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> there were no actual products announced. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they also didn't announce any actual hardware when they introduced Intel Macs.

> there were no actual products announced. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they also didn't announce any actual hardware when they introduced Intel Macs. Interestingly, for the PowerPC->Intel transition, they also had an Developer Transition Kit: https://www.macstories.net/stories/this-is-not-a-product-the-apple-developer-transition-kit/ https://www.macstories.net/stories/this-is-not-a-product-the...

so33 6y ago
I believe the first Intel product announced was the [EDIT: iMac - see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_(Intel-based)#1st_generation:_Polycarbonate_iMac https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_(Intel-based)#1st_generat...] MacBook Pro at Macworld in January of 2006, long after it was announced at WWDC in 2005. I think concerns about how Apple will handle the transition can generally be addressed by the relatively smooth transition from PPC to Intel. Apple has literally done this before.
- arcticbull 6y ago
  Apple transitions CPU architectures every 10-15 years. 6502 -> 68k in 1984 via hard-cutover [edit: see cestith's reply, there's more to this story than I knew] 68k -> PPC in 1994 via emulation PPC -> x86 in 2006 via Rosetta JIT translation x86 -> ARM in 2020 via Rosetta 2 static recompilation You could even argue the transition from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X was a transition of similar magnitude (although solely on PowerPC processors), with Classic Environment running a full Mac OS 9 instance [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_macOS_components#Classic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_macOS_components#Class...
  - cestith 6y ago
    They also had the IIgs which was the 65c816 in 16-bit mode. The Lisa was in 1983 before the Mac, and it was a 68k.
    - monocasa 6y ago
      A 65c816 runs 6502 code natively.
      - cestith 6y ago
        Yes, in 8-bit mode. The IIgs runs with the processor in 16-bit mode from everything I've read about it. It might be able to swap modes to run older Apple software, but the IIgs is a 16-bit machine.
  - icedchai 6y ago
    I disagree that 6502 -> 68k was a "transition." The Apple II and Mac were two separate product lines. The three major early home computer companies (Apple, Atari, Commodore) all did this.
    - donarb 6y ago
      Though Apple did sell a card that allowed 6502 apps to run on a Macintosh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIe_Card https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIe_Card
      - icedchai 6y ago
        This is true, but note it was released in 1991, many years after the Mac's introduction. By that time, the Apple II was definitely on the way out. The last hold outs (schools...) probably needed encouragement.
AgloeDreams 6y ago
To be honest, this entire plan looks like copy-Paste, kinda like how Star Wars Episode 7 is kinda a remake of A New hope? Rosetta 2, Universal 2, The DTK Program demo on ARM,, it's the same plan.
- mcphage 6y ago
  The last time it went very well, so following the same playbook seems a good idea.
- r00fus 6y ago
  This is business, not some entertainment-value focused venture. Apple did great last go-around, and they are leagues ahead of Microsoft or any other tech company in such a massive/successful platform shift. This is their 3rd architecture shift btw - 680x0 -> Power -> Intel -> ARM. They practically wrote the book on how to do it right.

so33 6y ago

I believe the first Intel product announced was the [EDIT: iMac - see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_(Intel-based)#1st_generation:_Polycarbonate_iMac https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_(Intel-based)#1st_generat...] MacBook Pro at Macworld in January of 2006, long after it was announced at WWDC in 2005. I think concerns about how Apple will handle the transition can generally be addressed by the relatively smooth transition from PPC to Intel. Apple has literally done this before.

arcticbull 6y ago
Apple transitions CPU architectures every 10-15 years. 6502 -> 68k in 1984 via hard-cutover [edit: see cestith's reply, there's more to this story than I knew] 68k -> PPC in 1994 via emulation PPC -> x86 in 2006 via Rosetta JIT translation x86 -> ARM in 2020 via Rosetta 2 static recompilation You could even argue the transition from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X was a transition of similar magnitude (although solely on PowerPC processors), with Classic Environment running a full Mac OS 9 instance [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_macOS_components#Classic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_macOS_components#Class...
- cestith 6y ago
  They also had the IIgs which was the 65c816 in 16-bit mode. The Lisa was in 1983 before the Mac, and it was a 68k.
  - monocasa 6y ago
    A 65c816 runs 6502 code natively.
    - cestith 6y ago
      Yes, in 8-bit mode. The IIgs runs with the processor in 16-bit mode from everything I've read about it. It might be able to swap modes to run older Apple software, but the IIgs is a 16-bit machine.
- icedchai 6y ago
  I disagree that 6502 -> 68k was a "transition." The Apple II and Mac were two separate product lines. The three major early home computer companies (Apple, Atari, Commodore) all did this.
  - donarb 6y ago
    Though Apple did sell a card that allowed 6502 apps to run on a Macintosh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIe_Card https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIe_Card
    - icedchai 6y ago
      This is true, but note it was released in 1991, many years after the Mac's introduction. By that time, the Apple II was definitely on the way out. The last hold outs (schools...) probably needed encouragement.

AgloeDreams 6y ago

To be honest, this entire plan looks like copy-Paste, kinda like how Star Wars Episode 7 is kinda a remake of A New hope? Rosetta 2, Universal 2, The DTK Program demo on ARM,, it's the same plan.

mcphage 6y ago
The last time it went very well, so following the same playbook seems a good idea.
r00fus 6y ago
This is business, not some entertainment-value focused venture. Apple did great last go-around, and they are leagues ahead of Microsoft or any other tech company in such a massive/successful platform shift. This is their 3rd architecture shift btw - 680x0 -> Power -> Intel -> ARM. They practically wrote the book on how to do it right.