Windows 8 runs on the ARM architecture. So, future Apple computers may be able to dual-boot Windows RT.

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WinRT runs on ARM, Windows 8 still runs on x86 even when their Windows 8 Pro tablet comes out.

Why is everybody freaking out about Windows compatibility? Macs aren't switching tomorrow. This is a roadmap for the next 3 to 5 years. Microsoft themselves are phasing out x86. Windows RT runs on ARM and you'd have to be completely blind to not see that Microsoft is pushing decisively for apps designed for their RT tablet -- even pro apps.

In 3 years, all the big software giants will be on ARM from Photoshop to Avid. Meanwhile, Moore's law is slowing down with processing power reaching peak performance while ARM is quickly catching up. At the same time, operating systems and apps are becoming multiple times more efficient yet just as powerful as their older counterparts.

When we reach the point where Windows apps and iOS apps all run on ARM, what's the point of sticking with Intel's x86? ... At that time, x86 will be the old model that everybody is leaving. Apple is typically a trailblazer and they'll abandon x86 in favour of ARM just as they abandoned serial and parallel ports in favour of USB and floppy discs in favour of CDs and now DVDs in favour of digital media.

Future Macs will be iPads running OSX with a cursor/keyboard UI. If the new iMac wasn't enough of a hint, then wait a little while longer and it'll probably get more obvious.

Really? First dropping PowerPC, now Intel?

The day this happens is the day professional computing is gone forever.

bbeagle said:

Apple did an amazing job switching from Motorola chips to Intel chips. I'm sure the experience Apple had doing this will help in this new move.

It will also allow iOS apps to run on Macs, and vice-versa. This is good and bad in so many different ways.

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I have experience with divorce, that doesn't mean I want to do it again.

mrmarts said:

the Motorola powerpc back in the day was a complete failure thats why they moved to intel now they want to drop it again i got to say the new imac already hurts since they dropped the optical disc now the rumour of a processor change i hope that the iMac with retina screen come out before this rumour becomes reality.

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Apparently it's not just the Tea Party that is revisionist on history.

The Power PC was among the first commercially successful RISC implementations compared to CISC (intel, AMD)

Initially it was faster than those platforms, but had some drawbacks including high licensing fees and being difficult to program for compared to intel.

What killed it really was that the only companies using it was IBM (AIX) and Apple.

Much of it's legacy (and licensing) lives on in ARM and even in the xbox

Sad to see the herd mentality.

In tech the herd mentality is crippling the urge to innovate.
Why would Apple stick with any other tech provider if it can DO it better?

If Microsoft could do better WHY would they hug the windows cartel members still?

Apple success has to do with clarifying the line that separates it from the windows cartel members, making its own chip will be a step in that direction.

Anyone will take that step if he/she know they cam beat Intel.

I wonder WHY or if not Samsung or any other member of the Windows cartel vendors are NOT secretly doing the same.

...

You guys are thinking all wrong because you are comparing current intel chips to current mobile chips. In a few years Intel chips will be faster (far faster than what people need) but ARM chips are getting faster at least as quickly as intel chips, Apple can design a cpu with far more cores, far less power consumption and as fast as most people need (core 2 duo levels) in a slim, light package that doesn't need a fan. People will buy that the only problem is lack of windows support. There are probobly as many apps for ARM on iOS as there are for mac apps and if you give iOS devices more power they can make even better apps so I don't see lack of software a huge issue

iGrip said:

There is no real need for Apple to "beat" Intel in CPU design.

All that is needed is for Apple to figure that they will make more total profits if they design their own chips. "Beating Intel" ain't got nothing to do with nothing.

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That is true. However, if Apple can't beat Intel this means that would have inferior CPUs. It would be hard for them to beat HP, Samsung, Sony etc who would use Intel and therefore had superior laptops. In other words, it's hard to make a lot of profits with inferior designs.

ChrisTX said:

The day this happens is the day professional computing is gone forever.

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It's always a compromise between size, weight, performance, heating. There will always be people who want to run water cooled overclocked rigs with 3 video cards, and then there're the Starbucks folks and road warriors on the other end of the spectrum.

As a hardcore developer and hobby photographer, I don't need the super video performance, but running 5-10 virtual machines, several servers, compiling millions of lines of code, processing 36 megapixel RAW files, I'll always be the one who buys the serious rigs with the 27" screens.

Remember that if Apple didn't have Macs, we would have to use PCs to develop for the iPhone and iPad. Because development is not going to happen on a low-end device.

the reason why apple are anti Disc drives is obvious to me:

discs are the source of buying media outside of itunes:

Music
Movies
Apps
TV Shows


if Apple wanted you to use CD's they wouldn't have digital stores.

they want you to buy from their stores.

why didn't apple go blu-ray? because thats sony's, and apple don't want to spend money. and as far as apple is concerned, whats the point of having its consumers watch and buy blu-rays, if they are trying to keep happy deals with their content providers (studios) and their own monetary interests by selling you Digital HD content?

that in my opinion, is the anti DISC media moves by apple. nobody wants thinner iMacs, they are just designed to perform worse when it comes to temperature and being ventilated for performance.

you notice apple finding any good way to market an iMac as 'new light and thin'? besides showing a side angle image of its thinness? not really because it makes no sense. oh i want the new iMAC! because now i can carry it portably around easier, its so much lighter, its so much easier to hold because its thin. jony ive can't say "when using the New iMac, the user wont experience the difference but will certainly benef- oh, no. no..



no.

apple can shove it if they switch away from intel. it will be back to windows for me.

HitchHykr said:

I have experience with divorce, that doesn't mean I want to do it again.

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: Dumb!
: Very dumb analogy.