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Unless I'm missing something, Apple didn't mandate that you need to use XCode. They said that you need to "originally write" apps in C, C++ or Objective-C. You can do that without using XCode, and conversely you can use XCode to compile something that's not "originally written" in one of those languages (by using C as an intermediate language).
Nobody is mandating XCode. You can use any editor you want as long as your code is C, C++, Objective-C, or Javascript.
Nobody is mandating XCode. You can use any editor you want as long as your code is C, C++, Objective-C, or Javascript.
In the movie, Objectified, by Gary Hustwit, the legendary designer Dieter Rams (of iconic Braun fame, the electric shaver), is asked if there is any company that really gets design today. He answers, after a moment's pause, "Apple".
My point here is Apple is integrating design down to lower levels anyone has done before. Some companies talk about corporate DNA but Apple is going to Jurassic Park levels.
Unless I'm missing something, Apple didn't mandate that you need to use XCode. They said that you need to "originally write" apps in C, C++ or Objective-C. You can do that without using XCode, and conversely you can use XCode to compile something that's not "originally written" in one of those languages (by using C as an intermediate language).
Presumably you still need to use their compiler toolchain.
From the legal side, I haven't seen any requirement that you use their toolchain - again, it's just been the "originally written in" stuff.
Valid point but the author misses the mark a bit. Apple probably won't move away from ARM but instead enhance and mutate their own ARM design. The A5, A6 and beyond could retain 100% binary compatibility but also offer many new features. At that point it would technically be an ARM CPU but to be used to its maximum you would need a compiler ready to support all those new features. In the case of a product like the iP…
I mean, there's plenty of arguments on both sides of it — yay Apple can make changes on a whim, boo my custom-baked solution makes me so productive — but calling it "incredible foresight" is a little overzealous. From Apple's perspective, they want an additional element of control, and to call it a huge breakthrough is a bit magoo.
That said, Apple's not quite the type of company to be overly tied-down in the first place. These are the guys that ripped Carbon out from under a lot of people. Sure, it was clear Cocoa was getting all the TLC, but not a lot of companies would yank an established API quite that quickly (particularly with relative giants like Adobe sitting on it).
Aside from that, if Apple planned to change architecture then having apps running on a translation layer (Flash etc) would actually be beneficial.