And the final PowerPC was introduced 11 years later in November 2005, a PowerMac G5 that used the PowerPC 970MP chip, the first dual‑core PowerPC that was essentially two 970FX processors on a single piece of silicon.Ĭook remarked that Apple still have some Intel‑based products in the pipeline, as we’ve seen with the recent 27‑inch iMac update. The first PowerPC‑based Macs - the PowerMac 6100, 7100, and 8100s - were endowed with a PowerPC 601 processor and appeared in March 1994.
Apple’s original Macs were based around Motorola’s 68k family of chips (starting with the 68000 processor in 1984), and the final 68k Mac in production was 1995’s PowerBook 190 that used a 68LO040, which was a cheaper derivative of the 68040 due to the lack of a floating‑point unit! And the period since then has been the Mac’s longest relationship with a hardware architecture in the product’s 36‑year history. While it may seem like yesterday for long‑time Mac aficionados that Apple began the move from PowerPC to Intel processors, it’s worth remembering this was now 15 years ago. So when Tim Cook announced Apple would embark on another two‑year transition during this year’s WWDC keynote in June, re‑engineering Macs to be based on what the company is referring to as Apple Silicon, it was perhaps the least surprising surprise. For some time, it’s been widely rumoured Apple would switch away from Intel processors to ARM‑based alternatives, similar to those used in the company’s other devices like the iPad. In recent years, there will undoubtedly have been those wary of contemplating such a question again. “Isn’t the business great right now? Why do we want another transition?” “Now, why are we going to do this?” quipped Jobs.
He was about to announce that, after much speculation, Apple would begin a two‑year process of replacing the PowerPC chips at the heart of the company’s Mac computers to those developed by rival chipmaker Intel. “Let’s talk about transitions,” remarked Steve Jobs at the company’s annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) back in 2005. But how will this affect musicians and audio engineers? That a high‑efficiency audio processor is included should raise eyebrows for readers of this magazine.Īpple recently announced a transition in the Mac’s hardware architecture that promises to be the most significant in the product’s history. A slide from the WWDC keynote shows a high‑level architectural overview of Apple Silicon.
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