The Intel Mac transition of 2006 (part 2): PC switchers were excited
When Apple went the Intel route, they used the compatibility with Windows to their advantage. It was a selling point and assurance, convincing Windows PC users to buy their first Mac. In this second part of my article series about the Intel Mac transition, I walk you through the main reasons the Intel Macs were a success.
Background
Let’s begin with the state of the PowerPC Macs.
New era for Mac owners, new opportunities
Up to this point, using a Mac would mean using MacOS (classic). Later, MacOS X took over as the operating system but that’s it. Instead of dual-booting Microsoft’s OS there was software called Virtual PC which allowed you to run Windows on top of the Mac’s operating system. Likewise, in the 1990s you may have come across Soft Windows and ways to get access to a DOS environment but that is long before MacOS X entered the scene, before the iMac introduction, etc.
The Mac itself (the CPU and the rest of the hardware) was not compatible with running Windows: you could not install it on your harddrive, boot the machine and be greeted by the startup chime sound and a Start Menu. That was due to the limitation of Windows which was primarily designed to run on the Intel x86 machines which the vast majority of home users chose to buy. Windows NT (originally built for business users) was available for more processor types, including Power PC, but not Macs with the same processor architecture because of differences between how Macs were architectured compared to other PowerPC-equipped machines. So, a native installation was not an option.
Alternatives to MacOS on PowerPC
You could always install the PowerPC version of BeOS. It looked very similar to the classic MacOS environment (pre-MacOS X). You had to rely on the applications being available for that platform, which weren’t even close to what MacOS offered. But, it was a real alternative OS you could in fact install, if you really wanted to.
Then things changed. At long last, you could install Windows natively
Intel Macs: PC or Mac? Both!
Then, things changed. At long last, you could install Windows natively. You were offered either MacOS or Windows at the time of booting up your Mac. Apple called this feature Boot Camp and it was more than just a dual-boot feature: it came with Windows device drivers to support the Mac hardware.
This meant Mac owners had the best possible experience with the Windows OS. I never tried out Bootcamp on any of my Intel Macs, so I can’t speak from personal experience. Here’s a great Youtube from the well-established Windows Central guiding you through the process of installing Windows 10 on a 2015 model of a Macbook Pro (the video is less than 5 minutes long):
Windows on a retina screen
It’s not just about compatibility with Windows: you get a retina laptop screen. This was certainly very, very rare in 2015 among PC manufacturers. It’s still not mainstream for PC laptop manufacturers today in 2023 (!). Two of the most well-known exceptions to the rule can be found among the Microsoft Surface computers and the Dell XPS line. You may also be able to find high-pixel density screens in ”creator”-focused PC laptops (creators/influencers).
Run all big 3 operating systems natively – on the same computer
It should not be understated: Apple enabling MacOS X, Windows and Linux to run on the same computer was a dream come true for enthusiasts, scientists, game developers, system administrators – and more. This was exclusive to Mac hardware (officially!).
What about the Macbook touchpad?
One of the most appreciated features in Macbooks seems to be the touchpad: the big glass surface below the keyboard. MacOS allows gestured to be used to navigate the OS and I often see positive remarks about the touchpad in forums. However: the launch line-up of Macbooks in 2006 didn’t come with full-blown touchpads. They were equipped with rather minimal surface areas and acted more like a traditional Mac laptop mouse alternative. To quote Wikipedia:
The trackpad is also larger than that of the first generation, giving more room for scrolling and multi-touch gestures.
To get an idea of the difference, you can take a look at the evolution of the Macbook Pro line. You’ll find that there is a button below the touchpad on the early Intel Macbooks which was no longer needed after they had redesigned it.
Battery life: Intel Macbooks were impressive (at the time)
After seeing how many hours the Apple silicon architecture allows thanks to highly efficient chip technology, it’s easy to forget that Intel Mac laptops were still showcasing very good battery life. I think a whole lot can be attributed to the nature of how much MacOS is optimised for the hardware by Apple engineers. Fine-tuned, if you will.
The last Intel Mac: iMac (mid-2020)
Two and a half years ago in the summer of 2020, Apple released their last, new Intel Mac. While Apple continues to sell the Intel Mac Mini from 2018 as an alternative to the M1 Mac Mini, the newest Mac of the bunch is the 2020 iMac.
No more Intel Macs – or maybe …?
That is, unless Apple is planning on releasing an update to the Intel Xeon processor-powered Mac Pro, before going completely exclusive on Apple silicon. Maybe it sounds obvious to stop using Intel already and I agree, except Mac Pro is a very special machine: it wasn’t designed for the average Mac user. The type of customer who buys a Mac Pro might have a need to go with Intel again, using it for a couple of more years, if they rely heavily on specific software that cannot be used properly on Apple silicon. We do not yet know what Apple is planning to do with this machine until they have something to announce. Until then, I’m going to assume they are exclusively going to sell Apple silicon machines going forward.
Note: Thank you for reading! Medium’s “clap” button is different from a Like button. If you want to learn more about how clapping works, see the info page at the Medium Help Center, here.
