Mac Spectrum
Will iOS 5 Abandon Support for PowerPC Macs?
- 2011.06.16 - Tip Jar
Follow Simon Royal on Twitter.
Popularity: 
Short link: http://bit.ly/m4eMjv
I am still enjoying the announcements from this year's WWDC.
One of the things that I was most interested to hear about was the future of the iPhone and iOS. The details about iOS 5 sound great, pushing Apple further forward in the portable world.
iOS 5 got me thinking about the PowerPC platform.
The
original iPhone and iPhone 3G requires a PowerPC or Intel Mac running
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The
iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 require a PowerPC or Intel Mac running OS X 10.5 Leopard.
iOS 5 will work on the forthcoming iPhone 5, but it will also be available for the 3GS and 4, which currently support PowerPC Macs for updates and syncing.
I can't see any reason why Apple would not allow 3GS and 4 owners who have a PowerPC Mac not to upgrade to iOS 5. It would be cruel, and I think Apple could have a lawsuit on its hands.
For the foreseeable future, I'm confident
that Apple will support PPC, at least in that way. Apple will support
PPC until it drops support for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, which is
going to be a couple of years yet.
What will probably happen is the iPhone 5 hardware will be released Intel only or with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard as the minimum requirements, and six months after its release and a few minor releases in, iOS version 5.3 will be released for iPhone 5 only (3GS and 4 will stop at 5.2.5), which will then be Intel only and therefore end support for PowerPC Macs.
That sounds pretty plausible.
Publisher's note: My guess is that the iPhone 4 will remain in the line as the entry-level iPhone. iOS 5 is almost certainly going to be the last version to support the iPhone 3GS, but Apple is not likely to stop updates for the iPhone 4 as long as it remains in production. Of course, Apple could surprise everyone and create an entry-level iPhone 5, which would eliminate the hassle of stocking separate GSM and CDMA versions. Time will tell. dk
Join us on Facebook!, follow us on Twitter, use our Google+ page, or read our RSS news feed
Recent articles by Simon Royal
- Apple May No Longer Support Your Older Mac, but Microsoft Will, 2012.05.11. Believe it or not, Windows 7 and 8 can run nicely on Macs than can't run OS X 10.7 or 10.8 at all.
- 1998: The iMac Saves Apple, 2012.05.04. Its specs were pedestrian, but the color, lack of standard Mac ports, and missing floppy drew a lot of attention.
- Apple Should Make Older Mac OS Versions Free, 2012.05.03. It can cost more for a copy of the Mac OS than you paid for an old Mac you want to put it on.
- More in the Mac Spectrum index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Unitron Mac512, introduced 1985. Unauthorized Brazilian clone of the Mac 512K.
- May 24 in LEM history: 99: Mac sales up, iMac sales down? - 01: Speeding up digital photography - 02: The Internet, research, and plagiarism - 04: NewerTech TiBook battery - Optical mice from Contour - 06: Power Mac today or Intel tomorrow? - 07: G5: Apple's last fling with PowerPC - G3: From 233 MHz to 1.1 GHz
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Lion and the End of Bootable OS X Installers, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2012.05.23. Mac OS X Lion is only available as an upgrade from Snow Leopard. Is this the end of bootable installers from Apple?
- Mac Pro on the Way Out or Changing with the Times?, Dan Bashur, Apple, Tech, and Gaming, 2012.05.22. No other desktop Mac offers a wide range of expansion options, but is that enough reason for Apple to keep the behemoth powerhouse Mac Pro around?
- iPhone 3D: Stereo Photography and 3D Movies for the Rest of Us, Anne Onymus, The Rumor Mill, 2012.05.22. Until now, stereo photography and 3D movies required expensive dedicated equipment. With the iPhone 3D, Apple will make it available to the masses.
- iPad 2 'Feels Like an Upgrade' from New iPad, Samsung Tops Apple in Smartphone Market, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.05.21. Also Apple to maintain tablet dominance, working in portrait mode, Wozniak would like to see end of walled garden, and more.
- MacBook Airs Top Ultrabooks, Boost MacBook Performance, MacBook Pro Update in June?, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.05.21. Also Retina displays available now but costly, USB 3 expected in next MacBook rev, hybrid drives an affordable alternative to SSDs, and more.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals
- Best MacBook Air Deals
- Best iPad Deals
- Best Mac OS X 10.6, iLife, and iWork Deals
- Best iPod classic Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals
- Best iBook G4 Deals
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Macpokeronline.com will show you how to download and play Poker on a Mac natively on your Mac in just minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
Deal Brothers
DealMac
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay
