# Macintosh Flavor Poll... - Site: Analog Industries - Author: Chris Randall - Date: 2008-09-12 - URL: https://analogindustries.com/2008/09/macintosh-flavor-poll/ Okay, Xcode and OS X have progressed to the point where it is getting increasingly difficult, bordering on damn-nigh impossible, to build Universal Binary versions of our plug-ins. We're wondering how necessary it is to keep building PPC versions, frankly. If you have both PPC and Intel Macs, just check "Intel." **EDIT:** Okay, with only 30 votes so far, it's obvious that we have to keep building PPC versions. Yay. Needless to say, we're having a bit of trouble with cross-compiling the PPC version of Automaton today, which is what engendered this post. **EDIT 2:** Interestingly, the more votes we get, the more PPC usage declines. Assuming PC users aren't fucking with the results, 25% PPC to 75% Intel is about what I would have expected. A year ago, it was reversed. I'll wager that a year from this month, we'll be able to stop with the Universal Binary nonsense, if 10.6 doesn't deprecate it entirely. ## Comments (10) **ehdyn** (2008-09-12): When apple release a laptop - I'll buy one. **Chris Randall** (2008-09-12): I don't understand... "releases a laptop" ??? -CR **ehdyn** (2008-09-12): As opposed to poorly made ball-warmers with suicidal graphics cards. **Chris Randall** (2008-09-12): Ah, I see. Well, I quite like my MacBook, aside from the fact that it is a bit fragile. My wife has a Dell 1420, essentially exactly the same computer, and I'd be hard pressed to take the Dell over the MacBook. -CR **scientist** (2008-09-12): "As opposed to poorly made ball-warmers with suicidal graphics cards." mac vs. pc? what is this, 1998? i'm going to coin the term "throwback post". **Chris Randall** (2008-09-12): Yeah, we don't play that here. This isn't a Mac v. PC thread. Or, well, technically I guess it is, since Intel Macs are essentially PCs. But what I really want to know is how widespread PPC Macs are in music use today, 2.5 years later. I imagine we'll have to go another 2 years at least to see the last of PPC usage in the music industry. -CR **ehdyn** (2008-09-12): MB's are nice, but deliberately castrated to sell pros. They don't seem to have a problem squeezing graphics into the ipods. See what we see on October 14th. I'm hoping for a 'puter that looks like the new touch just scaled up. Really like and prefer the PPC's but if it's getting to be a pain don't sweat it-10.6 most likely won't support the architecture anyways. Nothing you can do about Crapple. Just frustrating to see this artifical obsolescence. I've got a few old G3 and G4's laying around that I loan out to friends when their PC's get cocked up. Can't pry them away from metasynth and supercollider after that. **moljen** (2008-09-12): Intel mac is fine by me. Only use the old G4's with Reaper and the built in plugins. **Pokeye** (2008-09-12): MacBook Pro is working great. The graphics card happily drives my 30" display... what's supposed to be wrong with it? I have been using macs for nearly 20 years and have not really had trouble with "artificial obsolescence;" I have an old dual g4 at home and a g4 powerbook that still get lots of use today. All computers depreciate... **gregoreck** (2008-09-12): sorry, i'm one of the PPC votes.. I do have a Macbook as well which we use for Live stuff but the studio computer is a G5 PPC. And as I have two UAD cards stuffed in there that won't play nice with the new desktops, I'm sticking with what I have as long as I can.. And anyway, if it ain't broke.. I actually also still have a G4 with OS9 around too, seemed pointless to sell it and every once in a while I open it up to pull up some old project from my old DP or Studio Vision. Amazing thing is, aside from the problems that occasionally pop up (like, ehm, when an app crashes and takes down the whole system) it's amazingly snappy as an OS. Really. First time i cranked it up after a 2 year break i was totally surprised.