Top Bananas | Category Archives: Software

Apple Silicon vs. Intel

Posted on July 15, 2020 by admin Posted in Hardware, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Apple announced the Macintosh is shifting away from Intel processors to Apple’s own processors dubbed Apple Silicon.

At one time, the Macintosh used a PowerPC processor (or even earlier, a Motorola 68000 processor) while the PC world used Intel processors (or even earlier, Z80 processors).

So while the PC market shifted from CP/M-80 and Z80 processors to MS-DOS and Intel processors, the Macintosh shifted from Motorola 68000 processors to PowerPC processors to Intel processors.

Once PCs and the Macintosh used the same Intel processors, it was easier to compare their features. In general, PCs cost less but the software on the Macintosh tended to be easier to use.

Now Apple has announced the Macintosh is making yet another transition away from Intel processors to Apple’s own processors based on energy-efficient ARM processors. Apple’s own ARM processors (dubbed A-series chips) already outperform most Intel processors, so switching to Appel Silicon will allow the Macintosh to be more energy efficient and powerful than Intel processors.

Once the Macintosh starts pulling away in features that PCs can’t match (much like how old iPhones still outperform the latest Android smartphones), the Macintosh will offer a clear advantage over PCs.

At one time, Microsoft and Intel were known as Wintel because Windows ran on Intel processors. Now with the mobile computing market abandoning Intel processors for ARM processors, the Macintosh is following the lead of iOS and Android in embracing ARM processors. That means ARM processors represent the future of computing and Intel processors represent the past like PowerPC or Z80 processors.

This will create a dichotomy in the computing world. All the current work will rely on Intel processors while all the latest advancements will appear on ARM processors. Eventually mobile computing running ARM processors will likely dominate int he same way that more people use smartphones than PCs these days.

That means the Wintel monopoly is over. Windows is no longer the dominant operating system (iOS and Android are the dominant operating system) and Intel processors are no longer the dominant hardware (ARM processors are).

As the Macintosh accelerates each year under Apple Silicon, it will only pull further away from traditional Windows PCs on Intel processors. That means the world will continue its shift to mobile computing. Toss in the future of wearable computers (none of which will use Intel processors) and you can see the future of Intel processors is far less promising than the future of ARM processors.

Expect more Linux distractions to support this move to ARM processors and expect the world to lose software developers too closely wedded to Intel processors.

Intel is dead and ARM is dominant. That’s not a prediction but a statement of fact right now, and this gap between Intel and ARM will only continue to grow with both mobile computing and the Macintosh relying on Apple Silicon in the future.

The future is clear. It’s ARM and specifically Apple Silicon.

To learn whether you should buy an Intel Macintosh or wait for an Apple Silicon Macintosh, click here.

Killing Third-Party Development Tools

Posted on June 23, 2020 by admin Posted in Programming, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Apple announced that the Macintosh will shift from Intel processors to Apple’s own processors.

Apple once relied on Motorola 68000 processors before shifting to PowerPC processors. Then Apple shifted from PowerPC processors to Intel processors. Now Apple is shifting once more from Intel processors to their own ARM-based processors.

While this shift is necessary for Apple to continue innovating the Macintosh, it’s going to rip the guts out of third-party development tools. Right now, Apple has plans to support the transition from Intel-based Macs to Apple’s own processor-based Macs. That means all of Apple’s own software needs to run on both Intel and ARM processors.

The primary development tool for creating iOS apps is Apple’s own Xcode, which will be capable of running on both Intel and ARM processors. Xcode will also be able to create universal binaries so you can write a program once and it will be capable of running on both Intel and ARM-based Macs.

So Xcode will be able to run on the new ARM-based Macs and create apps for ARM-based Macs. That means every third-party development tool is in trouble.

There’s along list of third-party development tools that offer different advantages over Xcode. Xamarin lets you use C#, which is Microsoft’s official language. By using Xamarin, you can create iOS apps on a Windows PC.

There’s also Xojo, which is a Visual Basic clone along with Livecode, which is HyperCard clone. Of course there are a host of other third-party development tools as well, but the problem is that each development tool will need to run on Intel and ARM-based Macs, and they’ll need to create both Intel and ARM-based binaries.

Guess what? Most of these third-party development tools won’t be able to do it, at least not initially. That means Xcode will be the only option. That also means there’s little reason to rely on third-party development tools since they’ll be late to the transition and they won’t offer all the features you need to create apps for the Macintosh.

The third-party development tool market is now in serious trouble because why would you bother working with a tool that won’t run on ARM-based Macs and won’t let you create Intel and ARM binaries?

Xamarin might survive since Microsoft can likely get their tool to run on ARM-based Macs, but smaller third-party development tools like Xojo and Livecode probably won’t make the shift. That means they’ll likely fade away over time.

So if you’re looking to develop apps, your only choice really is Xcode. Nothing else will offer the features that Xcode will offer from day one, which means Xcode should be the only development tool worth learning.

Apple’s shift to ARM-based Macs is exciting because it means the Macintosh will gain a tremendous amount of features along with longer battery life and lower cost. While the future of the Macintosh is bright, the future of other development tools is not.

Look for the demise of many third-party development tools that fail to make the transition from Intel to ARM-based Macs. It happened before and it will happen again. The Macintosh will survive. Third-party development tools probably will not so abandon now and start learning Xcode today.

Your programming future just might depend on it.

Xcode Coming to iOS

Posted on April 20, 2020 by admin Posted in Programming, Software Leave a comment

What it is: The latest rumor suggests Xcode will be able to run on iOS soon.

Apple has been trying to convince everyone that the iPad can be a replacement for a computer. In many cases it can, but one area where it cannot is in software development.

Right now you need to run Xcode on a Macintosh to create iOS apps. That causes a problem since that also means you must test your iOS apps on a separate iOS device or inside the (buggy) iOS simulator program that comes with Xcode.

Now the latest rumor is that Apple will bring Xcode to iOS, which only makes sense so this rumor is just a matter of time. With Xcode able to run on iOS, people will be able to develop iOS apps directly on an iPad. That will go a long way towards creating more iOS apps since you no longer will need both an iOS device and a Macintosh.

Here are two ways Apple could port Xcode to iOS. First, they could do a straight port of Xcode, which would mean Xcode on iOS would be able to use Swift or Objective-C and be able to create Macintosh programs just like Xcode on the Mac.

This makes little sense so it’s far more likely that Apple will strip Xcode on iOS of its ability to create Macintosh programs and/or use Objective-C. This will create a leaner version of Xcode that’s not saddled with old NextStep frameworks for Objective-C and Macintosh development.

So if you want to take advantage of Xcode for iOS, you’ll need the latest iPad model (preferably an iPad Pro) and an external keyboard. Then focus solely on Swift and iOS development.

Most likely Apple will keep Xcode on the Macintosh to let you create Macintosh, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS and let Xcode on iOs focus solely on iOS development initially.

The Macintosh will eventually switch to the ARM processor (which powers iOS devices) so it’s only a matter of time before Xcode on iOS will run on ARM-powered Macintosh computers.

The future is ARM processors and iOS, not Intel processors in the Macintosh. If you’re serious about iOS development, be ready to jump on Xcode on iOS as early as this summer.

To learn more about the potential of Xcode on iOS, click here.

Abandoning 32-Bit Applications in Catalina

Posted on January 16, 2020 by admin Posted in Business, Software Leave a comment

What it is: 32-bit applications will no longer work in macOS Catalina and many software companies are abandoning the Macintosh.

Operating system updates are supposed to be improvements, and in many ways, they are. However, the biggest problem with the latest macOS Catalina update is that it finally abandons support for 32-bit applications. That means older Macintosh programs are most in danger of not making the upgrade to a 64-bit applications since this would require a major rewrite of the software.

Rather than rewrite their software from scratch, many companies are simply abandoning the Macintosh instead. SuperCard, the first HyperCard clone, is based on old 32-bit code and cannot be updated to run on macOS Catalina without a major rewrite.

Since SuperCard is owned by a smaller company, that company can’t afford to rewrite their entire program as a 64-bit application. Another company running into this difficulty is Inspiration, which sells an outliner/mind mapping program that has been around for decades.

Like SuperCard, Inspiration is based on old code and the company doesn’t see the worth in rewriting their application from scratch. AccountEdge, a small business accounting program, is yet another 32-bit application that the company cannot afford to rewrite as a 64-bit application.

For users dependent on older 32-bit applications, the choice isn’t easy. Either avoid upgrading to macOS Catalina (and future updates to macOS), or find an alternative.

As older software fades away, this could be the perfect time for developers to start creating alternatives to SuperCard, Inspiration, AccountEdge, and other 32-bit applications that will never be upgraded to run on macOS Catalina.

Of course, if these older 32-bit applications had a huge market share, the money would be there to justify rewriting the entire program from scratch. The fact that these companies deem it unprofitable to rewrite their programs is a clear signal that there’s not much of a market there in the first place.

Once macOS Catalina and future updates kill off 32-bit applications for good, the only ones left will be those capable of running on macOS Catalina. This shakeout of applications is unfortunate but inevitable.

Just remember that with every obstacle there comes an opportunity. It just takes a little bit of creativity to discover what that opportunity might be and whether it’s worth your time to grab it.

Cortana and Bing Fade Away

Posted on November 17, 2019 by admin Posted in Business, Software Leave a comment

What it is: Microsoft is no longer trying to make Cortana and Bing compete on their own.

Microsoft has one major business model and that’s copying others. This model has worked several times with MS-DOS copying existing operating systems at that time such as CP/M-80, and Microsoft Word taking on the word processing market to eventually take over from WordStar and WordPerfect.

However, Microsoft’s strategy of copying others means they also have a huge list of multiple failures. To compete against Turbo Pascal (popular in the 80’s), Microsoft launched QuickPascal, which quickly faded from sight.

To compete against CompuServe and America Online, Microsoft launched their own online service called the Microsoft Network, which faded rapidly. To compete against Adobe’s Flash, Microsoft created Silverlight, which disappeared quickly. To compete against Google, Microsoft created Bing and to compete against Siri and Alexa, Microsoft created Cortana.

Bing and Cortana aren’t bad products, but they’re simply me-too products, giving people little reason to use them. Microsoft recently announced that instead of promoting Bing as a general search engine, they’re focusing on making Bing into a specialized office search engine.

Instead of promoting Cortana as a stand-alone voice assistant, Microsoft is letting Cortana fade away while making deals with Amazon to use Alexa.

Microsoft does best when they aren’t trying to copy a leader and catch up to them. The sooner Microsoft can wean themselves off this business model of copying, the better off they’ll be. The biggest problem with copying the leader is that as soon as the leader struggles, Microsoft struggles as well.

Adobe’s Flash was once a standard for creating animation on web sites. When mobile computing took over, Flash consumed too much power, making it detrimental to mobile devices. As a result, Flash has slowly been dying.

So when Microsoft copied Flash with Silverlight, the fate of Flash also doomed Silverlight at the same time. Copying a leader means struggling to convince others to use your technology when it offers trivial advantages, so there’s little reason to abandon the leading technology.

Copying a leader then gives you the second drawback in that when the market changes to kill the leader, it also kills your copycat product too.

Microsoft poured billions into the Xbox before it finally became profitable, but game consoles are no longer the major way to play games. As mobile gaming and PC gaming increases, the market for game consoles will shrink, hurting Sony and Microsoft alike.

So watch Cortana and Bing fade away. They’re not bad products, but there’s little reason for anyone to use them so you might as well use other products instead. Hopefully Microsoft will wean themselves off this copycat business model and start developing truly useful products for a change.

Apple Acquires a Virtual Animation Company

Posted on October 10, 2019 by admin Posted in Business, Software, User Interface Leave a comment

What it is: Apple acquired U.K.-based iKinema, which provided 3D motion animation tools to movie and game developers.

The best way to see the future of Apple is to track its latest acquisitions. Long before Apple introduced the iPhone and iPad, they acquired a company called Fingerworks, which specialized in touch gesture interfaces.

Then before Apple introduced augmented reality through their ARKit framework, they acquired a German company called Metaio, which specialized in augmented reality.

Now Apple has acquired a UK company called IKinema, which creates tools for creating virtual characters in animation. This technology could be used to beef up Apple’s game frameworks but will also likely help Apple improve their augmented reality features by allowing the creation of virtual characters.

Augmented reality is likely a target for Apple’s other recent acquisition of Akonia Holographics, which made augmented reality lenses. Combine all of these technologies together and you can see how augmented reality and smart glasses are going to appear in the near future.

Of course, it could be years before we see any products based on iKinema’s technology since Apple will take time to integrate it into their current frameworks, but you can be certain those technologies will arrive soon.

The future is continuing to look bright because whatever Apple introduces, Google will likely follow and advance the state of mobile and wearable technology. The next time you read any news about Apple, it could be through an augmented reality set of smart glasses.