Macintosh Moving to Intel Processors [Updated]

[SPUY767]

When has Windows sucking ever stopped 95% of the people out there from buying it?

It won't stop windows users from using it, but the scenario in question was Intel macs being a stepping stone from people moving from mac to windows.

 

[GTKpower]

Just to digress for a moment . . . .

By the way, someone earlier said that Linux is a pain to install.

Desktop Linux is growing very nicely, and is so easy to use. For all of you who are at all considering Linux, go ahead and install Ubuntu Linux. It is SWEEEET. Works on any computer, any platform. The UI will remind you alot of OS X.

Of course, if you love OS X, you'll wait it out anyway.

Back to the discussion . . . .

 

[bootedbear]

Because I guess I'm one of those silly people who, when told something will be obsolete in a year, does not care to waste money on it.

What's your definition of 'obsolete'? How will a system bought today be 'obsolete' if it can still run all the current software?

Or are you one of those "silly people" that think a system is 'obsolete' as soon as something newer comes out?

 

[Deanster]

Because I guess I'm one of those silly people who, when told something will be obsolete in a year, does not care to waste money on it.

Shocking News! Computer hardware to replaced by something better in a year or two! Film at Eleven!

I too am terrified and upset at this amazing change in the state of computer hardware. The entire idea that after I purchase something, something newer, better and faster will come out some time in the future is new and scary to me. I will wait to buy anything until hardware stabilizes, and I can reasonably expect that someone who buys a computer 12-24 months after I do won't get anything better, or for a lower price.

Yep, that's a FINE plan. Wish me luck!

 

[SPUY767]

By the way, someone earlier said that Linux is a pain to install.

Desktop Linux is growing very nicely, and is so easy to use. For all of you who are at all considering Linux, go ahead and install Ubuntu Linux. It is SWEEEET. Works on any computer, any platform. The UI will remind you alot of OS X.

Of course, if you love OS X, you'll wait it out anyway.

Back to the discussion . . . .

The linux desktops, be it KDE or Gnome, do not remind me at all of OS X. In fact, they try to be more like windows than anything. Especially KDE and Konqueror, which pulls double-duty as the file browser, and the internet app.

 

[1macker1]

I've been using a Linux desktop box for a while. It seems odd, I'd rather use XP or OSX. For some reason, I dont really like it. As far as servers go though, i'll take linux anyday.

By the way, someone earlier said that Linux is a pain to install.

Desktop Linux is growing very nicely, and is so easy to use. For all of you who are at all considering Linux, go ahead and install Ubuntu Linux. It is SWEEEET. Works on any computer, any platform. The UI will remind you alot of OS X.

Of course, if you love OS X, you'll wait it out anyway.

Back to the discussion . . . .

 

[Spazmodius]

And, I don't think Steve is quite so vicious...

The guy has been known to physically attack people who piss him off. Granted, he's "mellowed", but that means he only tortures his subordinates mentally now, calling their ideas "****" and then claiming them as his own when he changes his mind. The guy is pretty much the king of the the CEO rage assault. Did you not read about the "iCon" flap? Somebody publishes yet another bio. about Steve, letting us know yet again the guy's a virtual sociopath, so what does he do? He bans not only that book from The Apple Store, but any and all books published by Wiley. They coined a word for the guy, the "Steve-trum", just to describe his unique brand of corporate conniption. Please, get in touch with reality.

 

[jimbobb24]

Good thing too...I wonder if people realize that we'll probably go through this AGAIN in 5-10 years when x86 finally goes bye-bye. At least that puts OS X in a better position than Windows, which almost certainly hasn't been leading any sort of "secret double life".

--Eric

If MS pulls off the transition to C#, they can change platforms and their developers will not even need to recompile. It will be slick for them. That is a big "if".

 

[blitzkrieg79]

I've been staying out of this, but that statement is too retarded to leave alone.

IBM's financial information:
Revenue for 2004 = $96,293,000,000
Gross profit = $36,032,000,000
Total assets = $109,183,000,000
Cash equivalents as of December 31st = $10,053,000,000
Stock price as of 10:30 AM, 6/7/05 = $75.61

Intel's financial information:
Revenue for 2004 = $34,200,000,000
Gross profit = $19,746,000,000
Total assets = $48,417,000,000
Cash equivalents as of December 31st = $14,061,000,000
Stock price as of 10:30 AM, 6/7/05 = $27.38

What you are stating are TOTAL numbers of both companies, IBM these days is mostly a service company and thats how they make most of their money, their chip division is rather small compared to Intels and why would IBM pump money out of other more profitable divisions to chip division when for most the only customer they had for their chips are IBM and Apple, the game console chips were designed by IBM but will be manufactured by someone else...

 

[GTKpower]

I've been staying out of this, but that statement is too retarded to leave alone.

IBM's financial information:
Revenue for 2004 = $96,293,000,000
Gross profit = $36,032,000,000
Total assets = $109,183,000,000
Cash equivalents as of December 31st = $10,053,000,000
Stock price as of 10:30 AM, 6/7/05 = $75.61

Intel's financial information:
Revenue for 2004 = $34,200,000,000
Gross profit = $19,746,000,000
Total assets = $48,417,000,000
Cash equivalents as of December 31st = $14,061,000,000
Stock price as of 10:30 AM, 6/7/05 = $27.38

Irrelevant. Apple represents only a small percentage of IBM's business. It's a money-loser. IBM no longer wanted to be in the Apple 64-bit game. You should call them and ask why, in light of their assets.

It makes no difference. IBM wants nothing to do with Apple. Their strategy has shifted to other sources of revenue.

 

[jimbobb24]

The guy has been known to physically attack people who piss him off. Granted, he's "mellowed", but that means he only tortures his subordinates mentally now, calling their ideas "****" and then claiming them as his own when he changes his mind. The guy is pretty much the king of the the CEO rage assault. Did you not read about the "iCon" flap? Somebody publishes yet another bio. about Steve, letting us know yet again the guy's a virtual sociopath, so what does he do? He bans not only that book from The Apple Store, but any and all books published by Wiley. They coined a word for the guy, the "Steve-trum", just to describe his unique brand of corporate conniption. Please, get in touch with reality.

Now touching reality. Hey, maybe I was wrong.

 

[GTKpower]

The guy has been known to physically attack people who piss him off. Granted, he's "mellowed", but that means he only tortures his subordinates mentally now, calling their ideas "****" and then claiming them as his own when he changes his mind. The guy is pretty much the king of the the CEO rage assault. Did you not read about the "iCon" flap? Somebody publishes yet another bio. about Steve, letting us know yet again the guy's a virtual sociopath, so what does he do? He bans not only that book from The Apple Store, but any and all books published by Wiley. They coined a word for the guy, the "Steve-trum", just to describe his unique brand of corporate conniption. Please, get in touch with reality.

**shudder** Ugh, I wonder what kind of fit Steve threw when IBM *first* called him about the 3ghz G5 being "a bit late."

 

[PeterPaul]

Has this one been posted?

----------
Brian Peat
I wonder if this is just the START of Steve’s master plan.

What if over time Apple does decide to become a software company, still selling high end work station machines and cool lower priced boxes (but not low end crap).

What if that’s years off, but still in the works

What if Apple’s next move is to get that WINE project under their roof and give 10.5 the ability to run Windows apps natively without a layer like Classic had.

What if shortly after that they release OS X 10.5 for ALL windows capable machines?

I’d think the switch to OS X would be more than enough to offset the costs of losing hardware sales...and those of us who love Apple’s hardware would still be able to buy it.

No idea if it’s going to come true, but if I wanted to topple the great MS, this is how I’d do it.
---------------

Interesting.....

Not interesting, because it's ridiculous. Apple will never, ever get in the business of supporting their OS on generic x86 hardware. Supporting iTunes and Quicktime will be as close as they ever get.

 

[hudson]

do they really know...

Most mac users I work with or know personally didn't even know what this ultimately meant or why it was a big deal... they only know that the Mac GUI is nice to look at and that macs are more stable and reliable than computers running windows. If that doesn't change then neither will the perception of the average user... which means there won't be a huge decline in demand that some of you are predicting. I run linux on several Intel and AMD boxes and it runs fine... my windows box is a typical unstable nightmare with the same hardware.... 'cause at the end of the day it is the operating system that separates them ultimately. Apple has been moving toward standard PC hardware slowly over the last 8 years with the move to ATA drives, AGP ports, the memory it uses, you name it... So I think this is the logical next step especially since IBM wasn't delivering. Who knows what could happen... Dell picked up the ipod as an official vendor... someone similar could become a vendor for mac desktops and laptops and compete with windows on it's own turf... therefore I am cautiously excited. Definitely not down as some of you. I could be wrong but give it some time... we might be pleasantly surprised at the results.

 

[Panu]

Because I guess I'm one of those silly people who, when told something will be obsolete in a year, does not care to waste money on it.

Better not buy the daily paper then. It is going to be obsolete tomorrow.

This the best time to buy a PPC Mac. By the time you're itching to get a new Mac, the new product line will be all there and ripe for the picking.

 

[whooleytoo]

The guy has been known to physically attack people who piss him off. Granted, he's "mellowed", but that means he only tortures his subordinates mentally now, calling their ideas "****" and then claiming them as his own when he changes his mind. The guy is pretty much the king of the the CEO rage assault. Did you not read about the "iCon" flap? Somebody publishes yet another bio. about Steve, letting us know yet again the guy's a virtual sociopath, so what does he do? He bans not only that book from The Apple Store, but any and all books published by Wiley. They coined a word for the guy, the "Steve-trum", just to describe his unique brand of corporate conniption. Please, get in touch with reality.

The same guy who, when he parked his car blocking a driveway at Cupertino, fired the guy who etched "Park Different" in the dust on his car.

etc..etc..etc..

 

[Spazmodius]

Now touching reality. Hey, maybe I was wrong.

It's for our own good. As Apple consumers, we've swallowed an awful lot, and I'm not afraid (though a little ashamed) to say I drank a fair helping of the Kool Aid myself in the early 90's, back when CHRP was going to change the world of computing, during the one week that the G4 could beat the Pentium's artificial benchmarks, and other such rot. I still like Apple, and I still think they've got a superior OS, but I'm not taking any more of their PR on faith. Quite the contrary, actually. I gave that up a while ago, and I'm a much happier customer.

 

[Kushiro]

Not interesting, because it's ridiculous. Apple will never, ever get in the business of supporting their OS on generic x86 hardware. Supporting iTunes and Quicktime will be as close as they ever get.

A day ago, I'd've said that OS X on intel chips was a bit ridiculous, but....

In any case, I agree that it's not going to unfold like that, but try taking out the step with the generic x86 hardware. Then you've got the great Apple experience with pretty good support for Windows apps--an interesting way to increase the number of switchers, no?

Sorry to have been so 'ridiculous'.

 

[skellener]

Because I guess I'm one of those silly people who, when told something will be obsolete in a year, does not care to waste money on it. Oh- and I like to keep my computers for several years and still maintain current software. I only have so much money.

IT WILL NOT BE OBSOLETE!!!!!!!!

My Dual 1 Ghz Mac will be just fine in another two years (maybe a little slow by then). It will run software just fine. The only issue will be speed, not compatibility. But that is true with any computer. You eventually get to the point where it's just not fast enough. PPC and Intel is moot. Nothing is going to be obsolete anymore than if Apple announced a G6 in the next two years. You just don't get it.

 

[Digital7]

I am an ADC developer, but have not, yet, bought the kit... so I can still tell you what I know: nothing!

To order the "kit" you need to sign a supplemental NDA, that precludes you from discussing almost anything about the hardware and software.

So any info you read will be BS or put out by people who have violated the NDA... neither are very reliable sources!

However, I suspect that Apple will make the OS and the apps run on Apple-branded (or licensed) boxes & that these will have mnimum hardware configuration requirements, graphics boards, firewire, etc....

...to the point where it will be easier & less expensive to buy a blessed box rather than roll your own. Prior posters have said that when you configure a Dell to the same specs as a Mac, the price difference is minimal (often, the Mac costs less).

Dick

Dear Dick,

Thank you very much for your reply. I want not to know Apple secret's ( therefore I read the MacRumor's site ) ,but only to understand, that the difference between the Dell, HP or home made PC's and the Apple PC will be a special motherboard (plus a special chip built in) or BIOS or anything else.
As a developer what is your opinion about this "switch" ?

Digital7

 

[leekohler]

What's your definition of 'obsolete'? How will a system bought today be 'obsolete' if it can still run all the current software?

Or are you one of those "silly people" that think a system is 'obsolete' as soon as something newer comes out?

My definition of obsolete is what's happening right now. We KNOW that Apple will stop using the PowerPC very soon. I don't think this will be as simple as they say. Would you have bought a beige G3 if you knew you wouldn't be able to run new system software on it in a few years? No. And I won't buy a G5. I'll wait another year when they've switched processors.

 

[jimbobb24]

People who lose in this transition no matter what:

1. Companies that invested the time to make 64 bit code

2. Companies that heavily optimized for AltiVec

3. MetroWorks - wow what a snub for a company that is helping people develop software for your platform

4. Scientific users of the G5 when it goes out. They will be buying PowerMacs until the last second they are made.

5. Apple. Lots of resources that were invested for 1 and 2 wasted, as well as the need to do a risky transition. Long-run may come out just fine.

People who do not lose but people seem to think they are losing:
1. People who buy a G5 in the next two years. Don't hesitate. Most the software will still have been optimized for your platform for several years. Possibly hesitate for laptops due to tech, but your software will still run great and your system will still be more optimized for sometime.

2. IBM. They gained by losing Apple and gaining consoles. No lost prestige for them. They just did not want to invest resources.

 

[Panu]

If MS pulls off the transition to C#, they can change platforms and their developers will not even need to recompile. It will be slick for them. That is a big "if".

What transition to C#? C# is just one of the languages that work on the .NET Framework. Microsoft invented it and submitted it to a standards group. Now you can get C# compilers from other vendors. C# is wildly successful; I work for a company of about 100 that does nothing but develop custom C# web applications.

C# doesn't supplant anything. The .NET Framework is built so that programs written in different languages can work with each other. A VB programmer can use a C# library without even knowing it is a C# library.

There is a .NET Framework implementation for Linux and OS X; it's called Mono.

You can't write an operating system in C#, unless you want an operating system that runs on a framework in another operating system.

 

[macridah]

I guess the upcoming MWSF will be quite interesting.

 

[Stella]

You'd better redefine your definition of obsolete then.

Apple will support PPC machines well after they stop selling them, just like Apple do with G3s.. Tiger runs on them as does most software. Heck - Apple released a patch for iPhoto that contained fixes for G3 processors!

As long as Apple support PPC processors and software is released for them, they are good. This will remain the case for at least three years, and probably more.

There are just too many PPC based Macs for Apple to drop support.

By the time PPC Macs ( especially G4s) do really become obsolete, they'll be slow and you really wouldn't want to use them anyway.

It really is a moot point. So many people are over reacting - and its very tedious.

My definition of obsolete is what's happening right now. We KNOW that Apple will stop using the PowerPC very soon. I don't think this will be as simple as they say. Would you have bought a beige G3 if you knew you wouldn't be able to run new system software on it in a few years? No. And I won't buy a G5. I'll wait another year when they've switched processors.