Apple’s M1 silicon is all about platform control

More importantly, Apple is a huge player that shapes the structure of the industry towards a vision that lacks any kind of freedom for its users. An end game where its users are just consumers, void of any freedom to do what they want with their hardware. This is not a bright future Apple is painting: Some sort of Utopia that we can take part of by giving up freedom, by accepting Apple's rules 100% or leaving their territory.

I can understand that what Apple does appeals to many users. I still recommend Apple devices to my retired parents and to friends who do not want to fiddle with their hardware. But that folks here on HN are defending Apple's practices is way beyond me.

Classic Mac OS support (both 68k and PPC): OS X 10.0 was released March 2001, dropped with 10.5 released October 2007. So about 6 years, 8 months.

PowerPC Mac OS X app support: First Intel Mac January 2006, support dropped with 10.7 in July 2011, so 5 years 5 months.

32 bit iOS app support: iPhone 5S with 64 bit CPU released October 2013, 32 bit app support removed in iOS 11, September 2017, so 3 years 11 months.

32 bit Intel app support (and Carbon framework): Mac OS 10.5 was first to allow 64 bit GUI apps[1], in October 2007, 32 bit support dropped in 10.15, released October 2019, so 12 years.

I'd probably count this nearer to the first three than the kinda drawn out 32 bit to 64 bit Intel transition, so perhaps about 4 years?

[1] There was limited 64 bit support before in 10.4.

Citation needed. I remember 32 bit being deprecated just 12 months before its support removal and there were no signs earlier. I just had to recompile my apps to x64, but some 3rd party tools I use never got an update and my 2013 Macbook will stay on Mojave forever.

Yes. That's the biggest benefit, and another reason I'm buying it (on top of great performance for my NLE apps). I want the Mac to be it's own platform, and be under Apple's control and vision. If it's also made foul-proof and air-tight, so much the better.

I don't want another lowest common denominator OS converging on the same point.

If I didn't want platform control I'd buy some OEM device...

That doesn't mean I approve of any and every restriction. But I'm ok with a "walled garden" -- better than an open garden full of junkies and garbage. Some of the best Japanese gardens and so on I've seen had walls around them...

Of course an open garden that's beautifully maintained, respected by those in it, etc, would be even better, but that's hardly the case in real life, so that's where curation and walls come in.

To me this brings me to the Amiga and Atari and Acorn and other alternative platforms of my youth. I don't want everything to be amd64 and Windows or the nth Linux distro.

In any case, Apple doesn't force anyone's hand, if anything they make it more difficult to buy their stuff (more expensive, targeting the expensive end of the market, only 10% market share at best, different OS and now different CPU than the rest of the market, etc).