Apple Leaves IBM For Intel

SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
edited June 2005 in Science & Tech
CNET is reporting that Apple plans to announce Monday that it's scrapping its partnership with IBM and switching its computers to Intel's microprocessors.
The announcement is expected Monday at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, at which Chief Executive Steve Jobs is giving the keynote speech. The conference would be an appropriate venue: Changing the chips would require programmers to rewrite their software to take full advantage of the new processor.
Source: News.com

Comments

  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    And we thought socket changes were bad. This is going to make for a very difficult time for those who have been loyal all along. They will need to ditch a lot of expensive software and upgrade to new expensive software when and where avilable just to upgrade to the new and coming systems.. I see the potential for a bit of ship jumping on both the consumer and the software side.
  • GargGarg Purveyor of Lincoln Nightmares Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    Hmm, it'll probably force them to do some heavy emulating to get current software to work on Intel chips. Meaning:

    1) They'll need expensive, high-end Intel chips to make their old software run as good as it used to.

    2) There's hope in getting a PC-based Mac emulator that works as well as the Apple one. Not that I think there's much Mac software worth emulating.
  • D00D
    edited June 2005
    What are you talking about Gargoyle? Number Munchers, Fraction Munchers, Word Munchers are awesome! hehe
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    In a way I felt that this was coming all along.

    Mac users can handle the platform shift - we've done it three times already:

    1st, there was the shift from Motorola 68K to IBM PowerPC. All new software needed.

    2nd, there was the shift from powerPC to G3/G4/G5 - not as dramatic, but still some new software needed

    3rd, there was the major shift from OS9 to OSX - all new everything needed.

    All three times, there was always an awkward transition period, but apple software vendors are suprisingly resilient and so are the users.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    <s>Ignorantly loyal</s> surprisingly resilient. :range:
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    primesuspect wrote:
    In a way I felt that this was coming all along.

    Mac users can handle the platform shift - we've done it three times already:

    1st, there was the shift from Motorola 68K to IBM PowerPC. All new software needed.

    2nd, there was the shift from powerPC to G3/G4/G5 - not as dramatic, but still some new software needed

    3rd, there was the major shift from OS9 to OSX - all new everything needed.

    All three times, there was always an awkward transition period, but apple software vendors are suprisingly resilient and so are the users.


    Sorry Prime, I have to disagree. While I see your point and it is somewhat valid, I really don't think die-hard MAC users are going to like this one bit. I mean most loyalistic arguments I've been told are that PC's suck and they go on about how crappy both Intel and AMD are in quality compaired to their amazing PowerPC architecture and whatnot. I'm sure nothing huge is going to come of this, but alot of bickering sure will.
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited June 2005
    Apple should have talked to AMD first :D

    Pffft.. Intel
  • D00D
    edited June 2005
    Who here would root for Intel to kill Apple? ...Not saying I have anything against Apple...
  • lowendgamer
    edited June 2005
    I'm starting to lose faith in the world...
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    More importantly, they also said that Apple was playing the AMD card at full force, so don't be too surprised if a green logo shows up on some models.

    Shhh.
  • GobblesGobbles Ventura California
    edited June 2005
    unless its a intel risc processor, sounds like future mac os will run on amd
  • entropyentropy Yah-Der-Hey (Wisconsin)
    edited June 2005
    This is pretty cool. Now we can run OSX or whatever the next one is on our PCs. Nifty :)
  • art-vandalayart-vandalay Idaho
    edited June 2005
    I agree with Entropy. Apple is probably positioning themselves to sell their OS to a wider audience.
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    art vandalay wrote:
    Apple is probably positioning themselves to sell their OS to a wider audience.
    Only if they get out of the PC business.

    -drasnor :fold:
  • CammanCamman NEW! England Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    primesuspect wrote:
    Mac users can handle the platform shift - we've done it three times already:

    Are you a long-time user? I thought you had just recently made the "switch" when you got your new Mac??
  • TheBaronTheBaron Austin, TX
    edited June 2005
    Camman wrote:
    Are you a long-time user? I thought you had just recently made the "switch" when you got your new Mac??
    yes but see, he's a part of the "mac community" :D
  • GargGarg Purveyor of Lincoln Nightmares Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    TheBaron wrote:
    yes but see, he's a part of the "mac community" :D

    Just don't drink the Kool-Aid, prime :D
  • BlackHawkBlackHawk Bible music connoisseur There's no place like 127.0.0.1 Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    Just cause Apple is moving to Intel, doesn't mean that they're going x86.
  • wiffmasterwiffmaster Near Hemel Hempstead, UK
    edited June 2005
    Well it's true, from mid '06 Apple will move to x86 architecture, and all new Macs from mid '07 onwards will have Intel inside. At the Apple worldwide developer conference today, Steve Jobs gave his presentation on a P4 powered machine running OS X.
  • TheBaronTheBaron Austin, TX
    edited June 2005
    this seems like a power play by intel more than anything else. it sounds like this could be the type of crap where apple will openly support intel over amd, and all macs will come with "intel inside." but hey, at least now people will be able to game on macs (i guess theres still extra development involved, but still) :D
  • GargGarg Purveyor of Lincoln Nightmares Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    Jobs admitted that the soul of Mac is the OS, not the hardware. Given that, I wonder how long it'll be before they release OSX for any 'ol PC? I don't think I'd switch, but anything that gives more competition to Microsoft sounds good to me. Makes them work a bit harder.
  • entropyentropy Yah-Der-Hey (Wisconsin)
    edited June 2005
    Oh hell yes I'd switch. The only thing I'd need Windows for is a few applications, and the occasional game. A dual boot would solve that.
  • JengoJengo Pasco, WA | USA
    edited June 2005
    wow, thats interesting!

    Now that IBM is the one behind the processors for Xbox 360, Nintendo Revolution AND Playstation then i guess it doesnt need Mac anymore. Heh.

    But I cant wait to see a OSX running on an Athlon 64 or a P4, that would be sweet! :D
  • TheBaronTheBaron Austin, TX
    edited June 2005
    entropy wrote:
    Oh hell yes I'd switch. The only thing I'd need Windows for is a few applications, and the occasional game. A dual boot would solve that.
    I guess this removes the need for yellowdog linux
    now i can triple boot :D
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited June 2005
    Since PCs are leaving the x86 arch. behind (it's emulated on current 64-bit CPUs), it's odd to hear that Apple (who claims to be innovative) is moving to the now outdated x86.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited June 2005
    Every time Apple has done this they've whittled away at their customer base. Someday this'll be the answer to a trivia question:

    What did Apple do before switching (pun intended) to full-time iPod manufacturing? ;D
  • CammanCamman NEW! England Icrontian
    edited June 2005
    Apple is still just like the little quivering child who's afraid of the real players in the industry. I watched the Steve Jobs WWDC keynote address and it was just riddled with quotes from select reviews about OSX Tiger being so much better than windows and jabs at longhorn and things of that nature. Bill Gates never mentions Apple when he keynotes at different conferences.... because they're not important. When you're the bottom-feeder I guess you gotta knaw at the ankles of your enemies with whatever cheap quips you can fit in to amuse all your loyalists.

    (I'll also note that I HAD to watch it in Quicktime and I paused it to go do something else and I couldn't reconnect correctly in the spot I was at and kept saying "Switching transports..." whatever that mean, then the connection would fail, so I wont be watching the whole thing)
  • danball1976danball1976 Wichita Falls, TX
    edited June 2005
    TheSmJ wrote:
    Since PCs are leaving the x86 arch. behind (it's emulated on current 64-bit CPUs), it's odd to hear that Apple (who claims to be innovative) is moving to the now outdated x86.

    I thought that the current 64 bit chips are x86 with 64 bit extensions (x86-64). Besides, I bet Apple will code their software so that it'll only run on Intel chips.
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