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"Macintel" Q&A (Intel Macs FAQ) @ EveryMac.com
Archive Published July 24, 2006
The "Macintel" Q&A was published originally on June 20, 2005 -- long before individual product announcements -- to cut through the hype and resolve the uncertainty surrounding Apple's decision to switch to Intel processors. Questions such as "Why did Apple decide to switch to Intel processors?" and "What is 'Rosetta'? What does it support?" along with dozens of others are answered in-depth.
When Intel-based Macs began to ship, the "Macintel" Q&A was updated to include the original speculative answers as well as confirmed answers when applicable. Please note that this Q&A was "archived" on July 24, 2006. It remains largely for "historical" purposes.
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Most Frequently Asked "Macintel" Q&As:
What is "Rosetta"? What does it support?
Will the "Macintel" systems cost less than today's Macs?
Will MacOS X "Leopard" run on PowerPC-based Macs?
Is Adobe software available in "Universal Binary" format? If not, when will the software be released? How fast are their existing programs on the Intel-based Macs?
Will the "Macintel" systems be able to run "MacOS 9/Classic" applications?
Will PC systems be able to run MacOS X for Intel? Could "Macintel" systems open the door for Mac "clones"?
Why did Apple decide to switch to Intel processors?
Will existing MacOS X applications be able to run on "Macintel" systems?
Will applications written for MacOS X for Intel run on PowerPC-based Macs?
Will Microsoft Office run on Intel-based Macs at a usable speed?
General "Macintel" Q&As:
What does "Macintel" mean?
Why did Apple decide to switch to Intel processors?
If an x86 transition was necessary, why not switch to AMD?
When will the switch from PowerPC to Intel processors occur?
Which Apple systems will be the first to include an Intel processor?
What will the "Macintel" systems be named when they ship?
Will the PowerPC-based Mac I just bought be supported in the future?
Should I wait to buy an Intel-based Mac?
Will the "Macintel" systems cost less than today's Macs?
Where can I buy a "Macintel" system?
What effect will "Macintel" systems have on the computer market?
General Software Compatibility Q&As:
Will the "Macintel" systems run MacOS X? What version?
Will MacOS X "Leopard" run on PowerPC-based Macs?
Will existing MacOS X applications be able to run on "Macintel" systems?
What is "Rosetta"? What does it support?
What is the "Accelerate Framework"?
Will applications written for MacOS X for Intel run on PowerPC-based Macs?
Will the "Macintel" systems be able to run "MacOS 9/Classic" applications?
Will the "Macintel" systems be able to run Windows?
Will the "Macintel" systems be able to run Windows games?
Will "Macintel" systems be subject to Windows viruses/spyware?
Will PC systems be able to run MacOS X for Intel? Could "Macintel" systems open the door for Mac "clones"?
Will the "Macintel" systems be able to run Linux?
How do you reset an application to run under Rosetta instead of natively? Why would you want to do that? Wouldn't it be slower?
Specific Software Application Q&As:
Is QuarkXPress available as a "Universal Binary"?
Is Adobe software available in "Universal Binary" format? If not, when will the software be released? How fast are their existing programs on the Intel-based Macs?
Is FileMaker Pro available as a "Universal Binary"? How fast is it on the Intel-based Macs?
Will Microsoft Office run on Intel-based Macs at a usable speed?
Is Microsoft Virtual PC compatible with the Intel-based Macs?
Can Intel-based Macs, specifically the MacBook Pro, run Digidesign Pro Tools LE with an Mbox 2?
How much faster does Quake 4 run on Intel-based Macs now that it has been made "Universal"?
Is World of Warcraft (WoW) playable on the Mac mini "Core"?
Will the MacBook run Aperture?
General Hardware Compatibility Q&As:
Which Intel processors will the "Macintel" systems use?
Will Apple support HD-DVD or Blu-ray on the Intel-based Macs?
Which Apple Macs use Intel processors?
Will the "Macintel" systems use OpenFirmware?
Will the "Macintel" systems use a PC BIOS?
Will the "Macintel" systems support PC video cards?
Will the "Macintel" systems support AltiVec?
Will existing peripherals be compatible with "Macintel" systems?
Will the "Macintel" systems support Firewire?
Will the "Macintel" systems have integrated cameras?
Will upgrade cards be available for PowerPC-based systems?
Will PC systems be able to run MacOS X for Intel? Could "Macintel" systems open the door for Mac "clones"?
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