4 ms·
Does anyone remember Intel's random rant about how "emulation of x86 violates our intellectual property" from last year? https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/
by phire 9y ago
Does anyone remember Intel's random rant about how "emulation of x86 violates our intellectual property" from last year?
https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/x86-approaching-40-still-going-strong/ https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/x86-approaching-40-sti...
Intel didn't name names, and everyone at the time assumed it was related to Microsoft and their efforts to ship windows 10 on ARM with a 32 bit only x86 emulator.
But I wonder if that rant was actually aimed at Apple. Microsoft's emulator only needs to target a older subset of x86, one that could avoid ant patented instructions.
If Apple are planning to move from x86 to arm, they will need an emulator that supports full 64bit with some relatively recent extensions that all MacOS applications target by default.
- RI_Swamp_Yankee 9y agoThat would put Intel in the crosshairs of anti-trust. The have a defacto monopoly on personal computer processors, and this sounds like an abuse of their market position to stifle innovation.
- scott_karana 9y agoHow would Apple vs Microsoft change anything in those circumstances, though?
- wilun 9y agoThe timing and the wording makes it so I'm quasi sure this was MS & Qualcomm related, and not Apple related. For example it says "there have been reports that some companies may try to emulate Intel’s proprietary x86 ISA without Intel’s authorization" Also the level of secretivity at Apple is soo high that I'm not even sure anybody outside there knew about any concrete subject this summer. And would they somehow know, why would them try to dissuade them publicly at this point? That does not work like that at this level.