Macintosh Moving to Intel Processors [Updated]

[Lynxpro]

Since Steve did his Keynote on a Pentium 3.7 GHz if positive news. All of us won't have to wait 2 years. It just depends on what Mac's will ship with Intel nest year.

I really wish Jobs would relent and release a "MediaMac" edition to compete with the Windows Media Center PCs. The market is there. And releasing such a beast with an Intel based processor would not cannibalize sales of existing Mac hardware in the channels. It would be a great test.

 

[hoppo99]

To be honest [OS 9 users] are little more than an irrelevance in this debate and can be largely disregarded.

Controversial for some?! Maybe. But seriously guys OS 9 is nearly 5 years out of date, it's like still using Windows 98/ME!

 

[scarletspider]

That may be true, but it is a much bigger switch going from OS 9 to OS X for Intel than it would be for going to OS X for PPC. But really anyone using OS 9 still, should have upgraded by now. As Steve said in his keynote there is only about 9% of the current installed base still using OS 9 and that doesn't seem likely change even 1 year down the line when the adoption of Tiger has reached 50% and Macs have started to move to Intel. Those still remaining using OS 9 are unlikely to change for the forseeable future if they have lasted this long already. To be honest they are little more than an irrelevance in this debate and can be largely disregarded.

It's just like people who have windows 95 boxes and say there up to day the PPC/Intel switch is not a big deal. I still think Apple in a few year may go back to the PPC when Intel get's stuck again. Anyone remember? (64 bit emulation WTF?)

 

[Lynxpro]

I still love the Mac platform. To me, it's the software that sets Apple apart. Perhaps Apple should sell the hardware biz to Intel and focus on developing the killer OS and the apps that makes the Mac shine. Also, perhaps a change of name is in place......

Palm already owns the remnants of Be.

 

[hoppo99]

I really wish Jobs would relent and release a "MediaMac" edition to compete with the Windows Media Center PCs. The market is there. And releasing such a beast with an Intel based processor would not cannibalize sales of existing Mac hardware in the channels. It would be a great test.

What a test of an Intel Mac? There really is little time or need for a test as you put. I agree that a MediaMac is a possibility and may well be one of the first to have an Intel processor but Apple is not in a position to test the market with such a device. They have made their choice rightly or wrongly (rightly in my view) to go with Intel and they now have to stick with it. The developers will leave them if they don't especially after what Steve said in his keynote.

 

[Dr.Gargoyle]

Controversial for some?! Maybe. But seriously guys OS 9 is nearly 5 years out of date, it's like still using Windows 98/ME!

Many of these people running OS 9 apps are from the science community where you have to tweak a program to fit your specific needs and then you run that app year after year. They dont care about the interface of the apps, just that it do what it is suppose to do.
It is not a good move to scare off the science community...

 

[sacear]

ibm still makes desktops and laptops...

http://www.ibm.com/products/us/

Umm, NOPE. It was sold to Lenovo.

Yet still branded and sold by IBM.

 

[scarletspider]

Apple / Intel

Anyone think you'll beable to go out and replace your CPU with the latest intel chip? -- I think not...

But I do like choice even though I wish it were an AMD 3600FX and not Intel.

I can dream though...

 

[runninmac]

Controversial for some?! Maybe. But seriously guys OS 9 is nearly 5 years out of date, it's like still using Windows 98/ME!

some of my schools computers were this year untill january!
They were so slow and bogged down with viruses and ad aware. Now we use WinXP and there still as slow as hell.

 

[Surreal]

Anyone think you'll beable to go out and replace your CPU with the latest intel chip? -- I think not...

.
.
.


that would be hot.

but they wouldnt allow it.

but that would be hot.

 

[scarletspider]

some of my schools computers were this year untill january!
They were so slow and bogged down with viruses and ad aware. Now we use WinXP and there still as slow as hell.

HereHere

I bet they're running intel

 

[hoppo99]

Many of these people running OS 9 apps are from the science community where you have to tweak a program to fit your specific needs and then you run that app year after year. They dont care about the interface of the apps, just that it do what it is suppose to do.
It is not a good move to scare off the science community...

While I'm not saying it's a good idea to scare off the science community as you put it it doesn't exactly make up a large segment of customers. From what you say it is unlikely that these are unlikely to upgraded anyway. Whilst it would be foolhardy to disregard an important segment of your customers I don't think Apple is scaring off anybody. They've explained the transition process fully.

As for the interface reference, I'm not sure what you mean. Everyone cares about what an app is meant to do, the interface is part that makes it easier to use the app and do what you want to do (as a contrast to the command line 'interface').

 

[runninmac]

HereHere

I bet they're running intel

Yeah they are a good ol Pentum 3s. One of the librians (sp) does have a nice iBook it sort of makes up for the hoarable computers.

 

[Stella]

I have more faith in Intel delivering such a capable mobile processor than
IBM!

( since processors in Intel's main business where as this is not the case for IBM)

Quote:
Originally Posted by shabbasuraj
I want my PowerBookCentrino H5 to be 5.0 GHz and have 15 hour battery life.

THANKS.



No problem. We'll get right on it.

 

[sacear]

Does the size really go up with a prosesser being just a little bigger? That seams really screwed up if the prices go up. Im sure jobs was a good negotiator and got a good price on them.

Well, I am not sure what you are asking exactly, but I'm guessing it is about size vs. price. The price definitely goes down the smaller the processor, because more processors can be made using the same amount of material. If today 1000 processors can be made from a certain amount of material, and in one year 1500 can be made from that same amount of material, and in two years 2000 can be made, then the cost of manufacturing goes down and hopefully that is reflected in the price of the chip and passed on to the customer.

 

[fatfish]

Is there something I'm missing ???

I don't understand why the new mactel powerbooks can't role out in six months or even less.

Given the reported move to laptops over desktops, Apple can ill aford to delay improving an already lagging laptop range for 12 months.

If as we are told, tiger is ready, rossetta is ready, and intels are already running (albeit as an SDK package) in mac hardware, the only reason to wait would be 3rd party software.

If also as we are told the majority of 3rd party software will recompile with relatively ease, then 6 months or less would see a whole bunch of intel ready apps.

Even if many third party software packages hadn't been recompiled before the release of the intel based powerbook, surely the fact that many apps will run slower as a result of rossetta, will be greatly outweighed by the overall performance of the powerbook anyway.

I really don't understand the wait.

Would it be simply too ridiculous to examine the possibility that intel might be prepared to work on a chip with a non x86 architecture. I understand Microsoft have previously held intel back on modernising it's architecture and I don't see anything that has been said by Apple specifically referring to the x86.

 

[hoppo99]

I bet they're running intel

But it will be Windows that causes the slow down and bugs. We've have some old PC's with XP installed and they are terribly slow but ran faster with Me unbelievably, though they crashed about every two minutes. Not exaggerating either.

 

[mandis]

Man, I hope you're right. I would be stoked by this release strategy. I made this post in another thread but I think I'd like to copy it in here. Everybody's chatting in here anyway on every single topic so it's not even off topic. Plus, there are more people in here and I'd like to see what people think ....

Here it is ....

I disagree. Saw a article the other day that said that laptop sales had beaten desktop sales for the first time. The notebok is the future and partly the reason why Apple decided to dump IBM for Intel - no roadmap for powerbook chip innovation.

My dream is a dual core Powerbook that is super powerful, ultralight and has a great battery life. Maybe a 13.1" widescreen? Great design that we have come to expect from Apple - very stylish. This would be the perfect notebook for me. Stylish - that sets me aprt from the crowd. Mobile - for my long flights. Ability to give sales pitches and yet powerul enough that I can come home, plug it into a Display and have a perfectly fine desktop relacement for my needs. I really hope this is the first machine they release with the new platform. Targets businessmen, students, and the hardcore Apple fans who will be ready to upgrade.

Somethign similar to this http://www.dynamism.com/x50/index.shtml

sexy eh? and if it dual boots with Windows I can even convince my company to buy it for me since it can be 'supported' Would save me from buying a personal machine in addition to my company piece. I would seriiously pay up to 2500 and maybe even 3000 for this machine. Until then, I will make do with my 2002 12" Powerbook since it does evreything I want it to and will continue to do so until the new ones are released.

Actually, the picture above is a 15" screen.Check out some of these with smaller screens and even lighter weight

I can't wait!!

eV

This must be one of the ugliest laptops i've ever seen!!
It's a funny mix of a Powerbook and japanimation...

Why don't you have a look at HP? Their laptops might be a bit bulky but at least they are more decent. They are also famous for their quality and durability.
What the hell i've been using my Omnibook Xe2 as a home server for the last 4 years!!!!

 

[scarletspider]

I don't understand why the new mactel powerbooks can't role out in six months or even less.

Given the reported move to laptops over desktops, Apple can ill aford to delay improving an already lagging laptop range for 12 months.

If as we are told, tiger is ready, rossetta is ready, and intels are already running (albeit as an SDK package) in mac hardware, the only reason to wait would be 3rd party software.

If also as we are told the majority of 3rd party software will recompile with relatively ease, then 6 months or less would see a whole bunch of intel ready apps.

Even if many third party software packages hadn't been recompiled before the release of the intel based powerbook, surely the fact that many apps will run slower as a result of rossetta, will be greatly outweighed by the overall performance of the powerbook anyway.

I really don't understand the wait.

Would it be simply too ridiculous to examine the possibility that intel might be prepared to work on a chip with a non x86 architecture. I understand Microsoft have previously held intel back on modernising it's architecture and I don't see anything that has been said by Apple specifically referring to the x86.

I bet there are alot of issues to work out especailly since we want the 64bit processor, Intel are being b*tches about releasing a 64bit processor. Ah the fun we all endure when dealing with intel...

 

[hoppo99]

Would it be simply too ridiculous to examine the possibility that intel might be prepared to work on a chip with a non x86 architecture. I understand Microsoft have previously held intel back on modernising it's architecture and I don't see anything that has been said by Apple specifically referring to the x86.

Not ridiculous at all. I too noticed as others did that Steve never said that Apple would release a Pentium based Mac, just one running an Intel processor. I bet they have something new up their sleave for Apple, why else would Steve be so enthusiasic, the G5 is still faster than the Pentium 4. I'm sure a new processor from Intel will reverse that by some margin. As for the G4, well, it's toast!

 

[scarletspider]

But it will be Windows that causes the slow down and bugs. We've have some old PC's with XP installed and they are terribly slow but ran faster with Me unbelievably, though they crashed about every two minutes. Not exaggerating either.

ME does run faster on older system but mind you ME is one step from being a virus it's self. but I have an athlon 800 running xp and runs just as fast as 98 and runs more stable (if stable can be used when it comes to windows)...

 

[MAC-411]

Soooo Wronggggg!

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

The PowerPC chip is not what makes a Mac, a "Mac" any more then the 68k chip ect.... What makes Apple computers great is the operating system -OSX, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE!

 

[hoppo99]

ME does run faster on older system but mind you ME is one step from being a virus it's self. but I have an athlon 800 running xp and runs just as fast as 98 and runs more stable (if stable can be used when it comes to windows)...

Windows Me - possibly the worst OS release in history. But that's not the discussion here, any excuse for Windows bashing though!

 

[scarletspider]

Not ridiculous at all. I too noticed as others did that Steve never said that Apple would release a Pentium based Mac, just one running an Intel processor. I bet they have something new up their sleave for Apple, why else would Steve be so enthusiasic, the G5 is still faster than the Pentium 4. I'm sure a new processor from Intel will reverse that by some margin. As for the G4, well, it's toast!

Absolutly the G4 it's toast like the Pentium Bunny...

yum... bunny... fire... good!

 

[MAC-411]

Mac is still mac and always will be!

The PowerPC chip is not what makes a Mac, a "Mac" any more then the 68k chip ect.... What makes Apple computers great is the operating system -OSX, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE!