Macintosh Moving to Intel Processors

[MacRumors]

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As rumored, Steve Jobs announced today at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference that the Macintosh will make a transition to Intel processors.

Jobs reviewed the two previous major transitions, from Motorola 680x0 processors to the PowerPC in 1994 thru 1996 (before Steve Jobs was back at the helm), and from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X in 2001 through 2003. Saying "It's time for a third transition," he explained that the need for the change was more than just the inability to deliver a 3.0GHz Power Mac, as he promised 2 years ago, but that Intel offers increased performance AND reduced power consumption ("Intel chips runs cooler"), a critical factor for PowerBooks, and an exceptional "roadmap" into 2006 and beyond.

He said that Mac OS X has been living a secret double life for the past five years (see Marklar rumor) and gave a demonstration. The design for Mac OS X has always been processor independent and cross-platform capable by design. The technology to let existing PowerPC applications run on Intel is named Rosetta and performs dynamic translation transparent to users (see QuickTransit from Transitive).

Mac OS on Intel is to be given to developers (ADC "Select" and "Premier" members) now and to customers "this time next year." The transition will be completed in less than 2 years, by the end of 2007. Dashboard widgets, scripts, and Java programs do not need porting. With Xcode 2.1 (out today and distributed at the keynote), developers can make a "tweak" and recompile for Cocoa applications, and port Carbon applications in a matter of weeks. Mathematica was ported in 2 days, although the porting team had direct support from Apple. A universal version of MS Office is coming. Photoshop and its plug-ins run with typical performance but take longer to load.

All demonstrations during the Keynote were performed on a 3.6GHz Pentium 4, to the surprise of many in the audience.

intel press release: http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archi...050606corp.htm
apple press release: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/jun/06intel.html

[Macmadant]

Apple have betrayed us all never again will i use a mac and no more will they be as pc users flock to buy osx for pentium 4s i wish i was there i would have bood

[mkrishnan]

Well...seems to have answered a few questions. It seems there is a sort of fat or differently optimized binary involved in making Transitive work? And well, I guess my next computer is going to be an Intel based PB or iBook...maybe that means they'll finally refresh the shell on the iBook!

[jph]

Possibly a stupid question but since I do not know a lot about those Intel proc.s (yet): are those pentium chips 32-bit or 64-bit?

[Sirus The Virus]

Originally Posted by jph

Possibly a stupid question but since I do not know a lot about those Intel proc.s (yet): are those pentium chips 32-bit or 64-bit?

There 32-bit chips. But Intel does make a 64-bit chip called Titainium i think.

BTW this is the most exiteing thing to happen in a long time to Apple. I can't sit still. I can't wait to use one. I'm going crazy. Seriously. I think I'm goint to go run around the block or something. I'm so happy.

[Balin64]

What does this mean to the people that matters: potential switchers? These news will take a while to filter down and sink in with the masses. To most people, a computer is just that: a computer. I think most people purchase Macs for the design style and because of OS X. As long as those two things don't change, Apple will be fine on Intel.

I am concerned about software... I was not planning purchasing Office anytime soon, since I just bought 2004 recently. Will the PPC+Intel version be a free upgrade? Doubtful...

The Adobe Suite... I am a little apprehensive about this one: we'll see how it all shakes down.

[CmdrLaForge]

Originally Posted by Balin64

What does this mean to the people that matters: potential switchers? These news will take a while to filter down and sink in with the masses. To most people, a computer is just that: a computer. I think most people purchase Macs for the design style and because of OS X. As long as those two things don't change, Apple will be fine on Intel.

I am concerned about software... I was not planning purchasing Office anytime soon, since I just bought 2004 recently. Will the PPC+Intel version be a free upgrade? Doubtful...

The Adobe Suite... I am a little apprehensive about this one: we'll see how it all shakes down.

You know - the best part of the news is that you don't need to buy your software again - because of Rosetta. It will run just fine on an Intel Mac.

No worries!

[FoxyKaye]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

You know - the best part of the news is that you don't need to buy your software again - because of Rosetta. It will run just fine on an Intel Mac.

Hey, is it true or confirmed BTW that Rosetta is QuickTransit, or is it something different?

[ShnikeJSB]

http://endian.net/details.asp?tag=Yonah

IF Apple ends up supporting 64-bit x86's Q1-'06, this chip will be amazing. I forgot to say that it will finally have HyperThreading too. Kick @$$! -JB

[brent1a]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

You know - the best part of the news is that you don't need to buy your software again - because of Rosetta. It will run just fine on an Intel Mac.

No worries!

The WTF would be the point of switching?
Say goodbye to virus-free OSX people.......as the marketshare for OSX rises so will Malware coding interests.
Jesus this was galactically stupid.

[superfoo]

I don't get all you folks crying about 'no more PPC upgrades / I won't buy a new machine now, because it'll be obsoleted / etc.'.

Did you not pay any attention to the announcement at all? There will still be PPC-based boxes released alongside the Intel boxes, and you won't need a 'special' PPC or Intel version of any given OS version or software package; BOTH platforms will be supported simultaneously, and Apple will still be holding the reigns on hardware (i.e., 'yes', it's an x86 chip, but 'no', you won't be able to install OSX on just any old PC: there will still be OpenFirmware (as opposed to a PC BIOS), and Apple will surely implement some other method of hardware protection to prevent another 'attack of the clones'.). Think, for example, of the current G5 tower, with the ONLY thing different being the CPU.

So you're going to have the same software as you do now, the same Apple-designed hardware as you do now.... Only with faster, cheaper CPUs, and faster access to new technologies, such as PCIe(!).

And all this ASIDE from more apps, more games, more USERS, more market share, etc., etc. HOW IS THIS A BAD THING?

[Truffy]

Originally Posted by CmdrLaForge

You know - the best part of the news is that you don't need to buy your software again - because of Rosetta. It will run just fine on an Intel Mac.

No worries!

But will it run as fast as on native hardware? IME emulators always slow things up.

[freddiecable]

I agree with you!

My iMac 20" G5 will not just stop work in 2,3 or 4 years. It works fine on Tiger and will work just fine with Jaguar as well. And by that time I will probably give that to my son (5 year now - 6 or 7 by then) and buy myself a Jaguare mother-fu**er speedie IntelMac

Originally Posted by Balin64

What does this mean to the people that matters: potential switchers? These news will take a while to filter down and sink in with the masses. To most people, a computer is just that: a computer. I think most people purchase Macs for the design style and because of OS X. As long as those two things don't change, Apple will be fine on Intel.

I am concerned about software... I was not planning purchasing Office anytime soon, since I just bought 2004 recently. Will the PPC+Intel version be a free upgrade? Doubtful...

The Adobe Suite... I am a little apprehensive about this one: we'll see how it all shakes down.

[Superhob]

I'm kind of shocked. Does this mean no new hardware until the intel stuff begins to ship by next year's WWDC? That would be an insane business move. They should at least update the ibook and mac mini. I am disappointed

[bartelby]

I think it's going to be all OK...

That is, I hope it's going to be all OK.

It's not like we're going to be running Windoze!!

I can see this attracting a lot more Switchers to the Mac!

[Mr Maui]

Originally Posted by bartelby

I think it's going to be all OK...

That is, I hope it's going to be all OK.

It's not like we're going to be running Windoze!!

I can see this attracting a lot more Switchers to the Mac!

Exactly! If the hardware, whoever makes it, runs the OS quickly and effectively, then so be it. IBM chose this ... not Apple. IBM failed to meet the needs of the company that helped bring them back into play. JMO

[OutThere]

Alright...all thoughts on how the software will be able to be recompiled for the Mactels, this is going to be ****. Apple is going to pull the same **** they did last time they transferred...from OS 9 to OS X...once the majority of their line runs on x86 they will abandon the PPC architecture, tell the rest of their customers to get with the ball game and move on.

Apple has introduced a new factor, a system that's not a "real" mac and not a "real" PC, meaning there will be no software for it. Professionals will not move to Mactels because the major software companies will be extremely slow to produce software for them...Don't try and bring up the argument that Apple says it will be very easy to transfer to the new platform....no matter how simple it is it is very complex for a software company to halt current production, re-build their major apps (see Adobe) and roll out a completely new line, while still trying to maintain back-compatbility with different systems (Apple intends to work with both IBM and Intel...)

This entire process will be a NIGHTMARE...happy progressive Intel-types be damned, I have no objection to the type of hardware that is underneath it all, but I do object to the fact that this is ultimately going to crush Apple. I'm crushed to see a company that I always held in great esteem falling...and they will fall...into the pits of history.

This means that I will not be buying another Mac until they really figure out their game plan....I was planning on giving $2500 to Apple for a shiny new PM this summer....but I guess that they do not want to sell computers any more, since PPC will be utterly obsolete when they introduce the nightmare.



Good bye Apple...it was nice when you thought different.

[Rower_CPU]

I'd be surprised if Apple was opening OS X up to run on any old PC - they'll most likely continue to control the chipset and prevent their hardware sales getting eaten up by DIYers.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some folks work on getting around it, though...

[slb]

I only have two concerns--current Mac sales, and how long companies decide to ship fat binaries to support PowerPCs. I want to keep my recently purchased iBook G4 for at least a few more years.

Other than that, I'm still shocked. It will be weird using OS X and not thinking, "There's a PowerPC chip running all this." Really, we're at the point where processors matter less and less, and software APIs like Cocoa are what's most important, so it really doesn't matter what chip is running your OS X.

I'll get used to the idea of an Intel chip inside. I'm sure Apple will demand high quality specs, and we end-users won't even notice the difference except having 3.0+Ghz PowerBooks at a cheaper price.

They should keep the PowerMac/PowerBook names. I never realized they had anything to do with the Power chips running them. I just thought they were cool-sounding names.

[friendlyghost]

Apple’s goal is to sell a whole experience, not just a processor. That experience is it’s impressive operating system, smart hardware design and articulate applications. Whether that experience is run by a really fast Intel processor or a really fast IBM one, I can’t imagine we should really be concerned. As long as it’s an Apple product on powerful hardware, we’ll be happy.

3 Reasons Why Apple May Be Going Intel

[mikefl420]

I'm still partially shocked by Steve's switch. I can see both the pros and cons to the whole architecture move, IBM hasn't produced as promised and Intel has infinitely more R&D funding behind it.

What I wonder about though is where this leaves us PPC users... Plenty has been stated about Rosetta translating PPC apps to x86 on-the-fly; but what about the reverse? Once new MacTel apps begin appearing will they be translated for PPC computers on-the-fly as well? Or will this become another case of forced obsolecence? The latter would be foolish unless Apple wants to kill it's computer sales for the next year and a half.

Additionally, will this move really bring down prices or simply increase Apple's margins? Great for stockholders, bad for consumers.

I don't have any worry that OS X will still be Mac-only, Steve is still a control freak. Which is why I also doubt we'll ever see "Intel Inside" stickers on a Mac (except maybe CompUSA display models...)

I think the only way Apple's bottom-line and share prices will weather this change is if Steve loosens his lips a tad and keeps the world informed. Apple's trademark secrecy can only hurt right now- especially if they want to hold on to the Mac-faithful.

[eVolcre]

Who the hell is going to buy an overpriced Powermac PC in a year or so when you can have a Dell at a fraction of the price and STILL run Mac OSX.

Umm, are we looking at the same keynote? Where was this said? It is STILL proprietary architechture. A 'dell' or a 'hp' PC will NOT run OSX!!

[iMeowbot]

Originally Posted by mikefl420

IWhat I wonder about though is where this leaves us PPC users... Plenty has been stated about Rosetta translating PPC apps to x86 on-the-fly; but what about the reverse? Once new MacTel apps begin appearing will they be translated for PPC computers on-the-fly as well? Or will this become another case of forced obsolecence? The latter would be foolish unless Apple wants to kill it's computer sales for the next year and a half.

Think about it. Why on earth would software vendors lock themselves out of the installed base? The majority of Macs will still have PPC in them for a long time after the intel-based units ship. You won't need translation in that direction.

[dongmin]

Originally Posted by mikefl420

What I wonder about though is where this leaves us PPC users... Plenty has been stated about Rosetta translating PPC apps to x86 on-the-fly; but what about the reverse? Once new MacTel apps begin appearing will they be translated for PPC computers on-the-fly as well? Or will this become another case of forced obsolecence? The latter would be foolish unless Apple wants to kill it's computer sales for the next year and a half.

I'm not sure if this has been said already, but from Xcode 2.1 on, all compiles will be for both PPC and x86. (That's what I gathered from the Stevenote.) So all new apps will support both PPC and x86 WIHTOUT any translation. All old PPC-only apps will be supported on Intel via translation.

[wdlove]

We need to try to be optimistic. If done correctly this can be a very exciting transition.