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What Would happen to G5 based Mac's if apple switch to intel ?

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G-Funk

G-Funk

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 28, 2005
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Miami , FL
I am wondering what would happen to all apples G5 based mac's (e.g latest powermac and iMac) if it would really switch it's processors to intel ? would G5 be obsolete ? if apple just upgraded the powermac and imac last month or so. wouldn't it be crazy for apple to change it's mind and dump IBM now ? IBM dual core Prossesors are going to be in the Game consoles from Sony PS3 and Xbox from microsoft . and probably Nintendo .

My point is . Why would apple update it's hardware now when it intend to switch to intel ?
 
Twiddle their thumbs?

Without offering an opinion on if the Intel thing will happen (I won't even pretend to know), let me hit your questions:

1. What will happen to the current G5's?

They'll work just fine until programs start coming out compiled for Intel only. They won't explode suddenly when an intention to switch to Intel is made. I promise!

2. Why would Apple decide on a change after releasing new products?

They're talking about the switch (if it were to happen) taking until 2007 to happen in the full product line. What would they do in the mean time, twiddle their thumbs? During transitions, you keep producing. We still sold computers (and continued to update the Classic OS) when plans to switch to a Unix base came out. Same kind of deal. :)
 
Well, if perfect emulation is possible, why ditch the PowerPC chip at all?
Just like many other PC manufactures, why not have the option for a few different chips? Yeah, the Intel D chip looks kick ass, and I want one in my Powerbook. But in 2 years IBM may have something even better still.
Is there any reason for Apple go 100% one way or the other?
 
jsalzer said:
Without offering an opinion on if the Intel thing will happen (I won't even pretend to know), let me hit your questions:

1. What will happen to the current G5's?

They'll work just fine until programs start coming out compiled for Intel only. They won't explode suddenly when an intention to switch to Intel is made. I promise!

2. Why would Apple decide on a change after releasing new products?

They're talking about the switch (if it were to happen) taking until 2007 to happen in the full product line. What would they do in the mean time, twiddle their thumbs? During transitions, you keep producing. We still sold computers (and continued to update the Classic OS) when plans to switch to a Unix base came out. Same kind of deal. :)
Click to expand...


Answers:

1: Nothing will happen - the G5's will still turn on won't they? As for resale value - nothing will happen until the new models are released -intel or PPC.

2: Because they can. If they do, I don't think it will be solely for the intel chip - it will be for the entire architecture, PCIE for one. Who knows, Apple may be making a dual boot machine again LC 630.

In the mean time, we keep using our Mac's as usual. Remember the major part of the Mac experience is OSX. You can be assured that with or without intel on board, that experience will only get better.


aussie_geek
 
jsalzer said:
Without offering an opinion on if the Intel thing will happen (I won't even pretend to know), let me hit your questions:

1. What will happen to the current G5's?

They'll work just fine until programs start coming out compiled for Intel only. They won't explode suddenly when an intention to switch to Intel is made. I promise!

2. Why would Apple decide on a change after releasing new products?

They're talking about the switch (if it were to happen) taking until 2007 to happen in the full product line. What would they do in the mean time, twiddle their thumbs? During transitions, you keep producing. We still sold computers (and continued to update the Classic OS) when plans to switch to a Unix base came out. Same kind of deal. :)
Click to expand...
What new products??? they have been making 2.0 G5s since day one over two years ago and they have made 9600s for years, the 2.7 G5 Powermac was a overclocked 2.3 with liquid cooling. Fact is there is no new products and Steve is pissed as hell at IBM and Moto. I dont blame him because Apple has been shafted by both these PPC Pushers. Look Apple introduced a all new machine on a old old Cpu and GPU, Its known as Mac mini but when can you remember Apple Rolling out what is a old, Old product???
 
aussie_geek said:
Answers:

2: Because they can. If they do, I don't think it will be solely for the intel chip - it will be for the entire architecture, PCIE for one. Who knows, Apple may be making a dual boot machine again LC 630.

aussie_geek
Click to expand...


I sure hope so . instead of running virtual pc .. i'd rather have a dual boot. . besides .. "Who would want to to use windows" ?:D . Mac OSX and UNIX/Linux are the bs OS's around. windows is lame....
 
My guess is it should be no big deal. I doubt they'd switch to x86. Intel can/probably will make powerpc cpus.

Having an Intel PPC wouldn't be a bad thing at all. Switching to x86 would require so many code change it's not really a possibility IMO. Classic support would need to be dropped completely, and so would Carbon support I think (it uses the mac toolbox if i recall)

The world is shifting to powerpcs anyway... microsoft uses them, sony uses them, etc.

Also, making a PPC for intel shouldn't be too hard. PowerPC is an open architecture.

Also, all PC processors for a while have not been "real" x86 cpus in the sense that that are RISC cpus like PowerPCs, but they have x86 instruction decoders on them.

In other words, Intel PPC == good, Intel x86 == bad.

We can only hope for the PPC way.
 
Clarif

Dont Hurt Me said:
What new products??? they have been making 2.0 G5s since day one over two years ago...
Click to expand...

My rephrased quote was in reference to the original poster's question about why Apple would have just upgraded the iMac G5's if they knew something new (an Intel processor) was "around the corner".

Maybe "new product" was a misquote. I call upgrades new products, myself, but I know it confuzzles others who don't consider it a new product if the outside looks the same. Sorry!

:)
 
If Apple were to switch to Intel x86 chips, but not for 2 years, you can bet that sales of current PPC based Macs will wither to nil. Should this announcement go through, who in their right mind would buy a PPC Mac that will be obsolete in 2 years?

Not me, and I'm guessing not too many other people.

The real question is how is Apple going to make the transition to x86? Let's say that OS 10.5 will be the last MacOS that can run on a PPC. That's fine for my 4 year old iBook, but what about the people who have just bought a new Mac? For people who have just bought a new Mac, they'd be pissed.

So OK, maybe Apple makes OS X 10.6 run on PPC as well. Would you be happy with a new Mac that will run the next 2 OS upgrades? I'm undecided. But a better question is "does Apple have the resources to support PPC into 2008 and OS X 10.6?"

We shall see very soon. 1pm EST (or is it EDT???)
 
ftaok said:
The real question is how is Apple going to make the transition to x86? Let's say that OS 10.5 will be the last MacOS that can run on a PPC. That's fine for my 4 year old iBook, but what about the people who have just bought a new Mac? For people who have just bought a new Mac, they'd be pissed.
Click to expand...
I've had my new 20" iMac G5 for exactly 2 weeks... I'm not quite at the "pissed" level, just very very very worried.
 
devilot76 said:
I've had my new 20" iMac G5 for exactly 2 weeks... I'm not quite at the "pissed" level, just very very very worried.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way with my new PowerMac G5... I'm starting to think maybe I should just stick with a dual G4 and wait this out... I can still return my G5... hmmmm
 
After watching the Keynote.. Steve did say some promissing thins about the upcoming products along the pipeline for the PowerPc . which means that apple would still support PowerPC based macs for some time to come. he urged developers to Bi-Code their apps to work on both PowerPc and intel based Macs.

I agree that intel will help apple to develope new hardware such as fater Powerbooks/Tablet macs and smaller macs to come . that run faster than the current macs.

He also mentioned that the transition will be complete by 2007 !!! if i understood him correctly .. after that date . apple will no longer support PowerPC based macs just like they stopped supporting OS9 ? or would they ?
 

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G-Funk said:
He also mentioned that the transition will be complete by 2007 !!! if i understood him correctly .. after that date . apple will no longer support PowerPC based macs just like they stopped supporting OS9 ? or would they ?
Click to expand...

He said the hardware transition would end then. So, by the end of 2007, all shipping Macs will have Intel processors. That doesn't mean PowerPC support will simply end. Surely, it will be phased out over maybe 3-8 years.

Macs tend to last at least 5 years it seems. Remember that the oldest machines officially supported by Tiger are 6 years old! Leopard will have to be a universal binary in its own right.
 
G-Funk said:
He also mentioned that the transition will be complete by 2007 !!! if i understood him correctly .. after that date . apple will no longer support PowerPC based macs just like they stopped supporting OS9 ? or would they ?
Click to expand...
They haven't stopped supporting G3 yet have they??? :cool:
 
mvc said:
They haven't stopped supporting G3 yet have they??? :cool:
Click to expand...

Well... Tiger runs on G3's but "ofcourse" not as effecient as running on a G4 or a G5 !! but hey.. my PB 667Mhz G4 is running tiger great.. but not as great as any G5 . my PB is almost 6 years old. and it does all i ask it to do .. with no hesatation. it still has more years on it.. andi'm keeping it for all it's worth . I'm a deep mac fan and apple fanatic for a long time . and will still stay faithfull to apple and the mac platform for the rest of my life
;)
 
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