Graphisoft said today that it plans to discontinue support for the Macintosh Power PC (PPC) platform in 2009.
The plan is consistent with Apple's long-term strategy for the Macintosh. Last year
apple discontinued use of the Power PC CPU in favor of Intel x86 compatible processors. The current version of the Macintosh OS only supports the newer Intel-based computers.
Graphisoft says it has been working in close collaboration with Apple to adjust development plans, to provide a smooth migration path for ArchiCAD users. The company says the next major release of ArchiCAD will be be the last version that supports the Macintosh Power PC platform.
“Considering the typical lifecycle of hardware today, we are convinced that with this plan, there will be sufficient time for our users to upgrade to the new Intel Macintosh platform,” says Viktor Varkonyi, VP, ArchiCAD Development. “Innovation requires the very latest technology, so we encourage our users to move to the current and future lines of Apple computers as soon as possible. Users should see significant productivity benefits as a result.”
Graphisoft, now a division of Munich-based Nemetschek, also develops ArchiCAD for the Windows OS. But more than 50% of ArchiCAD users are on the Mac.
--RSN