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More Evidence Apple is Shifting Towards Intel-Only Software Releases?

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Apr 12, 2001
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Arstechnica points out that a portion of Apple's new iLife '09 suite is now Intel-only. Specifically, the GarageBand '09 Learn to Play feature that was demonstrated at Macworld will not run on a PowerPC:
"GarageBand Learn to Play requires an Intel-based Mac with a dual-core processor or better."
Click to expand...
This represents an expected shift of support away from Apple's older PowerPC Macs. Apple first announced that they were switching from PowerPC to Intel processors in June 2005 and finally completed the transition in August 2006. Since then, all shipping Macs have contained Intel-based processors.

Apple is also rumored to officially drop PowerPC support from their next major Mac OS X release (Snow Leopard). Development, of course, has been ongoing, and Apple has recently begun seeding a new version of Snow Leopard internally. As a result, a new ADC developer version is expected very shortly. No word on what improvements have been made.

Snow Leopard is due for public release sometime this year.

Article Link: More Evidence Apple is Shifting Towards Intel-Only Software Releases?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/02/04/more-evidence-apple-is-shifting-towards-intel-only-software-releases/
Seems like logical progress. Most of the last iBooks and Powerbooks are quite old now. Maybe they'll get some support for another couple of years in one form or another.
 
Expected, though I'm sure there will be plenty of whiners here as usual. Dropping PPC support is a good thing for the Mac World overall. Sorry if it pinches people who refuse to upgrade, but that is a choice they make. Looks like Apple has already made its own.
 
Excellent. No reason you apple folks need to be burdened with the woes that the other ~90% of the world face. Old spec is OLD. (just like old meme)

I dream of a world when my child will look up at me with innocence and say, "Daddy, what's a 'Windows Registry'?"
 
MD5Hash said:
I dream of a world when my child will look up at me with innocence and say, "Daddy, what's a 'Windows Registry'?"
Click to expand...

I would hope it were forgotten altogether, not dredged back up in each generation to come.
 
it's the way to go, even so, I've been using my PM G5 for the last four years and it keeps rocking, in fact, with the new adobe CS4, it is heavy metal!

I do have an intel mac (MBP), and that will be my test monkey.

I'll only turn full intel when the G5 becomes useless, which by the way things are I expect to be in the next two/three years.

I understand apple's move to full intel, and I won't wine, it just makes more sence to do this than supporting "obsolete" processors.
 
My main machine is Intel but I had cause to use a G4 1.25 recently and was surprised how fast it was. I don't expect SL to support PPC but I do think G4 was a good processor in it's day and still useful.
 
Not really a big surprise. There has to be a line drawn somewhere for where support ends. PPC is that line.
 
i've never used a power pc mac, as i started on the first intel mac mini, rosetta really used to annoy me, i dont see hardware that old can run modern OSs and apps anyway
 
DJ567 said:
i've never used a power pc mac, as i started on the first intel mac mini, rosetta really used to annoy me, i dont see hardware that old can run modern OSs and apps anyway
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You don't see how three-year-old hardware can run a modern OS?

Well, coming from the world of Vista this logic makes sense, but XP ran on computers in 2001, and it's still the only modern OS Redmont has put out.

That's eight years old, there, XP is. It ran back then, and PowerPC computers aren't slouches, they're just rather long in the tooth.
 
People will complain, but I don't see OS9 being supported any more either. Just get over it and move on. There's plenty of iPhone stuff to moan about!
 
As I've said before, a PowerPC based Mac should NOT be your primary system. Stay up to date, especially if your computer is used to earn a living. I have several PowerPC Macs but they are simply for "farting around." I like their design and they are functional for the most part. But when it comes to making money, I wake my MacBook Pro.
 
OnTrack Studios said:
As I've said before, a PowerPC based Mac should NOT be your primary system.
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Agree, wholeheartedly. Some people will testify otherwise, but I just got rid of my 12" PB (didn't want to) because my MBP blows it out of the water in terms of raw power, which I like to have.
 
Can't see why this would be a surprise to anyone. In fact, Apple have held onto PPC applications longer than I thought they would.
 
Tallest Skil said:
You don't see how three-year-old hardware can run a modern OS?

Well, coming from the world of Vista this logic makes sense, but XP ran on computers in 2001, and it's still the only modern OS Redmont has put out.

That's eight years old, there, XP is. It ran back then, and PowerPC computers aren't slouches, they're just rather long in the tooth.
Click to expand...

when i say run i mean comfortably, my friend has a 2004 powerbook, he seems to think it runs fine but for me its awful. Vista will not run on all but the best 3 yr old hardware, just as xp would not likely run on a computer made in 1998, if you want to give it that context. I know leopard runs awfully on a intel solo mac mini with 2gb of ram, that will be exactly 3 years old in a month

i guess im just very impatient and cant stand to wait 5 seconds for safari to open
 
Sad

I understand Apple doing this but I'm writing this on a 2.6 GB Dual 2 Ghz PowerPC G5, and I can assure you that it doesn't feel old or slow at all (despite being almost 6 now).

I guess it'll just keep running Leopard until it dies (which is hopefully a long way off - it's been turned on for all of those 6 years with never a hint of a problem ... it's a beautiful machine)
 
I suspect the only reason for this is that Learn to Play features HD video content which requires a fairly high spec CPU to decode. I don't think we can take this as a sign of a more general move to Intel-only distributions even if Apple is planning to drop PPC support in Snow Leopard.
 
Looks like Apple knows what there doing. Ever since the Intel switch, I've been stuck on PPC Macs and I can tell you, since Apple's switch, the PPC has become a very slow that it turned into a nightmare using by 2008. Like Firefox is a great example. Runs wonderful on my current MacBook, but my iBook (and dead Mac Mini G4), forget it.

Also I think a better sign of this should be iMovie '08.
 
Looks like I flogged my PowerBook at the right time. Sad to see PPC support going but it's only progress.
 
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