3 ms·

I fear a fast deprecation for x86 support like in [1]. After releasing the first Intel Macs in 2006 we already saw the last OS X release with PowerPC support o

by hs86 8y ago

I fear a fast deprecation for x86 support like in [1]. After releasing the first Intel Macs in 2006 we already saw the last OS X release with PowerPC support only one year later in 2007. I believe a Mac has a longer lifetime than a smartphone or tablet and I hope that the Apple ecosystem will not leave the Intel devices behind so fast. The other uncertainty is the upcoming move to Marzipan apps. If its full release becomes somewhat ARM-exclusive, we might have the same risks as with Windows 8 and their Metro disaster. In the case of an unified iOS/macOS-Hybrid these ARM Macs might have no fallback anymore to the already established macOS ecosystem. (like Windows RT) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%27s_transition_to_Intel_processors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%27s_transition_to_Intel_...

cameldrv 8y ago
I think that's overstating what happened. What I'd look at is the first release of MacOS that didn't support the old hardware. That was Snow Leopard in 2009. At that point, PowerPC users couldn't upgrade to the newest OS. Apple released the last security update to Leopard August 13, 2009. If you had bought a Powerbook May 15, 2006, the day before they announced the MacBook, you would have gotten three years and three months out of it before you stopped getting security updates. These days people wait longer than that to replace their computers, but the computer was definitely not a brick after a year.
- gilgoomesh 8y ago
  And to put things in perspective... Apple announced in June 2005 that they were going to phase out PowerPC, so anyone actually buying a Powerbook in May 2006 knew that they were going to get a reduced lifetime. Wikipedia's timeline lays it all out pretty well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%27s_transition_to_Intel_processors#Timeline https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%27s_transition_to_Intel_... There was 4 years from the official announcement to dropping support in the latest OS and 7 years between the official announcement and the last official software release.
lugg 8y ago
Personally speaking I hope they go faster. The faster they rip the band-aid off the better. Apple only does this because they can. They can only do this because they control so much of the ecosystem. This is a good thing. This is a benefit of them holding control over so much of the apple ecosystem. This moves the industry forward. I don't even use apple stuff because I don't like the monopoly. But that doesn't mean I can't reap the rewards and f a faster moving industry.
- octorian 8y ago
  Apple also doesn't think twice about giving the finger to anyone who actually depends on old hardware, peripherals, or software... or software/peripherals that only begrudgingly update to explicitly support the latest and greatest platforms. These are often the kinds of things with a far longer useful life than the computer itself, and/or things that work fine for their purpose and don't actually need upgrades. This is one area that Microsoft has generally done far better, though that may not hold true forever.
- m000 8y ago
  I don't think that it's the control of the ecosystem that affords Apple to dump x86. It's mostly that they can afford it. Their make money from iPhones. Their computer market share is still <7%, much of which is just hipster kids browsing the web that will not be affected much by the switch. I doubt Apple is the leading vendor even in the "creatives" segment of computer market. The bottom line is that they get to screw their computer users without really jeopardising their business.

by hs86 8y ago

cameldrv 8y ago

I think that's overstating what happened. What I'd look at is the first release of MacOS that didn't support the old hardware. That was Snow Leopard in 2009. At that point, PowerPC users couldn't upgrade to the newest OS. Apple released the last security update to Leopard August 13, 2009. If you had bought a Powerbook May 15, 2006, the day before they announced the MacBook, you would have gotten three years and three months out of it before you stopped getting security updates. These days people wait longer than that to replace their computers, but the computer was definitely not a brick after a year.

gilgoomesh 8y ago
And to put things in perspective... Apple announced in June 2005 that they were going to phase out PowerPC, so anyone actually buying a Powerbook in May 2006 knew that they were going to get a reduced lifetime. Wikipedia's timeline lays it all out pretty well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%27s_transition_to_Intel_processors#Timeline https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%27s_transition_to_Intel_... There was 4 years from the official announcement to dropping support in the latest OS and 7 years between the official announcement and the last official software release.

lugg 8y ago

Personally speaking I hope they go faster. The faster they rip the band-aid off the better. Apple only does this because they can. They can only do this because they control so much of the ecosystem. This is a good thing. This is a benefit of them holding control over so much of the apple ecosystem. This moves the industry forward. I don't even use apple stuff because I don't like the monopoly. But that doesn't mean I can't reap the rewards and f a faster moving industry.

octorian 8y ago
Apple also doesn't think twice about giving the finger to anyone who actually depends on old hardware, peripherals, or software... or software/peripherals that only begrudgingly update to explicitly support the latest and greatest platforms. These are often the kinds of things with a far longer useful life than the computer itself, and/or things that work fine for their purpose and don't actually need upgrades. This is one area that Microsoft has generally done far better, though that may not hold true forever.
m000 8y ago
I don't think that it's the control of the ecosystem that affords Apple to dump x86. It's mostly that they can afford it. Their make money from iPhones. Their computer market share is still <7%, much of which is just hipster kids browsing the web that will not be affected much by the switch. I doubt Apple is the leading vendor even in the "creatives" segment of computer market. The bottom line is that they get to screw their computer users without really jeopardising their business.