Pre-2006 Software: The Big Reason You Shouldn't Buy an Intel Mac Today
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- 2006.11.09
You can't read anything on the Mac Web today without hearing how great the new Intel Macs are - and why just about everyone should have one.
I think everyone is jumping the gun just a bit. Sure, the Intel Macs are faster and better in just about every way compared to their PowerPC ancestors, but there's one big drawback: software written for PowerPC Macs.
In order to run any PowerPC applications - any OS X applications written before 2006 - you have use Apple's Rosetta PowerPC translator. That means the programs are going to run slower - and they're going to require 2-4 times more memory.
Photoshop
This is bad news for people who need to use Photoshop, which hasn't yet been ported to Intel.
Photoshop users upgrading from a Power Mac G5 Quad to a Mac Pro for the speed boost may be very disappointed when they find that it isn't running Photoshop any faster than their G5 did. Instead, it's running slower and using twice as much RAM to get the job done. (See New Photoshop Bench: Quad Mac Pro Versus Two G5 Power Macs.)
And it isn't just Photoshop that doesn't have universal binaries yet; there are a number of applications that don't including Microsoft Office.
Education
Then there's the school issue. Schools are going to have a hard time using classic Mac educational software (that is, programs written before OS X). I've talked about this before, and there is a solution in the form of the SheepShaver emulator.
The School District doesn't allow the use of Open Source software on the school's computers.
But SheepShaver may not help a lot. My friend Kevin is a computer lab teacher/tech at a local elementary school. He told me that there are two problems with using SheepShaver:
- The School District doesn't allow the use of Open Source software on the school's computers.
- Even if he could use the software, he wouldn't want to.
I can understand why he wouldn't want to. It takes a lot of time to set up SheepShaver, and if other computer teacher/techs are anything like Kevin, they're too busy (trying to repair/replace all of the eMacs that are dropping like flies) to deal with going around the school and installing SheepShaver, the classic Mac OS, and all of the programs on each machine.
It's like I always say to Photoshop users and anyone who needs to use software that doesn't come in universal binaries: Stick with the PowerPC machine you already have. Buying a new machine now would be a waste of your money. Just wait until the Universal Binary version of the software you use is available (by then there will be a faster Mac Pro on the market - and it might cost less, too).
Schools: Instead of buying new Intel hardware and either
installing SheepShaver on it or buying new software, keep your
current Macs or go on eBay and buy a pallet of Power Mac 5500s for $100. It will save you
time and money. 
Recent Vintage Mac Living articles
- If a Mac Plus can run System 7.5.5, why can't an 800 MHz G4 run Leopard?, 10.19. Apple supported the Mac Plus for over 10 years after its introduction. Why should Leopard cut off support for Macs released 4-6 years ago?
- 60 Mac models left behind: The ridiculously high cost of Leopard, 10.17. Mac OS X 10.5 officially doesn't support any G3 Macs, most G4 Power Macs, most titanium PowerBooks, half the G4 iMacs, early eMacs, or the first 12" G4 iBook.
- What a waste! Some schools would rather store old computers than put them to use, 09.12. Denver Public Schools is one example of a school district so ready to buy new computers that it has tens of thousands of old, usable computers sitting in storage.
- More in the Vintage Mac Living index.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Time Machine can now backup to a shard hard drive, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 07.08. Earlier versions of Leopard didn't seem to allow backup to a shared drive on another Mac, but the 10.5.4 update allows it.
- More air: Expectations for future MacBook and MacBook Pro models, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 07.08. Next generation 'Books are expected to include Intel's next generation Montevino processor, but wireless power and wireless USB could give Apple a leg up on the competition.
- Safari 3.1 Is the best browser for Macs and for Windows, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 07.08. Apple's Safari browser is fast, lightweight, and compatible with pretty much any website that doesn't require users to run Windows and Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.
- Best iBook G3 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used clamshell, $100; 500 MHz CD, $169; 700, $279; 600 CD-RW, $240; 900 Combo, $299; 14" 700, $300; 900, $449.
- Best Power Mac G4 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used 450 MHz ACP, $79; 533 DA, $100; 867 QS, $200; 1.25 GHz MDD Combo, $375; 867 dual, $325; 1 GHz, $395; 1.25, $529; 1.42, $619.
- Best classic iPod deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.08. Used 20 GB, $100; 30, $120; 40, $150; 60 color, $175; 30 video, $160; 80, $200; refurb 80 classic, $209; new, $229; refurb 160, $299; new, $319.
- Mac of the Day: 'Lombard' PowerBook G3, June 1999 - 'bronze keyboard' model is first PowerBook with USB, reaches 400 MHz, trims almost 2 lb.
- List of the Day: PowerList for those using Power Computing Mac clones.
- July 9 in LEM history: 01: Anti-spam measures marginalize low-end Macs - Color Classics on eBay - DSL diary - The 25th Anniversary Mac - 02: eMac test drive - Women in IT - 03: A week with an eMac - Are Apple's applications helping or hurting? - 04: Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache - Radeon Enabler unlocks video features
- Macintosh reliability improving since the shift to Intel, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 07.07. For a while in the G3 and G4 era, Apple was plagued with logic board failures and analog board problems, but they seem to be a thing of the past.
- 1.8 GHz, SSD MacBook Air price cuts; Samsung vs. Hitachi notebook drives; Centrino 2 preorders; and more, The 'Book Review, 07.07. Also MacBook shipments up 61% over Q1 2007, Apple notebook redesign rumored, Santa Rosa MacBook Pro video failure, Mopar in-vehicle wireless Internet, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,749, and m
- iPhone 3G service more costly in States, outrageous in Canada, and more, iNews Review, 07.07. Also long fingernails and the iPhone, future iPhone may include keyboard and Intel Atom CPU, voice control for iPods, Ringtons Studio for the iPhone, and more.
- Best MacBook deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Used 1.83 GHz Combo, $819; 2.0 SD, $975; refurb 2.1 GHz Combo, $949; 2.4 SD, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1 Combo, $1,005 a/r; 2.2 SD, $1,205 a/r; more.
- Best eMac deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Used 700 MHz CD, $140; CD-RW, $150; Combo, $170; 1 GHz, $200; 1.25 GHz SD, $230; 1.42 GHz Combo, $300; SuperDrive, $439.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 deals, Low End Mac Deals, 07.07. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $40; 10.1, $49; 10.2, $60; 10.3 DVD, $80; CD, $160; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $80; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $130.
- More links in our archive.
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