Apple Reveals macOS 10.15 Catalina- Available Fall 2019

[indigoskywalker]

It's when they release ARM based desktop/laptop hardware we will probably need to start worrying...

 

[FelixII]

It's when they release ARM based desktop/laptop hardware we will probably need to start worrying...

I think it depends on whether they migrate their whole Mac lineup to ARM or keep using Intel chips for their Pro machines.

 

[morganb]

Seems like every thread featuring an Apple OS update brings out the Nvidia issue. I have moved on. I like the OS, I like some of the features in Mojave and spent some money on keeping my rig up to date. Yea, I put a decent Nvidia card in the junk box and may stick it in a build for my kid. No big deal. I think it will get solved in the future, but no need to waste years of my life angry about my card not working vs getting one that works well. Also by the time new drivers are out, these cards that folks are clinging too will be a few generations back.

I am looking forward to 10.15 and will keep staying current. The sidecar feature alone has me sold.

I thought like this so I dumped my 980 Ti and bought a RX Vega 64. Its giving me excellent compute scores but no cuda. The one piece of software that is really important to me (Lightroom), turns out to benefit highly from CUDA. Now its performance is crap.

The struggle actually turned out to be real after all.

 

[tkb]

Per these notes from WWDC:

macOS Catalina will be the last OS version to run kernel extensions without compromise

If the next post-Catalina OS won’t run kexts anymore, that seems like a bigger obstacle to me than T2 chips or lack of nvidia.

 

[Mrgeque]

Posting this from the new beta. Upgraded with no issues.
Using gt 710 with dual screens @ full resolution.

do you have full acceleration on the gt710?

 

[trs96]

I think it depends on whether they migrate their whole Mac lineup to ARM or keep using Intel chips for their Pro machines.

• Late 2017 iMac Pro with Intel Xeon up to 18 cores
• Late 2018 Mac mini with Coffee Lake desktop chips
• Late 2019 Mac Pro with Cascade Lake Xeons up to 28 cores
• Late 2020: Switch these Macs to A series Arm based chips ???

One major problem with the A series chips no one talks about. There is only one A12/13 etc. that goes into the iPhone or iPad that Apple sells. With Intel you have the choice of a 4,6,8,10,12 etc. core CPU when you custom order your Mac. How is it possible to do that with a single A13 ARM chip ? Would Apple be able to provide that many choices to their customers ? Could they even come close to the performance of an 18 or 28 core Xeon ?

These are all Mac desktops that can take 4-5 years before they are refreshed by Apple. “The reports of the death of the hackintosh (in 2020) are greatly exaggerated” is what Mark Twain would say.

 

[Gigamaxx]

do you have full acceleration on the gt710?

Yes, it has metal and loads the accelerators but most IGPUs Skylake and above will smoke it in benchmarks. It is a good alternative if you don't have IGPU that is supported. You need to have the DDR3 version though the GDDR5 models don't seem to work.

 

[MusicMan]

ARM processors have the unique advantage of better battery life – hence their widespread use in mobile devices, whether they're Apple's own in-house ARMs (as we see in iOS) or other companies' ARM-based processors.

So I can see Apple first introduce ARM into macOS by trying it on MacBook Air, where one could consider battery life more important than raw speed. It would also help them justify the product line's existence, as there's currently a lot of overlap with the regular MacBook, and ARM processors would give it a unique advantage for certain users.

It makes sense, but I'm not sure the technological challenges involved in making a macOS that's compatible with two different types of processors. Maybe the solution is to have a desktop-class line of ARMs that are Intel-like, so either can be used, just like how we can use Intel or AMD on Windows. This ARM/Intel inter-exchangeability may benefit hackintoshers as well.

 

[TheJMan36]

Maybe the solution is to have a desktop-class line of ARMs that are Intel-like, so either can be used, just like how we can use Intel or AMD on Windows. This ARM/Intel inter-exchangeability may benefit hackintoshers as well.

I really hope you're right, but I think Apple is actively trying to block hackintosh users. They've never liked people using their software/hardware illegitimately. They're focused on controlling their own platform, in turn maximizing profit.
First comes ARM chips then eventually their own desktop level GPUs. They've already prevented users from customizing the Mac Pro since they introduced the "trash can" in 2013. I think it's clear the direction they're heading towards.

 

[ntableman]

I really hope you're right, but I think Apple is actively trying to block hackintosh users. They've never liked people using their software/hardware illegitimately. They're focused on controlling their own platform, in turn maximizing profit.
First comes ARM chips then eventually their own desktop level GPUs. They've already prevented users from customizing the Mac Pro since they introduced the "trash can" in 2013. I think it's clear the direction they're heading towards.

I read these things and it makes me laugh:

Apple could stop us in a second if they wanted, they haven't and they likely won't.

Why? Mac is about 10% of revenue these days. It is far more likely they will just stop making Macs and focus on mobile platforms which make them the bulk of their revenue. Also, the old saying: As long as they talk about you, you're not really dead...