This article is about Apple's transition of its Mac computers from the PowerPC architecture to Intel processors. For details on the architecture of Intel-based Apple computers, see Apple–Intel architecture.
Mac transition to Intel processors
PowerPC
Architecture
Universal binary
Boot Camp
Rosetta
Developer Transition Kit
v
t
e
Part of a series on
macOS
Features
History
Transition to Intel processors
Transition to Apple silicon
Architecture
Built-in apps
List of applications
List of games
Versions
Rhapsody (Developer Release)
Hera (Server 1.0)
Kodiak (Public Beta)
Cheetah (10.0)
Puma (10.1)
Jaguar (10.2)
Panther (10.3)
Tiger (10.4)
Leopard (10.5)
Snow Leopard (10.6)
Lion (10.7)
Mountain Lion (10.8)
Mavericks (10.9)
Yosemite (10.10)
El Capitan (10.11)
Sierra (10.12)
High Sierra (10.13)
Mojave (10.14)
Catalina (10.15)
Big Sur (11)
Monterey (12)
Ventura (13)
Sonoma (14)
Applications
App Store
Automator
Books
Calculator
Calendar
Chess
Contacts
Dashboard
Dictionary
DVD Player
FaceTime
Finder
Game Center
Grapher
iTunes (history)
Launchpad
Mail
Messages
Music
Notes
Notification Center
Photo Booth
Podcasts
Photos
Preview
QuickTime
Reminders
Safari (version history)
Sherlock
Stickies
TextEdit
Time Machine
Utilities
Activity Monitor
AirPort Utility
Archive Utility
Audio MIDI Setup
Bluetooth File Exchange
ColorSync
Console
Crash Reporter
DigitalColor Meter
Directory Utility
DiskImageMounter
Disk Utility
Font Book
Grab
Help Viewer
Image Capture
Installer
Keychain Access
Migration Assistant
Network Utility
ODBC Administrator
Remote Install Mac OS X
System Preferences
System Information
Terminal
Universal Access
VoiceOver
Related
Classic Mac OS
Copland
NeXTSTEP
Rhapsody
Darwin
v
t
e
The Mac transition to Intel processors was the process of switching the central processing units (CPUs) of Apple's line of Mac and Xserve computers from PowerPC processors over to Intel's x86-64 processors.[a] The change was announced at the 2005 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) by then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who said Apple would gradually stop using PowerPC microprocessors supplied by Freescale (formerly Motorola) and IBM.[1]
The transition was the second time Apple had switched the processor instruction set architecture of its personal computers. The first was in 1994, when Apple discarded the Mac's original Motorola 68000 series architecture in favor of the then-new PowerPC platform.[2]
Apple's initial press release originally outlined that the move would begin by June 2006, with completion slated by early 2008 - the transition had proceeded faster than anticipated. The first-generation Intel-based Macs were released in January 2006 with Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger. In August, Jobs announced the last models to switch, with the Mac Pro available immediately and the Intel Xserve available by October,[3] although shipments for the latter computer line did not start until December.[4]
The final version of Mac OS X that ran on PowerPC processors was Leopard, released in October 2007, with PowerPC binary translation support (using Rosetta) persisting up through the following version, Snow Leopard.[5] Support was later dropped in Lion.
In 2020, Apple announced that it would shift its Mac line to Apple silicon, which are ARM-based processors developed in-house.[2]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
^"Apple to Use Intel Microprocessors Beginning in 2006". Apple Inc. June 6, 2005. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
^ abShankland, Stephen (June 22, 2020). "Apple gives Macs a brain transplant with new Arm chips starting this year". CNet. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
^Cohen, Peter (August 6, 2006). "WWDC Live Keynote Update". Macworld. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
^"Xserve Technology Overview" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 23, 2020.
^"Apple Previews Mac OS X Snow Leopard to Developers" (Press release). Apple. June 9, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
and 24 Related for: Mac transition to Intel processors information
The MactransitiontoIntelprocessors was the process of switching the central processing units (CPUs) of Apple's line of Mac and Xserve computers from...
Mactransitionto Apple silicon was the process of switching the central processing units (CPUs) of Apple Inc.'s line of Mac computers from Intel's x86-64...
22 million Mac OS X users, more than 67% were using Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Apple announced a transitiontoIntel x86 processors during Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger's...
during the MactransitiontoIntelprocessors, announced in 2005. The current lineup consists of the MacBook Air (2008–present) and the MacBook Pro (2006–present)...
the iMac G5 and the Xserve G5. Three generations of Power Mac G5 were released before it was discontinued as part of the MactransitiontoIntel processors...
"Hackintoshing" began as a result of Apple's 2005 transitiontoIntelprocessors, away from PowerPC. Since 2005, many Mac computers have used the same x86-64 computer...
discontinued as part of the MactransitiontoIntelprocessors announced in 2005, making way for its replacement, the Mac Pro. The first Power Macintosh...
transitioned to the Intel architecture with a line of Macs using Intel Core processors. In 2020, Apple began the Apple silicon transition, using self-designed...
Intel processors. Based on the Intel Core Solo and Duo CPUs, they are four times faster than its predecessor PowerPC G4. This would be the only Macto have...
cards were discontinued in 2009 following the Mac transitiontoIntelprocessors, after all of Apple's Mac products had adopted built-in Wi-Fi. Apple's line...
States to distribute one to every student. Apple replaced the iBook line with the MacBook in May 2006 during the MactransitiontoIntelprocessors. In the...
family. The PowerBook was replaced by the MacBook Pro in 2006 as part of the MactransitiontoIntelprocessors. In October 1991, Apple released the first...
gestures, to the Mac. This release removed Rosetta, making it incapable of running PowerPC applications. It dropped support for 32-bit Intelprocessors and...
cancellation of the processors in May 2004 underscored Intel's historical transition of its focus on single-core processorsto multi-core processors. In early 2003...
Other processors will have limited overclocking due to chipset limitations. K models also do not support Intel TXT, Intel VT-d and vPro. P processors disable...
completed the Mactransition from Intelto Apple processors, first announced in June 2020 and started in November that year. Apple said that an Intel-based replacement...
Windows and Intel) is the partnership of Microsoft Windows and Intel producing personal computers using Intel x86-compatible processors running Microsoft...
line of consumer Macs running on Intelprocessors by early August 2006. The Apple Xserve server was updated toIntel Xeon processors from November 2006...
supporting the Apple Macintosh platform before the MactransitiontoIntelprocessors. Before this transition, Terra Soft Solutions held the unique distinction...
The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) is a series of integrated graphics processors introduced in 2004 by Intel, replacing the earlier Intel Extreme...
its line of iMacsto feature the new Intel Core "i-series" processors across the line. The 21.5" models now feature the Core i3 processor, but these are...
release of macOS for Macs powered by Apple-designed ARM64-based processors, a key part of the transition from Intel x86-64-based processors. The chip mentioned...
Global Information