“It’s been over 3 years since Apple has ensured that their operating system won’t work on Power PC machines. Now we are hearing of another architecture change only 7 years after the relationship with Intel was first formed. But this isn’t the first time that Apple has seen an architecture change,” Mike Vardy writes for TNW.
“Back in the mid–1990s, Apple ditched Motorola’s 680×0 family of chips in favour of Power PC,” Vardy writes. “According to an article at CNET, Apple provided ‘translation software’ that could run some of the older software on the newer machines. The story also cements what many Apple users already know: Apple isn’t afraid to make changes and set a tone for the rest of tech world. They ditched the floppy drive in 1998, they have gone on to create DisplayPort and other technological adjustments along the way. In the latest iMac there isn’t a slot-loading drive to be found. Apple tends to set the pace – and quite possibly the standard – for advancing technology.”
Vardy writes, “According to this Bloomberg article, while the likelihood of Apple shifting from Intel isn’t on the near horizon, it may not be too far off: ‘Some engineers say a shift to its own designs is inevitable as the features of mobile devices and PCs become more similar’ …Apple is no stranger to change. They seem to thrive on it in recent years. with less dependency on independent retailers (and perhaps less willingness to cater to them), they are positioned now better than ever to make another architecture change.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
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