The ARM move of Apple and its effect on CX

[AndyAndroid]

Yes, this is also the reason why I would like to get an Intel one because if macOS and iOS development doesn't work out, I can still run Windows and Linux on it

Buying any Intel based Mac right now would be a solid move especially considering your point about still being able to run Windows and Linux on it. It used to that you would hear that Windows runs better on a Mac, so an Intel Mac is still a solid Windows machine for some years to come.

I wouldn't consider purchasing an ARM based Mac now, 1. because you cannot purchase one now, 2. the initial audience for the is leaning towards "consumers" of tech rather than "developers" of tech.

As you know with an Intel Mac you will be still be able to target iOS, iPadOS, and with Big Sur and the accompanying Xcode update, you will be able to target Universal2 binaries to support Intel and ARM based Macs with a single bundle.

Top all this off with the announcement that new Intel based hardware is coming later in the year, I think it is unlikely that a "developer" machine will be deprecated any sooner than a 4 year timeline. You might even consider that the 4 year timer starts ticking after the new Intel based Macs are released later this year.

I recently purchased a new iMac and MacBook Pro not even out of the box yet, but it will be a big upgrade from a HP Laptop and MacMini combination. There is no denying the cost of the Apple hardware is more expensive but if you can and are willing to do your own upgrades, you can bring the price down at least for the iMac with memory and storage DIY upgrades. The storage DIY upgrade will void the warranty, but no problem installing your own memory upgrades to save some money.

 

[ddabrahim]

Thank you for your reply @AndyAndroid

I am not rushing to get a Mac right now. I would like to get one this year and by the time I make up my mind maybe we going to already have ARM Mac's available for purchase but yes, I think it is indeed a solid choice to go with an Intel Mac.

Yes it would be nice if I could save some money with upgrading the RAM myself thanks for the suggestion, however I am considering to get a 27" iMac direct from Apple and in the description it doesn't mention that the RAM can be upgraded, only that it can be "configured" at checkout. I know that Apple (and also many manufacturers) removing upgrade options to force people buy a new hardware instead of upgrade the component only so I am not sure if it even possible with the models I was looking at. Sure can be done by opening up the case but in case of an iMac I believe it means removing the screen altogether and disconnecting it from the motherboard and it is also dangerous because the PSU just below the screen is hold enough charge to kill people. I would not want to risk braking the screen or harm myself. But maybe at the time of purchase I ask in the store if the RAM can be upgraded through using a memory compartment door like with the older models, that would be nice indeed.

Thanks again.

EDIT// I was looking at the wrong thing, the RAM can be upgraded for the 27" iMac, it is going to help me to save tons of money, literally the price of the iPhone

 

[Wingnut]

I've had a real good experience with mac's so far. Their low-end machine are amazing.
But not because they have better hardware (and their webcams is a joke in 2020) but they create a great software-hardware combo.
You pay for that combination.

I saw today by the way, Apple being very non-business like, for the first time perhaps. They merge iBooks Author with Pages.

Meaning that authors writing for iPads aren't forced to buy an MacBook if you already got an iPad
You can just write on the iPad itself (a iBooks import functionality will come into Pages soon).

So now the only one that really needs MacBook, is the programmer.
Everyone else could get an iPad and be happy.

 

[ddabrahim]

Yes the optimisation and stability of Apple computers is legendary it was actually my first thought when Apple announced their own CPU, now they have full control even over that piece of tech too. But I have to admit, I never really had any problem with Windows. The only thing I really dislike about Windows is the updates but personally I never really had any stability and performance problems but all people around me was complaining, to be honest I never understood why. Yes, Win98 and XP did crash with blue screen of death a few times but not that often to be annoyed.

Yes, Apple seems to pushing their iPad as a replacement for laptops and desktops for average users. I did see lot of people on Youtube did put it to the test and you can do a lot on the iPad and it was actually my second thought. Now that Mac's going to run on the very same architecture as the iPad and this way Apple forces developers to port their desktop applications to the same chipset as the iPad, in theory it is going to be possible to even run proper desktop apps on the iPad and I just really find this interesting and it gives a new meaning to the "Apple ecosystem" where you can run the same apps across all of your devices on desktop, phone, tablet even your watch and tv. And if you are a developer you need to literally write your app only once and it should run on all Apple hardware with minimal modifications required. It is going to be really powerful, even though I never had a Mac I am really excited about this.

This is actually what Microsoft is trying to achieve with UWP and the Surface products but they have given up on the mobile space and this is what Google is trying to achieve with running Android apps on Chromebooks and Chrometabs but I think Apple did beat them with this move, the whole experience as Apple deliver it is just way more efficient imo both from user and developer point of view and the fact they are present in most hardware space people can target and use, desktop, mobile, tablet, laptop, smart watch, tv in one ecosystem is a huge advantage. I got really interested in this.

I can only hope CX will be there with me when I take my first steps, it could be actually interesting to be able to maybe split out Swift code on Mac and develop native apps that way that runs on macOS, iOS, iPadOS and maybe even on watchOS and tvOS. I know the price tag of Apple is inconvenient but I can see lot of potential in this.

 

[Wingnut]

Agree, but I don't think Microsoft have given up that much they just changed their tactics.

The .NET V5 (that I guess will finalise later this year) will change everything and it'll be a game changer, and a first giant leap towards being truly cross-platform for them. As well as a good starting point for starting to use their ARM version of Windows and have a nice set of competitive devices soon.

 

[ddabrahim]

I am a little sceptic about .NET 5. I did not follow the news, maybe it is nonsense what I am about to say but I fail to see how .NET 5 is going to bring together .NET, .NET Core and Xamarin in to one unified cross-platform framework. If a package is targeting Xamarin and Android it won't work with .NET on Windows or .NET Core or Mono on Linux exactly because Android, Linux and Windows is very different platforms, different architecture, different UI toolkit..etc It is just not possible to support them all with 1 framework wondering how .NET 5 going to address this without any fragmentation.

 

[AndyAndroid]

I was looking at the wrong thing, the RAM can be upgraded for the 27" iMac, it is going to help me to save tons of money, literally the price of the iPhone

That is what I opted for, since there is no need to remove the screen, bezel, etc and I don't think it voids the warranty, or you can just pop the original 8gb back in if service is needed. I am not sure where you are located, but this company is where I went to get the upgrades MacSales OWC . For extra storage I would take a look at the OWC Envoy Pro Ex with to 2800MB/s performance over Thunderbolt 3, some have claimed that you can actually boot faster from this external drive vs the internal SSD. So that is another potential cost saving option when considering upgraded storage on a new machine.

Agree, but I don't think Microsoft have given up that much they just changed their tactics.

That you can be certain of that Microsoft doesn't give up, but the fallout from some of their mistakes can leave the landscape littered with abandoned tech. Apple does the same thing when it comes to "dropping" things but seems to have a more cohesive strategy and that likely comes from being able to control every aspect from hardware to software, to distribution, where Microsoft doesn't really have that (exclusive) luxury. To be certain Microsoft has had success and will continue to do the same in the future, you can only hope that you get on the right Microsoft "train" with them and that it reaches the station

 

[Wingnut]

where Microsoft doesn't really have that (exclusive)

My gut feeling says that Microsoft will probably make sure that their new range of Windows products will have requirements around it so that 3rd party hardware will run their software as great as Apple products. Both Apple and Microsoft will come out with pretty amazing and interesting hardware next and everything will be about what these devices fit in your life and how open and cross-platform they are.

It's a winning strategy over the old closed-and-fragmented one now, legacy will be done in layers from now on.
The underlaying will be kept fresh, minimal and have requirements.

 

[AndyAndroid]

It's a winning strategy over the old closed-and-fragmented one

So then we must also give Google an honorable mention here with all its tech, PixelBook, Pixel 4, Nest, ChromeCast, Google Home, and all the software standards they curate. Google certainly is a contender, and let's not forget to mention Amazon with the all their devices with success and some failures too along the way. As a software developer you have a lot of choices for your targets, so choosing a development platform that covers the most targets is going to give you the most flexibility and opportunity. With CX and most development tools, it is a similar thing with targets at least (with CX) the flexibility to add/support new targets is there and may become easier in future releases.

 

[Wingnut]

Google are hard to predict. Google's ChromeOS seem strangely to be on the uprise again so I think they have big plans with Fuchsia and som crazy ideas.

But one thing is for sure and that is that all platforms will make it much harder to differentiate between native, managed, hybrid and even some kind of web applications.