IBM updated an article entitled "POWER to the people" which runs down the history of the Power Architecture which developed into the PowerPC processor used in Apple's Macintoshes.
The PowerPC came from the Apple, IBM, Motorola alliance and introduced in 1993, the PowerPC saw its first commercial use in the Power Macintosh 6100.
Since 1993, the PowerPC ecosystem has of course evolved; Apple is no longer actively involved in PowerPC, and Motorola's PowerPC (and other microprocessor) development work has been spun off into the independent semiconductor company known as Freescale.
In summer of 2005, Apple announced it would be abandoning the PowerPC processors in favor of Intel processors. The transition is expected to begin as early as January of 2006.
Freescale and IBM are moving on with their PowerPC processors which may even see a name change sometime in 2006, according to this article:
Top-of-the-line custom processors, such as the next-gen Microsoft Xbox 360 processor, are based on the PowerPC architecture, and IBM remains firmly committed to the PowerPC family as an important component of its microprocessor lineup (note that Freescale hints the PowerPC might undergo a name change in 2006!).
Tuesday September 26, 2023 12:47 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...
Sunday September 24, 2023 12:45 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple previously announced that macOS Sonoma will be released this Tuesday, September 26. The free software update includes many new features and changes for the Mac, including the five that we have highlighted below. In addition to these five features, we have shared the full release notes for macOS Sonoma below for a complete overview of everything new. Desktop Widgets macOS Sonoma...
Tuesday September 26, 2023 9:12 am PDT by Juli Clover
Complaints about heat issues with the iPhone 15 Pro models are not related to TSMC's 3-nanometer node that was used for the A17 Pro chip, according to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says that overheating could be caused by "compromises made in the thermal system design" that allowed Apple to cut down on the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro models. Kuo says that the reduced heat...
Monday September 25, 2023 12:50 pm PDT by Marko Zivkovic
The iPhone 16 series is expected to gain an additional capacitive button, known internally as the "Capture Button." Codenamed "Project Nova," the button is likely to be one of the main selling points of the iPhone 16 lineup, assuming it gets past the initial testing phase. The Capture Button is located on the same side as the Power button, only positioned slightly lower - where the mmWave cutout...
Monday September 25, 2023 3:16 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple could be preparing to release a seventh-generation iPad mini before the end of the year, based on a new report by DigiTimes. In an article discussing stagnating global tablet demand in the second half of 2023, the Taiwan-based outlet forecasts an uptick in Apple's share of the market owing to orders for a "small-size" iPad in the fourth quarter. From the report (see bold): In the...
Tuesday September 26, 2023 10:01 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released macOS 14 Sonoma, the newest version of the operating system that runs on the Mac. macOS Sonoma has been in beta testing for several months, and it is compatible with the 2019 and later iMac, the iMac Pro, the 2018 and later Mac mini, the 2018 and later MacBook Pro, the 2019 and later Mac Pro, and the Mac Studio. The macOS Sonoma update can be downloaded for free on...
