Intel also hearing rumors Apple testing MacBooks based on own A-series chip

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  • Reply 41 of 130
    ronboronbo Posts: 669member
    And why do we think this isn't just circular verification?? They heard it from these rumor sites. Then they comment on it, and the rumor site take it as independent verification?
  • Reply 42 of 130
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post


    And why do we think this isn't just circular verification?? They heard it from these rumor sites. Then they comment on it, and the rumor site take it as independent verification?



    Sure, it's just a 'what if' scenario as far I'm concerned, but I don't think it's so outlandish not to consider as a future possibility.
  • Reply 43 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Smallwheels View Post




    I hope they decide to build their chips in the USA.




    You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. There are no nations. There are no peoples. There are no Russians. There are no Arabs. There are no third worlds. There is no West. There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars. Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic and subatomic and galactic structure of things today!... You ... howl about America and democracy. There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today.



    Welcome to the real world, circa 1977. Things are only getting worse. Apple doesn't care about America, it cares only about money.
  • Reply 44 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bobr View Post


    I'll try this again! Isn't Windows 8 supposedly being ported for ARM processors? If so perhaps bootcamp will accomodate an A5/6 processor.



    Yes, Windows 8 will have an ARM port. However not much has been said of the capabilities of said ARM port and how the whole MS App Store thing will work out. And don't expect to do any heavy lifting - I'm not expecting AutoCAD compiled for ARM anytime soon.



    The question I have is would an A5/A6 chip have any form of virtualization hardware? e.g. VMWare Fusion for ARM would allow me to run Windows 8 in a VM on an ARM Mac. Also, ARM chips are still 32bit. They wont be 64bit for a while (2015) so its a long way off until Apple would be able to replace the entire lineup.



    Back to the main topic at hand, if Apple does release an ARM MacBook, I'd expect it to be a lot lower priced - $800 or so because they don't have to include a $250 Intel CPU and $50 northbridge, rather a $50 ARM SoC will suffice. The BOM would go from $800 (for a 13" MBA) down to $550, plus a 33% margin is $825.



    And Apple might not even take them mass market at first, perhaps just open them to K12 institutions (primarily grade schools) and work with specific developers to recompile their apps for ARM.
  • Reply 45 of 130
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by microtaint View Post


    if apples decides to go away from the Intel chip set then it is time to dump the stock. It is of no surprise that soon after their adoption of Intel chip sets that their stock blew up. Because everyone can now run windows on their laptops no wonder.. duh. apple would just be shooting themselves in the foot. If Apple drops Intel , then you really should drop the stock.



    Amusing. You really think that Apple's success is based on Intel chips and Bootcamp? You couldn't be more wrong. You really think that people buy macs just because they can run Windows on it? Not a chance. Apple's success is ability to overtake and shake markets. This move would do the same to Intel as Apple can become a competitor to Intel.



    If anything Apple is the safest place to invest money, even with such rumors.
  • Reply 46 of 130
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    No more Bootcamp/Windows?



    Given that Apple would be designing the A-series, it should be possible for them to create a high-quality x86 emulator for people who absolutely need to run Windows. Obviously it wouldn't be usable for 3D games and the like, but for non-CPU/graphics intensive applications, it should be possible.
  • Reply 47 of 130
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleLover2 View Post


    You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. There are no nations. There are no peoples. There are no Russians. There are no Arabs. There are no third worlds. There is no West. There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars. Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic and subatomic and galactic structure of things today!... You ... howl about America and democracy. There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today.



    Welcome to the real world, circa 1977. Things are only getting worse. Apple doesn't care about America, it cares only about money.



    Couldn't be said better. Forgot to add Google to that list.
  • Reply 48 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by microtaint View Post


    Yeah like the huge response of everyone buying apple computers because they contained some quality hardware (I.E. iNTEL) Yeah so, take intel out of the equation, and boom there goes the company, and the stock price. It's not rubbish, its the way it is. Watch and see.



    Things are different this time around. Apple stock can only go up. The business cycle does not apply.



    And I have several well-priced bridges for sale too, along with a select few good building lots in the Everglades...
  • Reply 49 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by microtaint View Post


    if apples decides to go away from the Intel chip set then it is time to dump the stock. It is of no surprise that soon after their adoption of Intel chip sets that their stock blew up. Because everyone can now run windows on their laptops no wonder.. duh. apple would just be shooting themselves in the foot. If Apple drops Intel , then you really should drop the stock.



    Oh, I thought you meant dump Intel stock!
  • Reply 50 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by microtaint View Post


    if apples decides to go away from the Intel chip set then it is time to dump the stock. It is of no surprise that soon after their adoption of Intel chip sets that their stock blew up. Because everyone can now run windows on their laptops no wonder.. duh. apple would just be shooting themselves in the foot. If Apple drops Intel , then you really should drop the stock.



    Didn't say anything about dropping Intel.



    They could use ARM chips instead of Intel chips in some (possibly new) models.



    They could offer ARM/Intel hybrid models to take advantage of each processors' strengths.



    This may be a tactic to get Intel to manufacture Apple ARM chips.



    Edit: HP introduced an iMac-like all-in-one computer today...



    ...It just feels so good, I can't stop doing it
  • Reply 51 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleLover2 View Post


    You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. There are no nations. There are no peoples. There are no Russians. There are no Arabs. There are no third worlds. There is no West. There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars. Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic and subatomic and galactic structure of things today!... You ... howl about America and democracy. There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today.



    Welcome to the real world, circa 1977. Things are only getting worse. Apple doesn't care about America, it cares only about money.



    this statement should be made every time there is a Apple/Google fanboy obsessed with a particular company. (Theres a difference between a fanboy and an enthusiast)
  • Reply 52 of 130
    I wouldn't be so concerned about Windows. As pointed out there will potentially be a version that runs on it anway. The more annoying thing if this turned out to be true is when the next OS X comes with some sort of emulation software, the version after doesn't have it installed and then by the 3rd supports dropped completely.
  • Reply 53 of 130
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Hey, Doom & Gloomers, remember MS has already stated Windows 8 will support ARM.



    Thanks for grounding me Solips. I forgot about that. As I understand it, Win8 for ARM will not support x86 Windows programs. So I really, really hope the players come out with ARM-compatible versions of their software.



    The only reason I use Windows is for my IBM development tools (AS/400), and Quickbooks, and Quicken. That's it. I'm sure that IBM will have their bases covered, but the other guys?? Their track-record is not so promising.
  • Reply 54 of 130
    mytdavemytdave Posts: 447member
    There are some unmistakable inherent issues with transitioning away from x86 CPUs and moving to ARM.



    First in line is the fact that all Mac software would have to be, at a minimum, recompiled, if not rewritten. We've gone through this pain before, and the transition still isn't fully complete. Asking developers to do it again this soon might just be a bit too much.



    Second is that fact that not all Macs sold are running MacOS. My organization has 6 Macs, only 2 of which are running MacOS. One is running Linux, and the others are running Windows. Whether Apple understands that millions of Macs sold today end up running an OS other than MacOS is unknown. If they're seriously considering a CPU switch, then they might not be seeing this reality. Compatibility is one of the best selling points for Mac computers now. Going back to the days of incompatible platforms would be a big mistake.



    Finally, current ARM processors are extremely efficient, but not as powerful as Intel CPUs (yet). While they consume far less power, it's not always about having the smallest gadget or the longest battery life. Occasionally (all the time) people have to generate info, not just consume it. No current or even near-future ARM chip is going to out-perform a quad-core Intel i7. The PC isn't quite dead yet, regardless of the punditry.
  • Reply 55 of 130
    zunxzunx Posts: 620member
    Did Apple learn from the PowerPC fiasco? We need x86 compatibility with the 97% of the world, and that means Intel chips inside Macs!
  • Reply 56 of 130
    cory bauercory bauer Posts: 1,286member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gyorpb View Post


    An "iBook", an iPad with a keyboard in a MacBook Air form factor (running iOS), could find a niche between the iPad and the Air for light use with phenomenal battery longevity, think journalists and casual web and email only users.



    You know what else would find a niche between the iPad and the Air? The white MacBook they just killed off that got 10 hours of battery life. Instead of killing it, they could have priced it at $699. No five-year processor transition required.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zunx View Post


    Did Apple learn from the PowerPC fiasco? We need x86 compatibility with the 97% of the world, and that means Intel chips inside Macs!



    Indeed. Have they forgotten that they went down this road once before, and that it was the reason they had to switch to Intel processors?



    I really, really, really this rumor doesn't pan out.
  • Reply 57 of 130
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zunx View Post


    Did Apple learn from the PowerPC fiasco? We need x86 compatibility with the 97% of the world, and that means Intel chips inside Macs!



    That 97% is now 88%. It's not 2003 anymore.
  • Reply 58 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Copse View Post


    Don't do it Apple!



    I really dont see the benefit for the end user.



    No more BootCamp, all software has to be re-coded to ARM arch. With Intel Core iX Sandy Bridge you have really nice speed and still OK batterytime.



    Did Apple forget the response they got when they moved from PPC to Intel x86?



    Noticed how most people really cares about what runs inside their iPhone and iPads....
  • Reply 59 of 130
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gyorpb View Post


    An "iBook", an iPad with a keyboard in a MacBook Air form factor (running iOS), could find a niche between the iPad and the Air for light use with phenomenal battery longevity, think journalists and casual web and email only users.



    Calling it a Mac would seriously dilute the Mac image, certainly now that the MacBook Airs have been brought up to speed, performance-wise.



    And with the steps taken to make Lion ever more user-friendly for non-power users, I doubt the market for such an under-powered device would be very large.



    Good call! Re-use the iBook name, or create a new name, iPal, without the "Mac" terminology, power it with a 1.6 GHz quad core A6 with powerful graphics engine to give the feel of a fast Mac for browsing, email and key app store apps - Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iPhoto, iMovie and third party BBEdit, Cyberduck, etc., would hit the spot.
  • Reply 60 of 130
    rp2011rp2011 Posts: 159member
    MS already has a prototype of Windows 8 running on ARM, if there is demand for Windows to run on a Mac, MS will make it available. I do not see that as the biggest concern.
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