Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by gumby on Monday October 30, 2023 @05:44PM
(#38076364)
This is the history of Mac CPUs. The Apple I, II, and variants were 6502. The Lisa used the 68000.
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Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by cameroncooper on Monday October 30, 2023 @05:49PM
(#38076407)
Fun fact, the Apple 1 could also use a Motorola 6800 CPU
In this case that fact really is fun!
Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by PopePompus on Monday October 30, 2023 @10:17PM
(#38079359)
I thought litigation or the threat of litigation resulted in the 6502 not being pin compatible with the 6800. How did the Apple 1 get around that?
Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by duskwuff on Tuesday October 31, 2023 @02:34AM
(#38081012)
The 6800 wasn't a drop-in replacement on the Apple 1. Installing one required some hardware modifications to the board. (It's unclear if anyone who owned one ever did this.)
Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by cameroncooper on Tuesday October 31, 2023 @12:31PM
(#38087432)
The 6501 was pin compatible with the 6800, but had its own instruction set. After the lawsuit, the pins changed and we got the 6502. This meant that if you enabled 6800 support on the Apple 1 you could drop in a 6501 and use it with software made for the 6502. If you were really ambitious you could use a 6800 but then you'd have to write a new monitor ROM. There's no evidence that this was done at the time, but about 10 years ago someone did it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag6pWUhps7U
Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by runjake on Monday October 30, 2023 @05:50PM
(#38076417)
One must not forget the IIgs and it's 65C816 processor -- a bizarro 16-bit variant of the 6502. :)
Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by monocasa on Monday October 30, 2023 @06:21PM
(#38076767)
Same processor as the SNES.
Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by jakey_bakey on Tuesday October 31, 2023 @03:20AM
(#38081237)
That's cool!
Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by jakey_bakey on Tuesday October 31, 2023 @03:20AM
(#38081235)
You're extremely correct.
Regrettably, I did this intentionally because "Apple CPU Architecture" is more clickable than "Mac CPU Architecture".
Re:Apple CPU Architecture Through the Ages
by gumby on Tuesday October 31, 2023 @08:36AM
(#38083831)
Also Apple has used lots of CPU architectures over the years in various devices (e.g. time capsules, various dongles, etc). Surely they must have RISC V deeply embedded in various locations, possibly even deeply in the bowels of the M and A devices doing some random housekeeping in the storage system or who knows what, both for cost purposes and for experience reasons.