OS X 10.4 for x86 (PC)

[goran]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_v10.4
"
On June 6, 2005, at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, it was unveiled that Mac OS X had, for the past five years (i.e. since its birth), been engineered to work with Intel's x86 line of processors in addition to the PowerPC, the CPU that the operating system had always been publicly marketed for. A future release of OS X 10.4 will provide preliminary developer support for the x86 CPU and the IA-32 instruction set. Apple plans to release the first x86-based computers in June of 2006, transitioning the rest of their computers to x86 by June 2007."

well??

 

[dwillis45]

There has been so much buzz about this on the internet that it's hard to know what to say! I've heard extreme predictions such as "Intel will purchase Apple in a not so hostile takeover" or "Nobody will by an Apple until this is sorted out." I've also heard people say that developers won't produce software until the shift has been made. Or worse, developers won't make Apple compatible products. On the other hand, many peolple who went through the OS9 to OSX process say don't sweat it. This kind of upheaval is par for the course and technology changes so fast that you are going to buy a new Mac every couple of years just to keep pace. So,in response to your original question ("Well?"), I gues my response is "Oh Well! So it goes."

 

[Alexbt]

It's very easy for people who write native apps to port the code to X86. It's like, two clicks. (give or take some legacy code)

Besides, the Intel version is already floating around on BitTorrent. It's not at all supported, or finished, of course.

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

I think its a good move. What could be wrong about having Macs with the most competitive processors around? Surprising, perhaps, but a good idea all the same. The PowerPC line of processors has seen its day. They did well for a while, but can't compete in the long run with the Intel architecture.

It'll be a while, though. 2007 before all Macs have switched over. (yawn) Like watching grass grow.

I think Apple knows what they are doing and would probably (almost) perish (againo) if they didn't switch to a more competitive CPU. With iPod and Mac Mini sales to pad out the budget, they probably picked a good time, too.
-C