An Open Note to Family and Friends about the Mac Switch to Intel
If you’re receiving this note, it’s because Apple announced they’re switching to Intel processors over the next few years. This is a big deal. The processors in our current Macs are of a completely different architecture, and software built for our processors on OS X will not run on the Intel machines or vice-versa. There is new technology Apple will incorporate into OS X to allow it (named Rhapsody), and Apple is claiming our current Mac software would run at close to full speed on the Intel-powered machines. (They demonstrated it at the conference. From what I saw, I would guess it’s about 60% of the speed of the CPU.) However, whether it really works that well in the real world is an open question. Generally, emulation technology (where software is used to translate software built for one type of CPU and enable it to run on another) is slow and usable only for basic tasks. Still, it’s hard to conceive that Apple would make such a radical move without a lot of testing to convince them they could pull it off.
This doesn’t impact any of us in terms of software we’re running today or in the next year. However, until Apple makes this shift, software appears that will run on both CPU’s (and that is supposed to be in a year), and users have verified performance, I will not recommend anyone in the family buy a Mac nor will I recommend against it. I don’t want to recommend something to family, have them cough up a lot of money for software, and then have them find the software may not run well (or at all) on new Macs two years from now, even if it appears ok now, which it does. (Ok, not many of you will spend a lot of money on software anyway. Still…) If you feel you can live with your current Mac or the one you’re going to buy for some time, or don’t mind shelling out for new software or living with what you’ve got, then there’s little risk. (I’ve got two near-term software purchases I intend to make--Apple’s Motion 2 and FileMaker-- and I may also trade in my current 1.8 GHz iMac on a 2.0 GHz machine, will upgrade the video card on my current PowerMac, and may talk with Connie about upgrading her PowerBook before long to avoid buying new software but she might want a new MacIntel). However, the impact of this announcement on the current Mac software market is unknown; despite Apple’s assurances, software might get even harder to come by.
I won’t pay for any more upgrades of current Mac desktops (other than what I’ve already stated I might do) until after I am convinced I understand the true impacts of this change. I will probably buy an Intel-powered Mac mini as a testbed to verify performance claims; but until I do that and am happy, x86 powered iMacs, PowerMacs, iBooks, or PowerBooks are out of the question.
It’s an open question about which platform I will choose to upgrade from here.
Ultimately, this could turn out to be a good move for Apple. It’s all going to depend on how thorough a job Apple does and whether or not its current user (and software developer) base adapts or revolts. If the change is largely invisible, it won’t be a big deal. But if the Apple user community finds it expensive and unworkable, then Apple could find itself in serious trouble and its users with it. On the other hand, if it all works the way they say it will, you might be able to run OS X and Windows XP/XP 64 or Longhorn on the same machine! (Apple can be counted on to restrict OS X to its own machines until they have enough market share to face the exact same monopoly actions Microsoft did.)
One last note: Overall, these kind of changes are somewhat unavoidable in the computer world. I lost applications when I transitioned to Windows XP and will probably loose more if I go to Windows XP64. So, staying with Windows won’t necessarily save you from this, either. The bottom line is always to evaluate your needs, take a look at what’s coming and what you can afford, and go from there.
This doesn’t impact any of us in terms of software we’re running today or in the next year. However, until Apple makes this shift, software appears that will run on both CPU’s (and that is supposed to be in a year), and users have verified performance, I will not recommend anyone in the family buy a Mac nor will I recommend against it. I don’t want to recommend something to family, have them cough up a lot of money for software, and then have them find the software may not run well (or at all) on new Macs two years from now, even if it appears ok now, which it does. (Ok, not many of you will spend a lot of money on software anyway. Still…) If you feel you can live with your current Mac or the one you’re going to buy for some time, or don’t mind shelling out for new software or living with what you’ve got, then there’s little risk. (I’ve got two near-term software purchases I intend to make--Apple’s Motion 2 and FileMaker-- and I may also trade in my current 1.8 GHz iMac on a 2.0 GHz machine, will upgrade the video card on my current PowerMac, and may talk with Connie about upgrading her PowerBook before long to avoid buying new software but she might want a new MacIntel). However, the impact of this announcement on the current Mac software market is unknown; despite Apple’s assurances, software might get even harder to come by.
I won’t pay for any more upgrades of current Mac desktops (other than what I’ve already stated I might do) until after I am convinced I understand the true impacts of this change. I will probably buy an Intel-powered Mac mini as a testbed to verify performance claims; but until I do that and am happy, x86 powered iMacs, PowerMacs, iBooks, or PowerBooks are out of the question.
It’s an open question about which platform I will choose to upgrade from here.
Ultimately, this could turn out to be a good move for Apple. It’s all going to depend on how thorough a job Apple does and whether or not its current user (and software developer) base adapts or revolts. If the change is largely invisible, it won’t be a big deal. But if the Apple user community finds it expensive and unworkable, then Apple could find itself in serious trouble and its users with it. On the other hand, if it all works the way they say it will, you might be able to run OS X and Windows XP/XP 64 or Longhorn on the same machine! (Apple can be counted on to restrict OS X to its own machines until they have enough market share to face the exact same monopoly actions Microsoft did.)
One last note: Overall, these kind of changes are somewhat unavoidable in the computer world. I lost applications when I transitioned to Windows XP and will probably loose more if I go to Windows XP64. So, staying with Windows won’t necessarily save you from this, either. The bottom line is always to evaluate your needs, take a look at what’s coming and what you can afford, and go from there.
posted by Andy Foster at
6:23 PM
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