I’m about to buy an iMac, and obviously have a choice of a G5 or an Intel. Because my clients are mostly PC-based, I have to use MS office. MS does not plan to release a universal of Office, but rely on Rosetta-- and I’ve already seen how slowly PowerPoint runs on a friend’s Intel. Thus I am leaning toward the G5.
So, what I’m asking all my major Mac app vendors is: how long do you plan to support a Gx version of your software? Two years? Five? If it’s two I’ll get the Intel, if it’s five I’ll get the G5.
How about you guys, Devon? Your answer would be very helpful!
Keep up the great work-- DTP has no Windows equivalent and by itself is reason to stick to Macs!
Eric B.
At least as long as…
- Apple will release PowerPC compatible Mac OS X versions (10.5 and probably 10.6 too)
- there will be more PowerPC than Intel Macs
…but hopefully longer. In addition, the next major version of MS Office should be universal but I don’t know when Microsoft will release it.
Eric:
DT Pro support for PPC computers is almost certain to continue for two years or more. Projecting out 5 years would be sheer guesswork. Right now, DT Pro runs under Apple’s current operating system, Tiger, and the last update of Panther. Older versions of DEVONthink Personal are still in use on computers running older versions of OS X.
Apple has made significant improvements in OS X with operating system upgrades, and DT Pro has evolved to take advantage of those improvements. So the real issue will be how long Apple supports the installed base of PPC computers in future operating systems. Apple’s next OS upgrade, Leopard, will be designed for both PPC and Intel CPUs. How about Apple’s next major OS after Leopard? For some reason, they haven’t told us their future plans over the next few years. 
I bought a PowerMac dual core 2.3 GHz machine last November, and I’m very happy with it. It’s rock solid stable, no problems whatsoever. It remains faster than any MacTel released to date and can hold much more RAM. But it’s safe to say that Apple will release MacTel computers that are more powerful than my PowerMac, perhaps in a matter of months. And it’s a certainty that Apple hardware and software development has shifted to the Intel CPU and that’s where we’ll see wonders to come.
My PowerMac should be useful for a good three years, I figure, and may have uses after that. But I’ll hedge my bet by replacing my now ancient TiBook with a MacBook Pro one of these days, after any rough edges in design or production go away.
Bottom line: It’s your call. But I would be suspicious of any developer who promises continued development for PPC CPUs in 2011. That’s a lot of computer years from now. On the other hand, I’ve still got a 20th Anniversary Mac that was built in 1997. I’ve still got uses for it and it runs as well as when brand new, but it no longer qualifies for daily use.