Can you lot clear something up for me?

[TheGingerbreadGenius]

I know Macs are moving to X86 CPU architecture and that they're getting their CPUs off Intel, but I was wondering if you could answer the following.

A) Are Apple still only going to release the Mac OS for installation on Apple-made Mac PCs or is there a possibility of them releasing it as a stand-alone OS?

B) What info do we have on what the CPUs in the new Macs will be? Will Intel be designing a new one?

And just to check that I'm right...

C) I AM right in assuming that one of the 'principles' if you will of the X86 architecture is that (CPU power willing) any programme made to run for one X86 chip will run on any other X86 chip?

Cheers.

 

[cpacini]

A)Thats the way it looks now.

B) Dont really know, but I would assume they will be the same as what is available for PC at the time.

C)Not exactly, there is more to it than just x86. Most programs written for Windows use microsoft specific API's, which would have to be recoded if they wanted to port the program to the Mac OS. Same reason Windows programs dont work under Linux.

 

[Loki726]

Originally posted by: TheGingerbreadGenius
I know Macs are moving to X86 CPU architecture and that they're getting their CPUs off Intel, but I was wondering if you could answer the following.

A) Are Apple still only going to release the Mac OS for installation on Apple-made Mac PCs or is there a possibility of them releasing it as a stand-alone OS?

So far, apple has indicated that they will NOT be releasing a stand-alone version of their os. This might change at some point in the future, but knowing apple I seriously doubt it will ever happen.

B) What info do we have on what the CPUs in the new Macs will be? Will Intel be designing a new one?

Don't quote me on this, but I don't think an official cpu has been chosen, but I think there were some rumors that developers were using 3.6ghz prescott based systems.

C) I AM right in assuming that one of the 'principles' if you will of the X86 architecture is that (CPU power willing) any programme made to run for one X86 chip will run on any other X86 chip?

Cheers.

That principle is true for any ISA, not just x86. However, there are other ways of stopping people from using a mac OS on their own hardware. First of all, the OS can actively check to make sure that only allowed hardware is being used. Secondly, for any specific piece of hardware to work with an OS, someone has to write drivers. Apple won't do it and neither will hardware designers.

 

[EightySix Four]

Yeah, people have been hacking each updated release of the dev version of the Mac OS x x86 version, the checks are getting harder and harder to break to get them to run on normal machines, plus driver incompatabilities etc.

 

[TheGingerbreadGenius]

Fair enough, cheers people.


So, why aren't Mac releasing OSX in a box? To me it'd look like a good business move. Yeah, I think they'd loose some brand identity but it wouldn't stop them from producing complete Mac systems as well. If they released OSX on the side as well I think they'd hit a fairly large market of either curious Windows users or people who are sick if Windows etc. Makes no sense to me.

 

[cpacini]

Originally posted by: TheGingerbreadGenius
Fair enough, cheers people.


So, why aren't Mac releasing OSX in a box? To me it'd look like a good business move. Yeah, I think they'd loose some brand identity but it wouldn't stop them from producing complete Mac systems as well. If they released OSX on the side as well I think they'd hit a fairly large market of either curious Windows users or people who are sick if Windows etc. Makes no sense to me.

Apple is first and foremost a hardware company, they make the majority of their money on hardware sales. If they were to release OSX as a stand alone product, people would stop paying $3000 for a mac when they realize they can get the same hardware and the same OS for $1500.

 

[TheGingerbreadGenius]

You don't think that the customer support that Mac are reputed for'd help them out at all?