The end of OS X?!

[wrldwzrd89]

http://www.osnews.com/story/29134/Today_s_Apple_event_spells_the_end_for_OS_X

This blogger clearly thinks Apple has chosen to emphasize iOS over the Mac, and the importance of the Mac will continue to diminish over time. I think Apple will move in this direction, but not in the way predicted in the linked post; I just can't see a full development stack on an iPhone happening any time soon, but I do see app binary sharing between iOS and OS X happening soon, whether via integration of a simulator or ARM Macs.

 

[Fzang]

We'll probably see a strategy similarly to Microsoft's desktop/mobile merger, but in a different way so Apple can proclaim they reinvented something, without coming across as blatant copycats.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I don't think it'll spell the end of the Mac. Rather, I think this may indicate a resurgence for the Mac down the line. Apple are managing to pack some incredible power into their A chips, especially when considering the thermal limitations of the iPad/iPhone shell. It may only be a matter of time until they will be making their own CPUs for the Macs. It's certainly feasible that they can get similar or better hardware performance, including graphics.

The biggest hurdle however, isn't the hardware performance -- rather, whether ARM chips can run an x86 instruction set natively, and whether other OSs such as Windows would compile their OS to run natively on ARM. To go back to a PowerPC era where dual-booting isn't supported would be a big step down, as any performance advantages from Apple-designed chips would be overshadowed by the loss of functionality.

This is where I'm a little out of my depth, as I don't know enough about chips and instruction sets to make an educated comment. Is it possible that ARM chips could natively emulate x86 architecture in its firmware without much performance loss, for instance? I'm open to education and ideas

 

[762999]

I think they will end up being united. iOS is still OSX under the hood. Maybe at some point they will let us run ios app in windowed mode on OSX. I'm sure it will happen.

 

[aristobrat]

Interesting.

I'm not basing this solely on today's event, of course, but also on the lack of development on OS X, the lack of consistent Mac hardware updates over the years.

Seems like many people posting here on MacRumors are asking for Apple to slow down OS X development because the yearly releases initially ship with too many issues, and ... when has Apple ever had a track record of consistently upgrading the Mac hardware? Even before iOS, that seems to have been done on an irregular cadence.

I agree that the future of computing is heading away from desktops/laptops, but to me, the points the author is using seem to be a bit of a grasp when you really look at them.

 

[boston04and07]

I think they will end up being united. iOS is still OSX under the hood. Maybe at some point they will let us run ios app in windowed mode on OSX. I'm sure it will happen.

That would be freaking awesome.

 

[simon lefisch]

I don't believe this will happen for some time. ARM style chips are nowhere near the power of a normal desktop/laptop CPU. As one who uses a Mac for music production and light video editing, I run my MBP pretty hard.....running anywhere between 40-70 tracks minimum (recorded audio and AU plugins [some of them being very RAM/CPU intensive], with some of them being Kontakt), no mobile device (iPad/tablet) could handle that kind of processing (both RAM and CPU). There's still a long way to go.

 

[throAU]

Unless notebooks die (and i just dont think that's likely for at least another decade or more) OS X is not going anywhere.


edit:
Oh and apple has of course been focused on iOS development more than OS X. The desktop OS is a mature platform. Touch UI/tablets are not.

 

[varian55zx]

It's a little hard to believe Apple would just end OS X.

Would be disgusting.

Aren't MacBooks a huge portion of their sales? I don't know if I know anyone who would pick a PC laptop over a MacBook. Seems like an insane proposition to most people.

I'd rather eat glass than use a PC laptop, but that's me.

 

[maxsix]

I'd rather eat glass than use a PC laptop, but that's me.

Have you tried Ranch Dressing?

 

[throAU]

I'd rather eat glass than use a PC laptop, but that's me.

So would I, but...

I think perhaps that you'd also probably use an iPad instead of a PC laptop is part of Apple's current sales strategy.

That said, the Mac has it's place. However it is not in the hands of the majority of the population.

Fact is, most people do not need or want computers, whether they're PCs or Macs. Computers are too complicated for most people, and as the myriad of bot-nets on the internet prove, too difficult to be responsible for.

They want to browse the internet, do their banking, chat with friends and relatives and do Facebook. Maybe edit some photos and cut up some brief bits of video for upload to social media.

A tablet can do that just fine without any of the hassles of maintaining a "real" computer with the flexibility and associated risk and maintenance that incurs.

This is why the iPad took off, and is why Apple are targeting those 5+ year old PCs with the iPad Pro.


All that said, the Mac isn't going anywhere, because its needed to develop for the iPad and there ARE users out there who need the additional flexibility of a computer.

And yes, if Mac was a seperate company it would still be a fortune 500 member if I'm not mistaken. The Mac arm of the company makes far more money than almost every other PC vendor out there.

 

[Tiberius2000]

The switch to an all iOS environment is problematic and not feasible for at least 5 years.

The key areas that prevent the switch [for many] are:

1. Software still unavailable for tablet computers. As a teacher I use a proprietary-presentation software that is unavailable for any tablet. Until ActivInspire from Promethean goes to the iPad, I must maintain some home computer. My wife use WISIWYG editors and databases not accessible on a tablet.
2. Precision. There are times when the use of a mouse is essential as I work in certain programs. The Pencil is step but not there yet.
3. Gaming, too, is still heavily tied to traditional desktops.

Until these three things are resolved, desktops are still essential.

 

[simon lefisch]

^Don't forget Apple's Pro Apps (Final Cut and Logic). iMovie and GarageBand are nowhere near the functionality of their Pro counterparts.

 

[Tiberius2000]

^Don't forget Apple's Pro Apps (Final Cut and Logic). iMovie and GarageBand are nowhere near the functionality of their Pro counterparts.

Thank you... I for got to make that point and it is a very important one. Even with MS Word or Excel, even though I can do them on an iPad, it does not mean the experience is as good or as robust. But many of those other programs (like those you mentioned) are only partial substitutes for an actual desktop.

 

[pika2000]

Remember the intel transition keynote, how Jobs announced that OS X had been leading a double life of being x86 compatible?
I can see the same keynote, with Apple announcing that OS X had been leading a third life, of being ARM compatible, and BAM, Macbook retina with Ax chip, even longer battery life. Even better if Apple finally put a BTO option of cellular radio on the retina Macbook.

Apple's obsession is performance per watt. That what made them switched from PowerPC to Intel, and Intel has delivered so far. But then even Intel is facing issues, with delays and yield, and minimal improvements (Haswell was the last huge jump due to power saving). Now intel is no longer doing tick-tock cycle, they have three steps, longer life-cycle. Not sure if this jives with Apple, but if not, I can see Apple putting more efforts in improving their Ax chips.

Apple still has not updated their Macs to Skylake. Wonder why.

 

[throAU]

Remember the intel transition keynote, how Jobs announced that OS X had been leading a double life of being x86 compatible?
I can see the same keynote, with Apple announcing that OS X had been leading a third life, of being ARM compatible, and BAM, Macbook retina with Ax chip, even longer battery life. Even better if Apple finally put a BTO option of cellular radio on the retina Macbook.

Apple's obsession is performance per watt. That what made them switched from PowerPC to Intel, and Intel has delivered so far. But then even Intel is facing issues, with delays and yield, and minimal improvements (Haswell was the last huge jump due to power saving). Now intel is no longer doing tick-tock cycle, they have three steps, longer life-cycle. Not sure if this jives with Apple, but if not, I can see Apple putting more efforts in improving their Ax chips.

Apple still has not updated their Macs to Skylake. Wonder why.

I have no doubt that OS X runs on ARM because basically iOS and OS X share a common kernel and a bunch of frameworks. It would be stupid not to.

However I do not think they will switch to ARM for the Mac any time soon. They will 100% maintain an internal port as a contingency plan, but if they were to ditch x64 they would lose the ability to run Windows, make porting optimised code between Windows and OS X far more difficult, etc.

I'm not sure where you got the idea that Haswell was the last big jump in power saving, Broadwell is a lot better, and in terms of GPU power per watt, intel has been making massive strides as of late.

If you think ARM based designs are going to have an easy time stepping up to intel x64 performance levels and not run into the same sorts of problems that intel face, i just don't think you're being realistic.

And in terms of the actual architecture, most of the broken things with x86 no longer apply. Plus ARM doesn't have the same support for virtualisation, which actual computer users will find important.

I think it's just as likely we'll see an intel iPad as it is that we'll see an ARM laptop. Essentially an ARM laptop would lose the ability to run Windows effectively, and not gain much at all.
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Apple still has not updated their Macs to Skylake. Wonder why.

Because there is a heap of other technology coming in the very near term which will necessitate a re-design, and doing 2 re-designs in a short space of time is just not what apple do.