theyre saying around 5 years IIRC.... not to be pesscimistic, but do you think it will last that long before they are phased out?
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how long realistically do you think developers will continue to support ppc macs?
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It does not take much effort to keep supporting the PPC architecture, so it will be for a very, very long time. Anyway, even if only 5 years, by then the number of PPC software apps will be huge. No need to worry.
I am gonna keep enjoying my Dual G5 until it breaks down.
I am gonna keep enjoying my Dual G5 until it breaks down.
The transition from ppc to intel cannot be compared to that of OS 9 to OS X. PPC software will be around for a long long time to come. There are millions of people around the globe who will continue to use their current Macs until they cease to work.
It would not be a good move to make obsolete ppc apps and the developers are aware of that, especially the big names like Adobe etc. The mere fact that Apple will incorporate Rosetta into their new Mactels shows that they and the developers are well aware people who buy Mactels aren't necessarily going to upgrade all their software as well (provided they will all be intel converted successfully anyway).
I wouldn't be too concerned, ppc apps are going to be around for a long while to come. I know I won't be rushing out to get the first revision of a Mactel so I bet there are millions of others who are thinking the same way and you can bet Apple and developers are aware of that.
It would not be a good move to make obsolete ppc apps and the developers are aware of that, especially the big names like Adobe etc. The mere fact that Apple will incorporate Rosetta into their new Mactels shows that they and the developers are well aware people who buy Mactels aren't necessarily going to upgrade all their software as well (provided they will all be intel converted successfully anyway).
I wouldn't be too concerned, ppc apps are going to be around for a long while to come. I know I won't be rushing out to get the first revision of a Mactel so I bet there are millions of others who are thinking the same way and you can bet Apple and developers are aware of that.
For developers using the new xCode, it is almost no work.
When you select to compile your app, you can select to compile for both intel and PPC architecture. It will compile the binaries for both, and your CD or DVD will install the appropriate ones on installation to a computer.
It is going to be a bit more cumbersome for a while, but Apple really has made it pretty easy for software developers.
When you select to compile your app, you can select to compile for both intel and PPC architecture. It will compile the binaries for both, and your CD or DVD will install the appropriate ones on installation to a computer.
It is going to be a bit more cumbersome for a while, but Apple really has made it pretty easy for software developers.
Go here:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/wwdc05/
And watch the keynote... it will explain it better.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/wwdc05/
And watch the keynote... it will explain it better.
Welcome to one of the frequently recurring threads. PPC sofgtware will dry up sometime after Apple stops making major upgrades of OS X for PPC. My guess is late 2010 at the earliest.
Tiger runs on some Macs built in 1999 (6 years ago). The last new PPC Macs will be sold in late 2007. If Apple follows the same trend, OS X will support PPC Macs until 2013. I actually don't think it will go that long, but it wouldn't be without precedent. I think we'll see OS X stop supporting PPCs in 2010 or 2011, with the majority of software developer's dropping support a year or two later. That still leaves a solid 5 years of support for PPC Macs. 5 years is enough that your hardware will be pretty old and you'll want to upgrade anyway. I personally would have no worries about buying a PowerPC Mac right now (or even into 2007).
Actually, yes I do. They've been doing support for both processors for a bunch of years, so why not keep that up for another few years?Val-kyrie said:
If Apple doesn't support PPC based Macs for at least 3 years after the last one is sold new, people are going to get nervoius about how long an new hardware might be supported.
I'd say it's posisble that the last major version of OS X for PPC will be released somewhere between 2009 and 2011. And then we get the point updates until the next major release is made. It's possible Apple will do security updates for another couple of years after the last point update of OS X comes out for PPC.
It would be stupid to just stop supporting the PPC considering just how many people already own them. Considering they aren't even out yet, and won't be the whole line until 2007 tells me that you have at least 3 years and probably far more. 5 years at least. If you were a software developer, would you rather sell to a just few early adopters, or to millions of loyal users. The only things I see moving quickly to Intel are games. Gamers upgrade hardware all the time anyway. Leopard, and the next OS after that will support PPC.
All of your current software will continue to run as well.
All of your current software will continue to run as well.
at least 5 yrs for me. ppc is too estabilished to be obsolete and unpopular for that long. i mean, even command prompt and msdos is still used, and g4 ppc cpus are still used, it's just too big just to throw it all away. even after 5 years i think that people will still have use for a g5 and g4 macs.
millions of people now have ppc computers, and just because intel macs come out, it dosen't mean those millions of ppc computers will just dissapear. after 4 years i believe there will still be 60% of those computers still in full operation. heck companies even create apps for linux and i don't mean open-source freeware one-guy-created-stuff, i mean huge professional big-company supported apps!
i have a lot of friends who still use their imac g3s and black powerbooks for their works, and those computers were introduced and sold at 1998 and they are still happy with it. and those computers can run the same programs we can run today, well... a lot slower but it still runs!
commodore 64 games are still played, i still love to play my gameboy pocket, and on that i play one of the most innovative gameboy games ever: pokemon yellow, where you start with pikachu and move on. i like it's other games like bomberman and tetris, and those are like from 1990 or older.
The Matrix is still a good movie, but it is like 7 years old! i know movies don't decay and become obsolete like computers but there are still good movies that is over 60 years old which is still a classic!
and some people are still making programs for OS 9 along with their OSX version. can you believe that? ppc apps might slowly decay and die, but it won't be completly unsupported until like 2010 or later. i think that it will last that long is because of universal binaries. who will just stop checking "both" in the checkbox and miss millions of present mac users that have a g4 and a g5?
i mean, it took the mathamatica wolfram research CEO theo gray just 2 hours to modify a beta program that will work just fine on ppc computers and is also completly capatible on the newly released intel computers! just a couple lines of code that is needed to be modified.
now, if it is that fast - making ppc apps capatible with intel computers, it will take just as fast for intel apps to ppc apps, and it's a stupid move to save just a bit of effort and time to miss a huge market.
millions of people now have ppc computers, and just because intel macs come out, it dosen't mean those millions of ppc computers will just dissapear. after 4 years i believe there will still be 60% of those computers still in full operation. heck companies even create apps for linux and i don't mean open-source freeware one-guy-created-stuff, i mean huge professional big-company supported apps!
i have a lot of friends who still use their imac g3s and black powerbooks for their works, and those computers were introduced and sold at 1998 and they are still happy with it. and those computers can run the same programs we can run today, well... a lot slower but it still runs!
commodore 64 games are still played, i still love to play my gameboy pocket, and on that i play one of the most innovative gameboy games ever: pokemon yellow, where you start with pikachu and move on. i like it's other games like bomberman and tetris, and those are like from 1990 or older.
The Matrix is still a good movie, but it is like 7 years old! i know movies don't decay and become obsolete like computers but there are still good movies that is over 60 years old which is still a classic!
and some people are still making programs for OS 9 along with their OSX version. can you believe that? ppc apps might slowly decay and die, but it won't be completly unsupported until like 2010 or later. i think that it will last that long is because of universal binaries. who will just stop checking "both" in the checkbox and miss millions of present mac users that have a g4 and a g5?
i mean, it took the mathamatica wolfram research CEO theo gray just 2 hours to modify a beta program that will work just fine on ppc computers and is also completly capatible on the newly released intel computers! just a couple lines of code that is needed to be modified.
now, if it is that fast - making ppc apps capatible with intel computers, it will take just as fast for intel apps to ppc apps, and it's a stupid move to save just a bit of effort and time to miss a huge market.
Very good points. Also, imagine the issues if companies don't support the Unoversal Binaries:steelfist said:
Customer: This software down't work on my Mac.
Company: What seems to be wrong?
Customer: It just won't run.
Company: What type of Mac do you have?
Customer: A PowerMac G5 ...
Company: Oh that requires an Intel based Mac to run.
Customer: $#^&&(#$&(&(#$
Yes, I think the above scenario will really happen. Companies will need to keep PPC compatable software around as least as long as Apple is still supplying OS X updates for PPC systems. And even then, they might want to do that until the next major release of their software. That is provide patches and minor updates for both prcoessors until they do a major revision after Apple stops PPC support with OS X.
