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Possibly, but it would mean transitioning to a new instruction set. AMD processors wouldn't require a transition. I used Macs through the PowerPC to Intel tra

by mdasen 7y ago

Possibly, but it would mean transitioning to a new instruction set. AMD processors wouldn't require a transition. I used Macs through the PowerPC to Intel transition and it wasn't a great time. Apple had to do it because PowerPC processors were so incredibly far behind. Right now, Apple isn't behind since all their competitors are also using x86 processors. Maybe they could be ahead, but there isn't the same desperate need. Maybe Apple should move to their own ARM chips. However, the AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors give them an easy upgrade without requiring a lot of work. Switching to ARM is a big commitment. Third party developers will need to recompile their programs. Apple will need a translation layer for older programs that aren't updated - and users will understand that they'll have older programs they've purchased stop working in a few years. It happened with the PowerPC to Intel transition, the MacOS 9 to MacOS X transition, and recently with the 32-bit to 64-bit transition with Catalina cutting off 32-bit support. AMD's Ryzen 4000 parts are based on the 7nm TSMC process and they're able to stuff 8 cores into a 15 watt part. For comparison, the MacBook Pro 13" ships with 28 watt processors. Is the Ryzen 4000 the best? I can't say. Is it a lot easier and less of a commitment? Definitely.

scarface74 7y ago
I used Macs through the 680x0 (LCII with a 68030/40 accelerator and lots of peripherals) to PPC (6100/60 with the “DOS Compatibility Card”) transition, left the Mac for awhile and came back with the G4 Mini and less than a year later with the Core Duo Mini. The first time, the 6100/60 ran emulated code (especially with Speed Doubler) fast enough that there wasn’t a performance penalty. The second transition I had all native code. But in general the strategy was the same. Wait until the software you need is compatible. During the first transition, my most used software was already shipping as a “fat binary”. I just unplugged my SCSI hard drive from one computer to the other. The second time, all of the software I cared about was native. It’s even easier now since the two most popular pieces of commercial software from Adobe and Microsoft are both subscription based. As soon as they port it, you won’t pay extra for it. Much of the other software that nerds use is open source and can be compiled easily for ARM (or Electron based). No one is thinking that Apple will go full ARM. Most are thinking that the high end will be x86.

by mdasen 7y ago

scarface74 7y ago

I used Macs through the 680x0 (LCII with a 68030/40 accelerator and lots of peripherals) to PPC (6100/60 with the “DOS Compatibility Card”) transition, left the Mac for awhile and came back with the G4 Mini and less than a year later with the Core Duo Mini. The first time, the 6100/60 ran emulated code (especially with Speed Doubler) fast enough that there wasn’t a performance penalty. The second transition I had all native code. But in general the strategy was the same. Wait until the software you need is compatible. During the first transition, my most used software was already shipping as a “fat binary”. I just unplugged my SCSI hard drive from one computer to the other. The second time, all of the software I cared about was native. It’s even easier now since the two most popular pieces of commercial software from Adobe and Microsoft are both subscription based. As soon as they port it, you won’t pay extra for it. Much of the other software that nerds use is open source and can be compiled easily for ARM (or Electron based). No one is thinking that Apple will go full ARM. Most are thinking that the high end will be x86.