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PowerPC Divergence (6/19/98)
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With the recent split between IBM and Motorola regarding their PowerPC development plans, several AtAT viewers are understandably concerned about the future of the PowerPC from a Macintosh standpoint. According to MacCentral, Apple is considering the divergence a "non-event," claiming that nothing but good can come of the two companies working on their own designs and enhancements for the chips. After all, now IBM and Motorola will compete for Apple's money, and that should drive both companies to make their respective PowerPC chips more Mac OS-friendly.
The other side of the coin is considerably less shiny, though; both IBM and Motorola have been trying to shift the focus of the PowerPC to embedded systems, and potentially away from desktop microprocessors. If that trend continues, in a few years you may have a toaster with a PowerPC inside, but your Mac might be running something from Intel instead. Given Apple's relatively low market share, it's quite possible that both companies might simply decide that the Mac portion of the PowerPC market is irrelevant. If that happens, we can say goodbye to cool enhancements like AltiVec, which is a great extension for a Mac-bound chip, but is less useful for a PowerPC that will be controlling your coffeemaker. (IBM has already said that they're not interested in AltiVec, since it isn't important for the chips they want to throw inside their high-end Unix workstations.)
We're all going to have to wait and see what happens with PowerPC development. The good news is, Apple's all set for the next few years: the G3 and G4 designs are both in no real danger. The other upside is, if development of PowerPC's for embedded systems goes well, then there may end up being a PowerPC that will be suitable for Apple's upcoming handheld systems, like this rumored "eMac" that's expected next year. That would allow Mac OS Lite to be very similar to the full Mac OS used in desktop systems.
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SceneLink (789)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 6/19/98 episode: June 19, 1998: Rumor has it that the iMac may be 56K in all its cuteness after all, thanks to the flexibility of software modems. Meanwhile, what happens to Apple after the IBM and Motorola divorce? And yet another Microsoft macro virus surfaces, and this one is nasty...
Other scenes from that episode: 788: More Modem Madness (6/19/98) You know, the only thing kicking up more debate than the iMac's lack of a floppy drive is its inclusion of a 33.6 Kbps modem. Since the "i" in iMac reportedly stands for "Internet" and Apple is strongly targeting the cute blue lump at computerless homes who want Internet access, why stack the deck against themselves by including only a 33.6 modem when the rest of the world is going 56K?... 790: Smile, You're On UseNet (6/19/98) Wheeee, the popularity of Microsoft Word macro viruses continues unabated. Data Fellows has reported a new one, which-- get this-- actually posts a user's Word documents to various internet newsgroups...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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