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If Intel doesn't come through consistently across the board, regardless of "contractual obligations", people are going to be looking at Apple's rumored transiti
by pasbesoin 9y ago
If Intel doesn't come through consistently across the board, regardless of "contractual obligations", people are going to be looking at Apple's rumored transition away from Intel all the more favorably.
And yes, by saying this, in part I'm hoping to put it into people's minds. And, if there's enough of that, into pressure on Intel.
P.S. My concern extends to what may happen to coverage if/when succeeding rounds of fixes are needed. In general, we don't appear to be done with this class of problem in extant products.
Not that Apple's "the solution". But lack of support will prompt people to consider alternatives.
- Phlarp 9y agoApple designed ARM silicon does not preclude being vulnerable to Spectre (or other hardware level bugs). Both Intel and Apple have large talent pools of excellent silicon and lithography engineers but that hardly makes them immune to bugs, and some bugs will end up being vulnerabilities.
- Arnavion 9y agoThe parent's point is not that Apple's chips won't have bugs, but that Apple's chips will have bugfixes.
- pasbesoin 9y agoI don't know to what extent I trust Apple's follow-through. But, purchasers will have more choices. And, Apple's silicon development appears to be top-notch. In addition, the company professes and demonstrates some ongoing concern about security. So, depending on Apple's ongoing hardware developments, Intel may face technical pressures on the security front with respect to processors and SoC. And Intel needs to match its technical developments with demonstrated concern for its users' security and not allowing its products to compromise same. Anyway... I hope the pressure stays on Intel. Going through the current process -- not just with Intel, but with system vendors -- wondering whether my several year old but still quite functional systems will be updated, and when. And right before that, the struggle to know what to do about the ME vulnerabilities. Some people have to be getting kind of tired of this. And now to carry continued tension, waiting for the next shoe to drop. In the phone world, Apple users don't seem to worry as much as Android users with respect to vulnerabilities. Because Apple usually patches them fairly quickly, and Apple also has used its muscle to bypass carriers' horrendously bad update support as witnessed in the Android world. Computer users aren't going to want to worry whether they're going to get a full life out of their computer, or have to stop using it for X months until a problem gets patched. Right now, most of them are pretty oblivious to the current chip problems. These problems start turning into active exploits, and that's going to change. Ok. Ramble over.
- tracker1 9y agoSorry, your > 3yo Mac Pro has a critical security flaw in our Apple CPU... sucks to be you, buy a new one.
- ac29 9y agoDoes Apple have a track record of supporting anything for 10 years? The only chips Intel isn't patching are about that old.
- alwillis 9y agoI have a 2009 iMac running the latest macOS version (High Sierra) but won’t get a microcode update from Intel.