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Apple Plans to Ditch Intel and Use Custom Mac Chips Starting in 2020

Gulp!
Well. It's not for me. I buy apple computers because they can run any software suite I need be it Windows.... Linux.... OSX. I love the quality of hardware and compatibility. If they drop that massive compatibility feature then I'll have to move to Windows for my main work system. It'd suck because I'd have to keep a mega cheap OSX for OSX stuff too. I don't think this move is for me as a prosumer.
 
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yesjam said:
...I think the incorporation of Intel chips within Apple computers was a net-positive for both consumers and for Apple. Not sure this would be the best move would that it were to happen.
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Lol! That's exactly what people said during the transition from PPC!
 
If it doesn't have x86 integration then what would be the point. Also how would this affect updates etc in 2 years if an entire user base if one portion simply stops using said chips? While the rest are using the previous system?
 
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maflynn said:
Well, so it's beginning. I wonder how many people will choose to move on from Apple due to lack of X86 support. I for one will not be buying a Mac that I cannot run windows on
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Not sure why any Apple user would iOS move on from apple designing custom silicon as the main cpu for their computers.

They’ve done this before as a collaboration with IBM, Motorola in the first few gens of PowerPC and the. Worked on the SouthBridge controller when the G5 debuted.

This to me is noting new really just an evolution of work already in progress.
Intel’s Corei lineup hasn’t really delivered awe inspiring performance generation to generation and that’s cause office applications don’t really push the limits of the cpu since the Penguin 4 days.
 
What I could see by 2020 is having Apple put an iOS emulator into the Mac OS. They already have much of that in the development tools for iOS (on the Mac), so it would be pretty much just a business decision to allow iOS applications to run on the Mac. I suspect that some developers would not like this, since low-cost iOS apps would compete directly with traditional applications on the Mac.

In any case, the above almost has to happen before we'll see A-series chips replacing Intel on the Mac. In fact, I wonder if the above is the source of this rumor. Maybe they just plan on adding iOS emulation to the Intel hardware and this rumor has the specifics wrong.

This would also allow Apple to add additional hardware to the newest Macs (think upgrade cycle), so that certain hardware features that are current supported under the iOS products could be duplicated on the Mac (security features, biometrics, and Face ID).
 
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HQuest said:
And Parallels or Fusion won’t allow you to do so?
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I think both of these work by sending instructions and accessing the native x86 architecture of the chip. This is why they're so much faster than the previous virtualPC on the PowerPC where the instructions needed to be in essence translated for the PPC.
 
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zorinlynx said:
I guess I should start making plans for my exit from the Apple ecosystem.

While I've been able to tolerate the closed nature of the iPhone and iPad, since I treat them mostly as appliances, I would not be able to tolerate the same thing on the Mac.

Using Intel CPUs maintains compatibility with the rest of the industry. I can run virtual machines on my Mac running Linux, Windows, or pretty much any x86-based OS. This is crucial to my usage of the platform.

It's unfortunate if this is true and I really hope it isn't.
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How do you know you won't be able to use Linux or Windows on the new Apple chip? It sounds like you're thinking Apple is planning to make the exact same mistake as last time. Apple knows one of the biggest reasons people are buying Macs is because of the compatibility with Linux and Windows. It sounds like you're getting yourself worked up before you've seen what the chip can actually do.
 
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fpnc said:
What I could see by 2020 is having Apple put an iOS emulator into the Mac OS. They already have much of that in the development tools for iOS (on the Mac), so it would be pretty much just a business decision to allow iOS applications to run on the Mac. I suspect that some developers would not like this, since low-cost iOS apps would compete directly with traditional applications on the Mac.

In any case, the above almost has to happen before we'll see A-series chips replacing Intel on the Mac. In fact, I wonder if the above is the source of this rumor. Maybe they just plan on adding iOS emulation to the Intel hardware and this rumor has the specifics wrong.

This would also allow Apple to add additional hardware to the newest Macs (think upgrade cycle), so that certain hardware features that are current supported under the iOS products could be duplicated on the Mac (security features, biometrics, and Face ID).
Click to expand...
i want emulator not simulator like android.. apple pretty joke company thou
 
maflynn said:
Well, so it's beginning. I wonder how many people will choose to move on from Apple due to lack of X86 support. I for one will not be buying a Mac that I cannot run windows on
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You're in the minority. Most people want a great performing computer that runs apps. Plus, I highly doubt that they will remove Intel from their pro lines of laptops and workstations so you're safe.

Imagine a computer that runs MacOS and iOS apps that lasts all day on a charge and is less expensive and not beholden to Intel's pathetic roadmap.
 
fpnc said:
What I could see by 2020 is having Apple put an iOS emulator into the Mac OS. They already have much of that in the development tools for iOS (on the Mac), so it would be pretty much just a business decision to allow iOS applications to run on the Mac.
Click to expand...

Indeed. There will be a lengthy transition period. Many businesses ran 32bit hardware and software, and even Windows XP until 64bit dependability was bullet proof.
 
cppguy said:
… If nothing else, the different endian (byte order) alone would cause a lot of breakage.
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Can you back this assertion up? The original ARM CPU was designed as a zero-microcode processor, expanding on and improving on the 6502 concept. The 6502 was LE. ARM is LE by default. x86 is LE. Are you suggesting that Apple runs their CPUs in non-default BE mode because … reasons? I am extremely skeptical.
 
Macalicious2011 said:
Indeed. There will be a lengthy transition period. Many businesses ran 32bit hardware and software, and even Windows XP until 64bit dependability was bullet proof.
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some people forgotten. Windows only use 64 bit instruction set not bullet proof 64 bit proc. Windows Xp Pro version can use over 4GB issue.Unless we all use horrible itanium proc.. then it will true 64.
 
Thunderbird said:
Yeah, a few of us did, as soon as they developed ARM. In fact, wasn't there already a rumor about this before now?
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possible yes.. but the migration effect of the app potential 3 years +. Since apple not a major player in os and developer,it will take years to migrate fully.

They might even kill all 32 bit app in apple store.But not their leverage because apple not much profitable software to make .
 
maflynn said:
Why is it exciting? They need to convince Adobe, Microsoft and other major developers to re-write their desktop apps, or will they just port their iOS apps to the desktop?
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They won't do it until all the ducks are lined up and ready. Or they could still use Intel for desktops and more powerful laptops.
 
yanksrock100 said:
If it runs well and keeps Linux and Windows compatibility, I am all for it. It feels like the Intel professor cycle has been a bottle neck for Macbook releases in the past several years.
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I'd hazard a guess that Moores law ending - harder to shrink chip architecture size, economy of scale.

Chip makers will be needing the next big thing and I doubt it will be Apple producing this and then they would have to switch...

This would be a bad decision by Apple.
 
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