PowerPC: Apple's Move to RISC



Author: reprinted from Quick Connect

Date: October, 1993

Keywords: Apple computer IBM chip

Text:
IN A WORLD OF FAST-CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS, USER GROUPS PLAY
     AN INVALUABLE ROLE IN HELPING MEMBERS ANTICIPATE AND PLAN FOR THE
FUTURE. 
AND TODAY, NO ASPECT OF APPLE'S FUTURE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE POWER
PC.
The term PowerPC refers both to an alliance - involving Apple, IBM, and
Motorola - and the fruits of that partnership: a new generation of
high-performance RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) processors
that will power Macintosh into the next century. PowerPC will bring big
changes to the Macintosh family, including faster performance and
expanded capabilities. But key aspects of Macintosh will not change at
all, and User Groups could prove pivotal in helping users keep this
emerging technology in perspective.
Innovation and 'Tradition'
Because PowerPC will mean a major leap in performance for Macintosh,
the technology seems destined to create some confusion before it
reaches products in mid-1994. The first thing to understand about
PowerPC is that while 
it will deliver 
a big boost 
to Macintosh,
it will also 
stay true to an Apple tradition:        
compatibility.
PowerPC will run on System 7. Mac-intosh users will not switch to UNIX
or any other operating system. Today's Macintosh applications will
still run, though in many cases faster. And new software written for
PowerPC will deliver peak performance - and probably even create new
uses for personal computers.
According to Jim Gable, product line marketing manager for PowerPC,
engineers are determined to make the technology fully compatible with
today's Macintosh. ''Some people may not even notice differences with
PowerPC,'' said Gable. ''You'll boot up and see the finder, double
click Mac applications and they'll run. The same stuff will be in the
system folder. I don't know what to call it but a Macintosh.''
Pooling industry resources
PowerPC leverages the talents of major players in the computer
industry. For example, it combines Motorola's superior background in
microprocessor design with IBM's advanced semiconductor fabrication
techniques. It creates a broad industry standard, initially shared by
Apple and IBM platforms. Unlike today's RISC chips, which are geared to
the smaller workstation market, it targets the millions of buyers of
personal computers.
Each new generation of microprocessors has dramatically upped the ante
for investors, and PowerPC is no exception. But by sharing the
investment among three major industry players, PowerPC has garnered
sufficient resources to develop several RISC processors at the same
time. Engineers from Apple, IBM, and Motorola are collaborating on the
designs.
Introducing Power PC
Initially, PowerPC will appear in mid-range and high-end Macintosh
systems. But a key element in Apple's plans is to bring RISC to lower
end products. This will mean, for example, that many advanced
applications will become available to the K-12 market. PowerPC should
follow a trend well established in the personal computer industry: as
new technologies gain wider acceptance, the market grows, prices drop,
and the entire line gets a power boost.
Gable believes User Groups will be among the first to understand the
true implications of PowerPC. Even now, early feedback from User Groups
is helping the PowerPC team communicate better about the technology.
And when PowerPC reaches the marketplace User Groups will be the key to
training users and refining the technology.
Reprinted rom the September/October 1993 issue of Quick Connect, the
Apple Newsletter for User Groups.
For more information on the PowerPC and PowerPC software check out the
November issue of MacWorld Magazine, pages 32-34. - Ed.

Copyright © october, 1993 by reprinted from Quick Connect