Apple goes Intel. Why?, Apple Options

[lepetitmartien]

Uh, OS X is partly 64 bits, G5 are 64 bits (with a 128 bits bus)…

Now, 64 bits are not of use if you browse the net or try to type something in Office. now for video, audio, 3D…

The ALPHA boys possibility, is really exciting, even If I believe the first x86 mac will be laptops with some centrino (or something similar, I don't know the Intel future range by heart and I don't want to learn it the same, got better things to do as it's in the laptops that the gap is growing…

[abcdaniel]

Yeah, I at least am approaching the limit where things are getting too techie for me.

I thought that in order for 64bit to take full affect, the OS needs to be fully 64bit, at least in its core features (nontechie terms here, hehe ), and that the apps had to be coded and compiled to take advantage of the 64bit OS and 64bit processor all the way. Isn't it so?

Right now OSX is partly 64bit, but not enough to make full 64bit apps possible, isn't it so?
Yeah, I'll drop it now, this is truly my techielimit.

[lepetitmartien]

The 64 bitness of an OS is at multiple levels, OS X started with the memory, and Tiger goes further (I don't remember the details). G4 are basically 32 bit chips, but the data path is 128 as all PPC. G5 is a 64 bit chip, which understand 32 too, still with the 128 bit data path (that's the chunks moving in).

In fact on a 32/64 processor (I hope I won't say to many stupidities, it's from memory) to get the advantage of 64 bits (which are only important for big numbers crunching as in audio) you need for the most part in the OS and the apps, only the parts that are really worthy to be 64 to do. the rest written for 64 bits will only boost things marginally of at all (it may even slow down things).

So with a memory organized in 64, parts of the OS (and more to come) in 64, and part of apps too, it's a good way to make it easy on developers and benefit still from the boost.

I won't go further, I'm not able too, and also, it's not that important for us. what is important is:
- we have a partly 64 bits system, and it's build in the parts that benefit the most of it (unfinished yet but still further already than XP 64 as far as I know)
- our memory is 64 (that was why we could have 8 GB or RAM on G5 uh!)
- developers can code part of their apps in 64
- G5 are made for it.
- the Intel 64 CPUs are coming next year (don't search the coincidence, it's not one!)

note there's ONE drawback with 64 bit, in memory it takes live estate. 64 eats RAM!