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I'm amused that the Apple's IPod software team developed on windows machines. (from https://tidbits.com/2020/08/17/the-case-of-the-top-secret-ipod/ https://tidb

I'm amused that the Apple's IPod software team developed on windows machines. (from https://tidbits.com/2020/08/17/the-case-of-the-top-secret-ipod/ https://tidbits.com/2020/08/17/the-case-of-the-top-secret-ip... )

AdmiralAsshat 6y ago
I'll bet that many of the people who worked on iTunes probably developed on Windows as well. I'm sure Apple would prefer that every iPod user own a Mac, but at the time it launched, the market would've been like 90% PC, so surely there would've been an incentive to ensure compatibility with your dominant user-base.
- dplavery92 6y ago
  In Shayer's article (not the top-level BBC article) he makes the comment that they developed the iPod OS on Windows machines since the compiler and tools for building on ARM were not yet available on Mac. You make a good point about developing software for other platforms, though, and I'm sure there are also quite a few Mac and Linux boxes in software divisions at Microsoft for the same reason.
- sleepychu 6y ago
  > I'm sure Apple would prefer that every iPod user own a Mac Not if it's an old mac ;-) I was an early iPod touch adopter (bought with X-mas money IIRC). Plugged it into my iBook G4 and was informed the version of iTunes was both too old and the latest this laptop was going to get. Plugged it into a Windows 2000/XP machine (which I think was already old for the time) and it managed to get the latest version of iTunes. Now of course, I'm aware of the context of the PPC to Intel shift and that there was a non-zero cost to maintaining both streams of iTunes build but it really put me off Apple at the time.
suyash 6y ago
same can be said for Microsoft making MS Office apps for Mac and iOS, it's not funny anymore as it used to be.
- dredmorbius 6y ago
  AFAIR much early Microsoft development was on Xenix.
cookingrobot 6y ago
The original XBox 360 was developed on PowerMac G5’s. https://www.anandtech.com/show/1686/5 https://www.anandtech.com/show/1686/5

AdmiralAsshat 6y ago

I'll bet that many of the people who worked on iTunes probably developed on Windows as well. I'm sure Apple would prefer that every iPod user own a Mac, but at the time it launched, the market would've been like 90% PC, so surely there would've been an incentive to ensure compatibility with your dominant user-base.

dplavery92 6y ago
In Shayer's article (not the top-level BBC article) he makes the comment that they developed the iPod OS on Windows machines since the compiler and tools for building on ARM were not yet available on Mac. You make a good point about developing software for other platforms, though, and I'm sure there are also quite a few Mac and Linux boxes in software divisions at Microsoft for the same reason.
sleepychu 6y ago
> I'm sure Apple would prefer that every iPod user own a Mac Not if it's an old mac ;-) I was an early iPod touch adopter (bought with X-mas money IIRC). Plugged it into my iBook G4 and was informed the version of iTunes was both too old and the latest this laptop was going to get. Plugged it into a Windows 2000/XP machine (which I think was already old for the time) and it managed to get the latest version of iTunes. Now of course, I'm aware of the context of the PPC to Intel shift and that there was a non-zero cost to maintaining both streams of iTunes build but it really put me off Apple at the time.

suyash 6y ago

same can be said for Microsoft making MS Office apps for Mac and iOS, it's not funny anymore as it used to be.

dredmorbius 6y ago
AFAIR much early Microsoft development was on Xenix.

cookingrobot 6y ago

The original XBox 360 was developed on PowerMac G5’s. https://www.anandtech.com/show/1686/5 https://www.anandtech.com/show/1686/5