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When will OS X not run on a G5?
- Thread starter Caitlyn
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A while... like 10.8 (assuming we get there before OS 11) Jobs said 5 years Apple will support PPC, and since the G5 is a decent chip its will likly met an Specs Apple needs it to. G5 might lose support on OS 11
I'll echo this and make it a will. I'll also go out on a limb and say that we won't get there until roughly 2015. (do you know how much a I hate it when people make far flung prophesies on future technologies...zap2 said:
)
This question seems to get asked every four of five days. It presupposes an entirely different set of motives than those that drive Apple decisions. First there has never been a version of OpenSTEP/MacOS X that ran exclusively on a single processor. We now know that MacOS X 10.0 through MacOS X 10.3 was exclusive to the PPC only in public. If the past predicts the future--and it does, then we can expect that MacOS X will continue to run on multiple processor ISA's for the foreseeable future.Caitlyn said:
The other thing is that Apple's OS supports Apple's hardware, which is a lot more than just the processor. Only when Apple made FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 standard did it drop the ability to boot into MacOS 9.2.2. This is because it would have had to update the Classic OS years after it had been supplanted by superior technology.
Apple has already said that MacOS X would be the basis of its OS for the next 20 years. We have at least a decade left before we need even be concerned about what is to follow.
I'm quite positive it will be at least 3 years, probbaly more like 4 or 5.
I say at least 3 because I doubt Apple will drop OS support for machines that are still under AppleCare.
I say at least 3 because I doubt Apple will drop OS support for machines that are still under AppleCare.
depends on how well history repeats itself. the last 68k-based macintosh was introduced in august, 1995 (powerbook 190). the latest mac os that these can run is mac os 8.1, which was introduced in january, 1998. so that's approximately 3 years from the last machine using the old architecture to drop support. the first powerpc macs were introduced in march, 1994. so that's about 4 years before support for the old architecture was dropped subsequent to the introduction of the new architecture. i wouldn't be surprised if apple dropped support after 5 years.
G5 support will only be dropped once the chips themselves are unable to run the latest software. Happened to 680x0, happened to pre-g3 PowerPC, and will happen to G5 too. It wouldn't suprise me if Core Solo support is dropped before the G5.
Caitlyn said:
A PowerPC G5 based Mac will be able to run Mac OS for a long time to come- they were just selling Power Mac G5s not too long ago, so don't expect Apple to just go and abandon those using these types of Macs.
dmw007 said:A PowerPC G5 based Mac will be able to run Mac OS for a long time to come- they were just selling Power Mac G5s not too long ago, so don't expect Apple to just go and abandon those using these types of Macs.
they're still selling g5 powermacs and xserves
Part of the answer depends on how often Apple continues to update the OS. The revisions have been slowing down:
Beta 9/2000
10.0 3/2001 = 6 months
10.1 9/2001 = 6 months
10.2 8/2002 = 11 months
10.3 10/2003 = 14 months
10.4 4/2005 = 18 months
10.5 2/2007 = 22 months (wild guess)
Apple probably will only upgrade the OS once more before 2010. I wouldn't be surprised if that OS drops the G4. An OS that comes out in 2011-2013 not supporting the G5 seems reasonable.
Beta 9/2000
10.0 3/2001 = 6 months
10.1 9/2001 = 6 months
10.2 8/2002 = 11 months
10.3 10/2003 = 14 months
10.4 4/2005 = 18 months
10.5 2/2007 = 22 months (wild guess)
Apple probably will only upgrade the OS once more before 2010. I wouldn't be surprised if that OS drops the G4. An OS that comes out in 2011-2013 not supporting the G5 seems reasonable.
Actually the G5 has a better chance of out living some of the early Intel processors because it is not only faster, it is 64 bit. If you bought a MacBook and a G5 at the same time, odds favor the G5 over the MacBook.
Really, people should be asking how long Apple will continue to support 32 bit processors. My bet is that people with G4, Core Solo or Core Duo processors are more at risk than any one with a G5.
Makes you wonder about people who replaced their iMac G5 with one of the new Intel based (32 bit) versions. May not have been the upgrade they were thinking it was.
Really, people should be asking how long Apple will continue to support 32 bit processors. My bet is that people with G4, Core Solo or Core Duo processors are more at risk than any one with a G5.
Makes you wonder about people who replaced their iMac G5 with one of the new Intel based (32 bit) versions. May not have been the upgrade they were thinking it was.