Mac transition to Intel processors

Last updated

The Mac transition to Intel processors was the process of switching the central processing units (CPUs) of Apple Inc.'s line of Mac and Xserve computers from PowerPC processors over to Intel's x86-64 processors. [lower-alpha 1] The change was announced at the 2005 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) by then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who said Apple would gradually stop using PowerPC microprocessors supplied by Freescale (formerly Motorola) and IBM. [1]

Contents

The transition was the second time Apple had switched the processor instruction set architecture of its personal computers. The first was in 1994, when Apple discarded the Mac's original Motorola 68000 series architecture in favor of the then-new PowerPC platform. [2]

Apple's initial press release originally outlined that the move would begin by June 2006, with completion slated by early 2008 - the transition had proceeded faster than anticipated. The first-generation Intel-based Macs were released in January 2006 with Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger. In August, Jobs announced the last models to switch, with the Mac Pro available immediately and the Intel Xserve available by October, [3] although shipments for the latter computer line did not start until December. [4]

The final version of Mac OS X that ran on PowerPC processors was Leopard, released in October 2007, with PowerPC binary translation support (using Rosetta) persisting up through the following version, Snow Leopard. [5] Support was later dropped in Lion.

In 2020, Apple announced that it would shift its Mac line to Apple silicon, which are ARM-based processors developed in-house. [2]

Background

A PowerPC 970FX processor, which was used in a number of Apple computers featuring PowerPC G5 processors PPC-970fx.jpg
A PowerPC 970FX processor, which was used in a number of Apple computers featuring PowerPC G5 processors

Apple had been using PowerPC processors in its products for 11 years when the move to Intel processors was announced.

At 2003's WWDC keynote address, Jobs unveiled a Power Mac with a processor from IBM's PowerPC G5 product line, [6] the first personal computer to feature a 64-bit processor. [6]

He promised a 3 GHz Power Mac G5 within 12 months, but never released such a product. [6] In 2004's WWDC keynote address, Jobs addressed the broken promise, saying IBM had trouble moving to a fabrication process lower than the 90 nm process. [6] Apple officials also said in 2003 they planned to release a PowerBook with a G5 processor, [7] but such a product never materialized. Tim Cook, then Apple's Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Operations, said during an earnings call that putting a G5 in a PowerBook was "the mother of all thermal challenges". [8]

In addition, there were reports that IBM officials had concerns over the profitability of a low-volume business, which caused tensions with Apple and its desires for a wide variety of PowerPC processors. [9]

History

1980s

Apple's efforts to move to Intel hardware began in 1985. A proposal was floated after Jobs departed but was quickly disapproved by management. [10]

1990s

The first known attempt by Apple to move to Intel's platform was the Star Trek project, a code name given to a secret project to run a port of Classic Mac OS System 7 and its applications on an Intel-compatible personal computer. [10] The effort began on February 14, 1992, with the blessing of Intel's then-CEO Andy Grove. [10]

Apple leaders set an October 31 deadline to create a working prototype. The team met that deadline, and had a functional demo ready by December. John Sculley's departure during the Star Trek project was a factor in the project's termination. Michael Spindler, who took over as Apple's CEO, devoted most of Apple's resources to moving to PowerPC instead, [10] thus initiating Apple's first processor transition.

After Apple's 1997 acquisition of NeXT, Apple began to rework their NeXTSTEP operating system into a successor to the classic Mac OS, codenamed Rhapsody. Jobs (who rejoined Apple upon the purchase) demonstrated an Intel-compatible build of Rhapsody to Dell founder and namesake Michael Dell. Jobs offered to license the new OS to Dell for its PCs, so that users could choose between it and Windows. However, Dell declined when Jobs insisted that the company license the operating system for every PC it ships, regardless of whether or not the user wanted to use Mac OS. [11]

Early 2000s

Then-CEO Steve Jobs announces the Intel transition at WWDC 2005. Steve Jobs Presentation 1.jpg
Then-CEO Steve Jobs announces the Intel transition at WWDC 2005.

In the years since the end of the Star Trek project, there were reports of Apple working to port its operating system to Intel's x86 processors, with one engineer managing to get Apple's OS to run on a number of Intel-powered computers. [12]

In 2001, Jobs and then Sony president Kunitake Andō reportedly had a meeting to discuss the possibility of running Apple's operating system on its Vaio computers. Jobs even presented a Vaio running Mac OS. Such negotiations ultimately came to nothing. [13]

In 2002, it was reported that Apple had more than a dozen software engineers tasked to a project code-named "Marklar," with a mission to steadily work on maintaining X86-compatible builds of Mac OS X. [14]

It was noted in 2003 by IBM in an article published to its intranet that Apple felt a transition to Intel would present massive software changes that it wanted to avoid. [15] Nevertheless, rumors of an impending announcement of a transition to Intel cropped up in 2000 and 2003. [16]

2005

News reports of an impending announcement by Apple to transition to Intel processors surfaced in early June 2005, [9] close to that year's WWDC. The announcement was made during that year's WWDC Keynote Address. [1]

At the time Apple announced the transition, Jobs attributed the switch to a superior product roadmap that Intel offered, [17] as well as an inability to build products envisioned by Apple based on the PowerPC product roadmap. [7] Meanwhile, pricing disputes with IBM, in addition to a desire by Apple to give its computer the ability to run Microsoft Windows, were reportedly factors for the switch as well. [2] [17]

Reaction to the change

At the time, a research director for Ovum Ltd. called the move "risky" and "foolish", noting that Intel's innovation in processor design is overshadowed by both AMD and IBM. [18] Another analyst said the move risks diluting Apple's value proposition, since it will now have less control over its product road map, in addition to the risk of alienating its loyal users. [18]

AMD

Some observers expressed surprise that Apple made a deal with Intel instead of with AMD. [19] By 2005, AMD had become popular with gamers and the budget conscious, [19] but some analysts believed AMD's lack of low-power designs at the time was behind Apple's decision to go with Intel. [19]

In 2011, Apple investigated using AMD's low power Llano APU for the MacBook Air, but eventually opted for Intel due to AMD's potential inability to supply enough Llano processors to meet demand. [20]

32-bit regression

Apple had created the world's first consumer 64-bit desktop computer with its G5 based line-up; however, the first Intel-based Macs included only Intel Core Duo processors, which were 32-bit. Apple refreshed its line of computers six months later, adding Intel's new Intel Core 2 Duo 64-bit processors.

Concerns over Rosetta performance

When Rosetta was announced, it was noted that the translation software is designed to translate applications that run on a "PowerPC with a G3 processor and that are built for Mac OS X." [21] It was noted at the time that translated software performs at a level between 50% and 80% of native software. [21] [22] The announcement caused concerns over performance.

Intel

At the time the transition was announced, it was noted that a degree of enmity towards Intel exists amongst some fans of Apple products, due to Intel's close identification with Microsoft. [23] In addition, It was noted by Intel's then CEO, Paul Otellini, that Apple and Intel's relationship was strained at times, especially due to Apple's commission of an ad that shows Intel processors being outperformed by PowerPC processors. [23]

While there were questions over whether Apple would put the Intel Inside stickers on its products, Jobs dispelled such a possibility, saying it is redundant when Apple's use of Intel processors is well-known. [24] "Intel Inside" stickers have never been included on any Apple product. [25]

Osborne effect

There was concern that an early announcement of the change would cause an Osborne effect, [26] [27] but it was also noted that even if an Osborne effect appeared, it would merely mean delayed purchases of Mac computers, not permanent cancellations, and that Apple had enough cash on hand to weather the potential sales decline. [28]

Analysis of financial data suggests that the Osborne Effect did not materialize, with sales for Macs growing by 19% and 37% in the two quarters following March 2006. [29]

Product compatibility

The Classic environment, the Mac OS 9 virtualization measure for Mac OS X, was not ported to the x86 architecture, [30] leaving the new Intel-powered Macs incompatible with classic Mac OS applications without a proper third-party PowerPC emulator.

There were also concerns over third-party software support, with reaction to the change being mixed amongst the software developer community, due to a need to recompile software for compatibility on Intel-based Macs. [23] In early 2006, it was reported that a number of software companies, such as Adobe, Aspyr and Microsoft, were not ready to release universal binary versions of their software offerings. [31]

Technical issues

In the years prior to Apple's announcement of the transition, it was noted that there was a debate over the difference of endianness between Intel and non-Intel processors, as well as the merits of each CPU architecture. [32] The difference in endianness meant that some software could not simply be recompiled; it required changes to make it work on processors of either endianness. [33] [ unreliable source? ]

Transition process

Steve Jobs reveals Mac OS X running on Pentium 4 hardware. Steve Jobs Presentation 2.jpg
Steve Jobs reveals Mac OS X running on Pentium 4 hardware.

2005

During Apple's 2005 WWDC, the company introduced a Developer Transition Kit consisting of a prototype Intel-based Mac computer, along with preliminary versions of Mac OS X Tiger and Xcode, which allowed developers to prepare future versions of their software to run on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs. [1]

To allow apps built for PowerPC-based Macs to run on Intel-based Macs without recompilation, a dynamic binary translation software called Rosetta was created. [21]

2006

On January 10, Apple unveiled an Intel-based iMac, [34] as well as a 15-inch MacBook Pro laptop, which replaced the similarly sized PowerBook. [35]

On February 28, a Mac mini featuring an Intel Core Duo processor was unveiled. [36]

On April 5, the dual-boot software Boot Camp was released as a trial version, which allowed Intel-based Mac owners to run Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. [37]

On April 24, a MacBook Pro replacement for the 17-inch PowerBook was announced. [38]

On May 16, a replacement for the iBook, called MacBook, was announced, thus completing the transition of Apple's laptop line to Intel processors. [39]

On July 5, a replacement for the eMac, a special configuration of a 17-inch iMac for use in education, was announced. [40]

On August 7, Apple unveiled a replacement for the PowerMac, Mac Pro, [41] and an Intel-based version of Xserve. [42] The unveiling of the Mac Pro was touted by Apple as a completion of its transition to Intel, and said the entire process took 210 days. [41]

Ongoing support for PowerPC following transition

Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6), released in August 2009, was the first version of Mac OS X (later macOS) to require a Mac with an Intel processor, ending operating system support for PowerPC Macs three years after the transition was complete. [43] [44] Support for Rosetta was removed from Mac OS X with the release of 10.7 Lion, which was released in July 2011, five years after the transition was complete. [45] [46] The last Apple application to support PowerPC processors was iTunes 10.6.3, which was released on June 11, 2012. [47]

Apple has a policy of placing products that have not been sold for more than five years, but less than seven years, as "vintage", meaning hardware services from Apple Stores and service providers are subject to availability of inventory, or as required by law. After a product has not been sold for more than seven years, it is considered "obsolete", meaning it is not eligible for hardware support. [48] All PowerPC-based Macs were obsolete by 2013.

In spite of the PowerPC machines being considered obsolete, use of the systems remains popular in retrocomputing; multiple community projects exist that aim to allow PowerPC Macs to carry out modern tasks, such as the Classilla and TenFourFox web browsers.

Legacy

A Mashable article in 2016 noted that the decision to switch to Intel processors gave many people who wanted a Mac, but couldn't commit to giving up Windows, a way to have both via Boot Camp and a number of virtualization programs, [49] and that Mac, as a computer platform, had a renaissance following the transition, with more apps being developed. [49] The article also said following the transition to Intel, Mac, while still outsold by Windows and other computer systems, has had a remarkable comeback, and also noted that Mac users tend to be loyal to the Apple ecosystem, which leads to purchases of other Apple products such as iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch. [49]

On June 22, 2020, Apple announced plans to transition the Macintosh to ARM processors over a two-year period, following a roadmap similar to the Intel transition, including universal binaries and a Rosetta 2 compatibility program. Apple had been using ARM processors in the iPhone since 2007, and had been using them in the iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, and Apple Watch as well, and had been designing its own ARM processors since the Apple A6 in 2012.

Timeline

See also

Notes

  1. Initial models featured a 32-bit x86 CPU, and were subsequently replaced with an x86-64 CPU.

Related Research Articles

macOS Operating system for Apple computers

macOS, originally Mac OS X, previously shortened as OS X, is an operating system developed and marketed by Apple since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and laptop computers, it is the second most widely used desktop OS, after Microsoft Windows and ahead of all Linux distributions, including ChromeOS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS X Server</span> Server software for macOS

Mac OS X Server is a series of discontinued Unix-like server operating systems developed by Apple Inc. based on macOS. It provided server functionality and system administration tools, and tools to manage both macOS-based computers and iOS-based devices, network services such as a mail transfer agent, AFP and SMB servers, an LDAP server, and a domain name server, as well as server applications including a Web server, database, and calendar server.

Darwin is the core Unix operating system of macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and bridgeOS. It previously existed as an independent open-source operating system, first released by Apple Inc. in 2000. It is composed of code derived from NeXTSTEP, FreeBSD, other BSD operating systems, Mach, and other free software projects' code, as well as code developed by Apple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">64-bit computing</span> Computer architecture bit width

In computer architecture, 64-bit integers, memory addresses, or other data units are those that are 64 bits wide. Also, 64-bit central processing units (CPU) and arithmetic logic units (ALU) are those that are based on processor registers, address buses, or data buses of that size. A computer that uses such a processor is a 64-bit computer.

The history of macOS, Apple's current Mac operating system formerly named Mac OS X until 2011 and then OS X until 2016, began with the company's project to replace its "classic" Mac OS. That system, up to and including its final release Mac OS 9, was a direct descendant of the operating system Apple had used in its Mac computers since their introduction in 1984. However, the current macOS is a UNIX operating system built on technology that had been developed at NeXT from the 1980s until Apple purchased the company in early 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS 9</span> Ninth and last major release of the classic Mac OS

Mac OS 9 is the ninth and final major release of Apple's classic Mac OS operating system, which was succeeded by Mac OS X 10.0 in 2001, starting the Mac OS X family of operating systems. Introduced on October 23, 1999, it was promoted by Apple as "The Best Internet Operating System Ever", highlighting Sherlock 2’s Internet search capabilities, integration with Apple's free online services known as iTools and improved Open Transport networking. While Mac OS 9 lacks protected memory and full pre-emptive multitasking, lasting improvements include the introduction of an automated Software Update engine and support for multiple users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Mac G5</span> Line of tower computers designed and manufactured by Apple

The Power Mac G5 is a series of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 2003 to 2006 as part of the Power Mac series. When introduced, it was the most powerful computer in Apple's Macintosh lineup, and was marketed by the company as the world's first 64-bit desktop computer. It was also the first desktop computer from Apple to use an anodized aluminum alloy enclosure, and one of only three computers in Apple's lineup to utilize the PowerPC 970 CPU, the others being the iMac G5 and the Xserve G5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xserve</span> Apple rack-mounted server

The Xserve was a series of rack-mounted servers manufactured by Apple Inc. between 2002 and 2011. It was Apple's first rack-mounted server, and could function as a file server, web server or run high-performance computing applications in clusters – a dedicated cluster Xserve, the Xserve Cluster Node, without a video card and optical drives was also available. The first Xserve had a PowerPC G4 processor, replaced by a PowerPC G5 in 2004, and by Intel Xeon processors in 2006; each was available in single-processor and dual-processor configurations. The Xserve was discontinued in 2011, and replaced with the Mac Pro Server and the Mac Mini Server.

Star Trek is the code name that was given to a secret prototype project, running a port of Macintosh System 7 and its applications on Intel-compatible x86 personal computers. The project, starting in February 1992, was conceived in collaboration between Apple Computer, who provided the majority of engineers, and Novell, who at the time was one of the leaders of cross-platform file-servers. The plan was that Novell would market the resulting OS as a challenge to Microsoft Windows, but the project was discontinued in 1993 and never released, although components were reused in other projects. The project was named after the Star Trek science fiction franchise with the slogan "To boldly go where no Mac has gone before".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS X Tiger</span> Fifth major release of Mac OS X

Mac OS X Tiger is the 5th major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Mac computers. Tiger was released to the public on April 29, 2005 for US$129.95 as the successor to Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. Included features were a fast searching system called Spotlight, a new version of the Safari web browser, Dashboard, a new 'Unified' theme, and improved support for 64-bit addressing on Power Mac G5s. Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger also had a number of additional features that Microsoft had spent several years struggling to add to Windows with acceptable performance, such as fast file searching and improved graphics processing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PowerBook G4</span> Series of notebook computers created by Apple Computer

The PowerBook G4 is a series of notebook computers manufactured, marketed, and sold by Apple Computer between 2001 and 2006 as part of its PowerBook line of notebooks. The PowerBook G4 runs on the RISC-based PowerPC G4 processor, designed by the AIM (Apple/IBM/Motorola) development alliance and initially produced by Motorola. It was built later by Freescale, after Motorola spun off its semiconductor business under that name in 2004. The PowerBook G4 has had two different designs: one with a titanium body with a translucent black keyboard and a 15-inch screen; and another in an aluminum body with an aluminum-colored keyboard, in 12-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch sizes.

PearPC is a PowerPC platform emulator capable of running many PowerPC operating systems, including pre-Intel versions of Mac OS X, Darwin, and Linux on x86 hardware. It is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It can be used on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and other systems based on POSIX-X11. The first official release was made on May 10, 2004. The software was often used to run early versions of OS X on Windows XP computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS X Leopard</span> Sixth major release of Mac OS X

Mac OS X Leopard is the sixth major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Leopard was released on October 26, 2007 as the successor of Mac OS X Tiger, and is available in two editions: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a server version, Mac OS X Server. It retailed for $129 for the desktop version and $499 for Server. Leopard was superseded by Mac OS X Snow Leopard in 2009. Mac OS X Leopard is the last version of macOS that supports the PowerPC architecture as its successor, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, functions solely on Intel based Macs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosetta (software)</span> Operating system component

Rosetta is a dynamic binary translator developed by Apple Inc. for macOS, an application compatibility layer between different instruction set architectures. It enables a transition to newer hardware, by automatically translating software. The name is a reference to the Rosetta Stone, the artifact which enabled translation of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal binary</span> Apple multi-architecture binary files

The universal binary format is a format for executable files that run natively on either PowerPC or Intel-manufactured IA-32 or Intel 64 or ARM64-based Macintosh computers. The format originated on NeXTStep as "Multi-Architecture Binaries", and the concept is more generally known as a fat binary, as seen on Power Macintosh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackintosh</span> Non-Apple computer running macOS

A Hackintosh is a computer that runs Apple's Macintosh operating system macOS on computer hardware that is not authorized for the purpose by Apple. This can also include running Macintosh software on hardware it is not originally authorized for. Benefits of "Hackintoshing" can include cost, ease of repair and piecemeal upgrade, and freedom to use customized choices of components that are not available in the branded Apple products. macOS can also be run on several non-Apple virtualization platforms, although such systems are not usually described as Hackintoshes. Hackintosh laptops are sometimes referred to as "Hackbooks".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac Pro</span> Series of computers by Apple Inc.

Mac Pro is a series of workstations and servers for professionals made by Apple Inc. since 2006. The Mac Pro, by some performance benchmarks, is the most powerful computer that Apple offers. It is one of four desktop computers in the current Mac lineup, sitting above the Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS X Snow Leopard</span> Seventh major version of macOS, released in 2009

Mac OS X Snow Leopard is the seventh major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers.

The following outline of Apple Inc. is a topical guide to the products, history, retail stores, corporate acquisitions, and personnel under the purview of the American multinational corporation Apple Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac transition to Apple silicon</span> Transition of the Apple Macintosh platform from Intel x86 to ARM processors

The Mac transition to Apple silicon was the process of switching the central processing units (CPUs) of Apple Inc.'s line of Mac computers from Intel's x86-64 processors to Apple-designed systems on a chip that use the ARM64 architecture.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Apple to Use Intel Microprocessors Beginning in 2006". Apple Inc. June 6, 2005. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Shankland, Stephen (June 22, 2020). "Apple gives Macs a brain transplant with new Arm chips starting this year". CNet . Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  3. Cohen, Peter (August 6, 2006). "WWDC Live Keynote Update". Macworld . Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Xserve Technology Overview" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 23, 2020.
  5. "Apple Previews Mac OS X Snow Leopard to Developers" (Press release). Apple Inc. June 9, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Hackett, Stephen (June 14, 2018). "The Mighty Power Mac G5". MacStories. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Hackett, Stephen (June 24, 2016). "The Switch to Intel". iMore . Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  8. "Analysis: Timing Isn't Right for G5 PowerBook". MacJournals.com (Via Macworld). February 7, 2005. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Shankland, Stephen (June 4, 2005). "Apple to ditch IBM, switch to Intel chips". CNet News.com (Via SFGate.com). Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Hormby, Tom (April 27, 2014). "Star Trek: Apple's First Mac OS on Intel Project". LowEndMac. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  11. Guglielmo, Connie. "The Apple-Dell deal that could have changed history". CNET. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  12. Savov, Vlad (June 11, 2012). "The humble beginnings of OS X on Intel". The Verge . Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  13. Souppouris, Aaron (February 5, 2014). "Steve Jobs wanted Sony VAIOs to run OS X". The Verge . Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  14. dePlume, Nick (August 30, 2002). "Apple Keeps x86 Torch Lit with Marklar". eWeek . Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  15. Kim, Arnold (September 12, 2003). "IBM on Apple/Intel and the G5". MacRumors . Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  16. Kim, Arnold (June 4, 2005). "'Intel Based Mac' Rumor Roundup... [Updated x2]". MacRumors . Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  17. 1 2 Crothers, Brooke (June 15, 2009). "Four years later: Why did Apple drop PowerPC?". CNet . Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  18. 1 2 Bennett, Amy (2005). "Apple shifting from PowerPC to Intel". Computerworld . Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  19. 1 2 3 McLaughlin, Laurianne (September 14, 2005). "Analysis: Why Apple picked Intel over AMD". MacWorld . Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  20. "Exclusive: Apple MacBook Air with AMD processor dead". SemiAccurate. November 17, 2011. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  21. 1 2 3 Shankland, Stephen (June 8, 2005). "The brains behind Apple's Rosetta: Transitive". CNet . Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  22. Norr, Henry (January 28, 2006). "Core Duo iMacs debut speedy new chips". Macworld . Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020. Second, programs that do run on the translator generally work at roughly half the speed they deliver on PowerPC processors...
  23. 1 2 3 Chmielewski, Dawn (June 7, 2005). "2005: Changing Apple"s core — Jobs says Intel chips will replace IBM in Macintosh beginning next summer". San Jose Mercury News (via Monterey Herald). Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  24. Pot, Justin (July 24, 2017). "Why Don't Macs Have "Intel Inside" Stickers?". How-To Geek. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  25. Sorrel, Charlie (August 13, 2007). "Apple Fan Frenzy: Stickergate". Wired.
  26. Andrew, Orlowski (June 8, 2005). "The Osborne Effect spooks Apple". The Register . Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  27. Cooper, Charles (July 14, 2005). "Apple and the "Osborne Effect"". CNet . Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  28. Pogue, David (June 16, 2005). "Considering the Macintel Alliance". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  29. Gassée, Jean-Louis (June 14, 2020). "Osborning The Mac. Or Not". Monday Note. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  30. "Why doesn't Apple support MacOS 9/Classic on Intel-based Macs?". EveryMac.com. July 12, 2006. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  31. Shimpi, Shimpi (January 30, 2006). "Apple Makes the Switch: iMac G5 vs. iMac Core Duo". AnandTech. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  32. Verts, William T. (April 19, 1996). "An Essay on Endian Order". Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  33. "When Apple made the switch from PowerPC to Intel x86, what did that entail for their programmers?". Reddit . 2013. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2020. ...Note also that PPC is big-endian and Intel is little-endian, so in practice a lot of software couldn't just be recompiled; any place where the byte order was assumed had to be fixed...
  34. "Apple debuts Intel-powered Macs". BBC News . January 10, 2006. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  35. "Apple Introduces MacBook Pro". Apple Inc. January 10, 2006. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2020. MacBook Pro is up to four times faster than the product it replaces, the PowerBook G4, running industry standard benchmarks.
  36. "Apple Unveils Mac mini with Intel Core Duo". Apple Inc. February 28, 2006. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  37. "Apple makes Macs run Windows XP". BBC News . April 5, 2006. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  38. "Apple Introduces 17-inch MacBook Pro". Apple Inc. April 24, 2006. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  39. "Apple Unveils New MacBook Featuring Intel Core Duo Processors". Apple Inc. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  40. "Apple Introduces $899 Education Configuration for 17-inch iMac". Apple Inc. July 5, 2006. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  41. 1 2 3 "Apple Unveils New Mac Pro Featuring Quad 64-bit Xeon Processors". Apple Inc. August 7, 2006. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  42. 1 2 "Apple Introduces Xserve with Quad 64-bit Xeon Processors". Apple Inc. August 7, 2006. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  43. "Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Installation and Setup Guide" (PDF). Apple Inc. 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020. To upgrade to Snow Leopard or install Snow Leopard for the first time, you must have a Mac with: An Intel processor
  44. "Apple to Ship Mac OS X Snow Leopard on August 28". Apple Inc. August 24, 2009. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  45. "Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: Missing Front Row, Rosetta and Java runtime". AppleInsider . Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  46. "Mac OS X Lion Available Today From the Mac App Store". Apple Inc. July 20, 2011. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  47. "iTunes 10.6.3". Apple Inc. June 11, 2012. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  48. "Vintage and obsolete products". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  49. 1 2 3 Warren, Christina (June 29, 2016). "10 years on, Apple's risky move to Intel Macs is one of its biggest successes". Mashable . Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  50. "The Apple Developer Transition System – a Trojan Horse PowerMac". The Vintage Mac Museum. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  51. "Apple makes Macs run Windows XP". BBC News . April 5, 2006. Archived from the original on April 9, 2006. Retrieved April 5, 2006.
  52. Solheim, Shelley (June 26, 2006). "Intel rolls out 'Woodcrest' chip". MacWorld . Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  53. Macro, Ashleigh (March 1, 2011). "No Java, Rosetta, or Front Row in Lion". MacWorld . Archived from the original on August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  54. Keizer, Gregg (December 17, 2013). "Apple signals end to OS X Snow Leopard support". Computerworld . Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Apple provided the final update to Leopard in June 2011
  55. Keizer, Gregg (February 26, 2014). "Apple retires Snow Leopard from support, leaves 1 in 5 Macs vulnerable to attacks". Computerworld . Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014. See the graph picture on the web
  56. "iTunes 10.6.3". support.apple.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2019.