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Marklar is a Good Marklar! |
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 Wow, Apple going to Intel processors. Who would have thought that CNET was right and had the scoop since last Friday? In any case.... Wow. This is big news. (So big, in fact that Google News had listed a total of 654 articles about it yesterday, when the next tech story had 72 related articles. Just goes to show Apple's influence in the industry. It won't be long before everyone else starts copying Apple and using Intel hardware! Oh wait...)
This whole thing sure will take a long time to really sink in, but let's talk about if it's a good move. First, as an aside, we wrote a LONG time ago about Apple's project Marklar. It was pretty eloquent, if you can understand it. Go read it, then let me translate the 2nd paragraph for you:
"Apple Computer currently is using chips made by Motorla [Freescale] and IBM. If production ever becomes diminished, then Apple Computer would be ok. That, and the fact that Apple could then market the fact that it's processors are just as good as the next company's. Market share could go up and that would be a good thing!"
*If you have no idea what Marklar is, you obviously don't watch too much South Park. There was an episode where aliens from the planet Marklar visited and everyone and everything on their planet was named Marklar.)
That's a pretty simple outlook, but back then (September 2002) we couldn't envision Apple moving away from the PowerPC architecture unless it was absolutely necessary and they were forced to by unforeseen circumstances.
Well, several things have prompted Apple to switch, mainly the fact that G5 speeds are languishing and IBM/Freescale have been having trouble getting a lot of processors out the door. It's been a known fact for a while that the AIM alliance (Apple/IBM/Motorola) has been in trouble.
Jumping to the Intel platform isn't something that Apple is doing willy nilly - they've had it planned for years, at the very least since '02, and probably before OS X was even debuted. It's not clear when project Marklar went from being a backup plan "just in case" to being the best course of action, but it definitely is the best course of action at this time.
We long-time Mac users may not like it, or be unsure of where things are going, but trust me, this is the best thing for Apple and for Mac users!
Sure, some PC folks will take this opportunity to lampoon us as Mac users. "Ahh, finally seeing the light and using a real processor, huh?" Well, you just don't get it buddy.
You see, as Steve himself said today, the processor is not the soul of a computer - it's the brain. The operating system itself is the heart and soul. The processor will be able to do the same things, if not better.
And yeah, we used to have bakeoffs between processors, with the Mac coming out on top in many circumstances. While it's true that a cluster of G5 Xserves might well kick the ass out of the same number of Xserves with an Intel processor in them, that may not be true for long.
Apple sees where things are going, and is getting aligned with the best processor company they can. Motorola's spinoff, Freescale, and IBM just don't have the amount of customers to be able to do the research to keep the G5 moving along at a nice pace.
At first, I was worried about how Apple would be able to fit those big honking Intel chips into things like laptops and the Mac mini. Don't they suck down power and emit tons of heat as well? Well, sure some of them do, especially the Pentium 4. But Intel does have some chips that are more efficient and would work well in lots of portables and the Mac mini, namely the Pentium M. I don't know all that much about the inner workings of processors, but I do know that Intel has tons of customers and IBM and Motorola have very few (granted they'll be gaining some for upcoming gaming consoles, but maybe that tells you something as well). Intel will be much better equipped to give Apple increasingly faster processors in the future.
Now the next cool thing to talk about is the emulation layer in the Intel versions of OS X. Called Rosetta, it lets you run apps that aren't compiled for Intel hardware yet - essentially what this means is you'll be able to run all your apps so that this transition to Intel hardware won't be that painful. Sure, there will be some growing pains, but in the end it should be worth it.
Another reason why this will all be worth it is you'll be able to run Windows software on your Mac. That's right. Steve didn't mention this yet, but being on Intel hardware also allows Apple to build an emulation layer to run Windows apps seamlessly. No one at Apple has mentioned this yet, because to do so would be to fire a shot across Microsoft's bow, tantamount to declaring war - and Apple doesn't want that ... yet!
That's right, it's my reasoning (I really have no hard facts to back this up yet) that Apple is working with Transitive to build this emulation layer and eliminate any final nagging negatives to switching to the Mac. But heck, I could well be wrong, and I don't know of the legalities of such software. Microsoft might just sue Apple, barring them from letting people run Windows software.
But even if I'm wrong, this changeover is still a very good thing. Perception is huge, and many people still perceive Macs as being slower, solely based on the MegaHerz rating of their processors. Most of us know and understand the MHz myth, and that overall PowerPC chips are faster than Intel chips of respective clock speeds. But perception is 9/10 of the reason most people buy computers. (Ok, I made that stat up on the spot. Did you know that 95% of all stats are created this way?) The Average Joe computer user will no longer be able to look at a Mac and a PC and say, "Oh, hey this PC is faster in MegaHertz, therefore I'll get that one!" - and Apple will sell whole lot more computers.
"But wait!", some say, "If Apple's OS X runs on Intel, then anyone can buy it (or pirate it) and install it on any old Wintel". Well no, slappy, that won't work. Apple is first and foremost a hardware company, and they won't allow OS X to run on anything they don't sell. They'll have firmware in place to prevent rogue installations - i.e. a chip has to be present on the motherboard in order to install OS X. Now, there may be some clever workarounds, but not ones that Average Joe computer user is going to figure out. There may be a few hardcore geeks that get it running on a non-Apple Wintel machine, but odds are that sort of person wasn't going to buy a Mac anyway.
Now, a solution to this would be if there was some way to make OS X "un-pirateble" and make gobs more cash by selling their software to everyone else in the world. The loss of hardware sales would be more than made up for by all the strong software sales, or so the theory goes.
Well, I for one wouldn't be dead-set against this, but in doing this, Apple would not guarantee a great computing experience for most people - degrading the overall perception of the Macintosh. Think about a new user installing OS X on their 4 year old jalopy with a 15" blurry CRT display and how well OS X would look and run. So, in short it's a possibility for Apple to open up and sell OS X (and all their other great software) to the entire Wintel crowd, but a very remote possibility at this point.
So let me wrap up this long winded marklar by saying that essentially, Apple's project Marklar is a good marklar, and no one should be marklar by it. Apple has marklared this for a long time and they won't half-marklar it. Marklar users will be much marklar off, and there will be marklar more of us! Have a good marklar!
(Translated)
So let me wrap up this long winded drivel by saying that essentially, Apple's project Marklar is a good plan, and no one should be upset by it. Apple has planned this for a long time and they won't half-ass it. Mac users will be much better off, and there will be many more of us! Have a good marklar!
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June 7 2005, 7:45 AM EDT, by
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Comments:
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| Moe |
6/7/05, 8:16 AM EDT |
Great perspective. The move to Intel is definately something that gave us Mac fans a bit of concern since we have always been the "different, better" civilization. Its almost as if we opened the door and moved in with the "enemy". However, I think it will move Apple in a good direction and give it some attention. It may win more souls than if considered as another far far away computing experience. Now we are in the neighborhood and we are preaching the OS X Gospel. Great article
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| nhmacusr |
6/7/05, 8:18 AM EDT |
Nice write up. I am still on the fence with this switch. The first thing that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up is Rosetta. Steve played it off as the 'it just works' technology. Well, that isn't exactly so. It works if your not one of the following:
Rosetta does not run the following:
*Applications built for Mac OS 8 or 9
*Code written specifically for AltiVec
*Code that inserts preferences in the System Preferences pane
*Applications that require a G4 or G5 processor
*Applications that depend on one or more kernel extensions
*Kernel extensions
*Bundled Java applications or Java applications with JNI libraries that can’t be translated
That is a fair bit of code (by the way, these came from Apples own developer notes). The second thing about Rosetta is how fast it is going to be. Steve said it was fast, but the slide said it was fast (enough). That tells me it can be down right slow.
The second thing that sends tingles up my neck is the fact that Rosetta addresses PowerPC to Intel, but there is nothing going in the other direction. That will be fine for now as all of Apples software will be ported with dual binaries FOR THE TIME BEING. There is nothing to stop them from releasing 10.6 Intel only or the next big app (the one no one can live without but doesn't exist today) Intel only. It would really tweak me to buy a PowerMac today and not be able to run the next big app two years from now. There is going to be nothing to stop them from saying you can't access an online movie store unless you have the Intel hardware. If you don't believe it could happen, look at all of the lobbying going on around the Pentium D chip. That has DRM written all over it (literally in the hardware).
The last thing is 64 bit computing. I can't help feeling that moving to 32 bit is a step backward. Intel has been floundering a bit in this space. Now it might just be that Intel has finally gotten their stuff together and when the Intel boxes finally go into production, there will be significant advances in their chip line. I hope so.
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| nada |
6/7/05, 12:00 PM EDT |
From a technical non-technical user point of view:
I have been a steady mac user since the Mac 512 and as a general-purpose user working in the IT world and managing Unixes, Windozes, Linuxes and Apples - i don't really care on what it will be running. As long as Apple keep at being clever design and the best user friendly interface you can find.
But it IS true that with this news i am going to wait now before replacing my 2 years old PowerBook G4 or acquiring that MacMini that was calling me.
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| Rick |
6/7/05, 11:36 PM EDT |
I just bought my very first mac four months ago and now this comes up. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my iBook more than any computer I've ever owned, but I can't help thinking "wow, I just bought a computer that's going to have obsolete hardware in a few months." I honestly don't care what comes of this transition as long as there is still plenty of software for PPC. It kills me wondering if the old wintel box I just replaced with this iBook is going to be better to hold onto in the long run. Perhaps I just don't understand what this all means.
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| matty |
6/8/05, 1:29 AM EDT |
yeah, a friend of mine just followed in my footsteps and bought an iBook a few weeks ago
One of the things I like most about my iBook is the way the fan almost never has to run, and the battery kicks a good 6 hours. It's hot but it's quiet and great when I can't get power. I'll be really interested to see if apple can produce the same results using an intel chip, otherwise I'll probably be happy to stick with this 'old' G4 technology for sometime to come.
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| Jonathan |
6/8/05, 6:44 AM EDT |
Jeeze, like your computer wouldn't have been outdated the next time they did a revision anyway. The PPC will still be supported by the next time you're looking to buy. And by that time it'll have Intel inside (tho if they put thoes gay stickers on them all hell will break loose).
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| iKen |
6/8/05, 8:15 AM EDT |
If they have those stickers on them, I will never buy a mac again.*
*Probably not true.
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| Gildogg |
6/8/05, 9:23 AM EDT |
I think this can only be a positive move for Mac. One of the biggest draw backs to Mac is that there is only 1 Mac vendor...Apple.
The switch to Intel will open up the market to other vendors and promote better competition.
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| nhmacusr |
6/8/05, 9:42 AM EDT |
Gildogg,
Uh, no. There will still only be 1 Mac vendor. Apple Computer. they are not going to let OS X run on commodity hardware. they made that really clear. OS X will only run on Apple Macs. They are only swapping processors, not design philosophy.
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| iKen |
6/8/05, 10:34 AM EDT |
Gildogg, Glad to see you on here. :)
Apple is first and foremost a hardware company. I am speculating that there will be hacks to get OS X running on non-Apple boxes, but it won't be legal.
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| DJ-LC |
6/8/05, 11:34 AM EDT |
If they put case badges on there, I'll go to the Apple Store and rip them all off :-). This is alot like the 68k to PPC switch. It's 2 years long, PPC supported 68k (like Rosetta will on Intel) software (ex. I can go get MacPaint 1.0 and run it in Mac OS X via the classic environment). Apple's hardware sales will likely go down until 2006 when they start delivering Intel Macs, but when that happens - Macs should start selling like fishsticks (and no, not cooked - I mean selling alot).
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| nhmacusr |
6/8/05, 12:42 PM EDT |
DJ-LC -- Classic isn't going to be supported on the new architecture. Rosetta is way less encompassing than the 68K mode of yesteryear.
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| DJ-LC |
6/8/05, 1:43 PM EDT |
I know Classic won't be supported - just comparing it. Although, it might be wise of Apple to make it possible to run Windows the same way we can run Classic. I suppose Aldus SuperPaint and MacWrite are finally reaching the end of their days.... *sigh*.
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| HTML Samurai |
6/8/05, 3:03 PM EDT |
iKen,
You can remove the sticker... ;-)
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| iKen |
6/8/05, 3:24 PM EDT |
iKen,
You can remove the sticker... ;-)
But then it would have that sticky goo left behind it! Just thinking of that makes me gavomit!
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| nhmacusr |
6/8/05, 3:56 PM EDT |
You can remove the sticker... ;-)
But then it would have that sticky goo left behind it! Just thinking of that makes me gavomit!
You don't have to worry. Apple would through Chiat Day on the job to design a new logo for the partnership. Hmmmm what would that look like ;-)
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| DJ-LC |
6/8/05, 8:19 PM EDT |
You're wrong, iKen. See, I ripped the "Pentium II" sticker off my IBM - no sticky goo to be seen. And even if there is goo left, that's why they make Magic Green (or whatever cleaning crap you have left from last time you cleaned... haha... I just had a mental image of iKen cleaning a kitchen...).
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| speedyrev |
6/8/05, 10:58 PM EDT |
Do you think there will be a Mac-specific Pentium chip or will they all be the same?
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| speedyrev |
6/9/05, 7:34 AM EDT |
It is way too early to tell. I would say that it probably won't be any of the chips as they exist today. Especially, for the PowerMacs. They will be putting in whatever is on the books for 1 to 1 1/2 years from now.
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| nhmacusr |
6/9/05, 7:58 AM EDT |
speedyrev...
Sorry, the above post was me too. I meant to direct it in response to you. I was just listening to Jason Snell from Macworld. He had a really good point on the subject of processors from Intel. He doesn't hink that it will be a special version of a chip. Apple will be buying from the normal line at Intel and here is why. IBM had already put Apple in this position. Apple was buying a one of designed chip from IBM. This had the effect of creating a reluctance on IBMs part to put resources toward Apple's needs. This created supply and performance problems. Apple will move to whatever commodity chips Intel is putting out. This will get rid of both the supply and performance issues. If they had a unique chip from Intel, it would put them right back in the same boat as they were with IBM.
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| iKen |
6/9/05, 9:26 AM EDT |
Whoa... I was wondering why speedyrev answered himself. I figured it jsut took to long to get an answer, and he got tired of waiting. ;-P
One thing I was thinking about, the point brought up in the story about window's apps being able to be run transparently:
I know this is all theoretical, but say Apple did develop software that would allow windows software to be run on Mac OS X transparently, wouldn't this open the Mac up to some of the viruses out there?
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| nhmacusr |
6/9/05, 9:50 AM EDT |
Not really anymore than it already is. I don't think we will have to worry too much about this. I don't hink it wouldbe in Apple's interest to do this. It is also not as easy as it sounds. The processor is only one part of it. The larger part of hte picture is Microsofts APIs. These are very much closed. You have to look at Wine to see how fast this stuff progresses. Wine is essentially looking at what Microsoft's APIs are doing and re-implementing the functionality (without any documentation I might add). There are some legal issues to think about and it is an exceedingly painful process.
Some early stuff is coming in on the performance of Rosetta and it isn't as 'rosy' as Jobs pretends (no big surprise there - emulation is emulation). That alone shows how difficult emulation really is.
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| DJ-LC |
6/9/05, 12:23 PM EDT |
The only way I can see Windows programs running transparently is if you could run Windows in a program exactly like the Classic Environment. And in that case, you would have to install Windows.
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