Apple's EFI choice

[myzar]

This isn't true. Gateway, for example, makes 32 bit machines with EFI.

 

Your ignorance is showing. Apple is using EFI because they only use top end technologies. EFI is much much more modern than BIOS.

[tylerl82]

Apple used EFI because it was probably much easier to make FireWire Target Disk Mode, NetBooting (similar to PPC Macs), NVRAM clearing (similar to PPC Macs), "Option-booting", and other Mac-like things work in EFI than hacking up a BIOS.

 

...if there's no backwards-comatibility concerns, why burden yourself with it?

[bjr1028]

Did Apple choose EFI to

 

1) Prevent XP from running on Apple H/W

2) Prevent OSX86 from running on Non-Apple H/W

3) Was convinced by Intel that BIOS was dead

4) All of the above

 

I personally think that they shot themselves in the foot. BIOS is old legacy stuff but it doesn't really affect performance and it works.

 

1) There seems to be huge demand for people who want to run both OS on the same H/W. In my opinion, this would significantly increase Apple H/W sales. But it might send the wrong message to developpers. I am still waiting for this to happen before buying a MacBook. For me and many others, weither we like it or not, XP is part of life.

 

2) Maxxuss took care of that point. In fact this seems to have caused the opposite effect. The only way to run both on the same H/W is to do it illegally on non-Apple H/W. That's a shame.

 

3) Intel has been pushing EFI for years with little interest from no one. Microsoft doesn't like EFI because it allows for non-OS dependent drivers. Maybe Apple got a discount on CPUs if they used EFI.

 

It was announced that Vista won't support EFI 32 bits. So say goodbuy to Vista on Macs for now. Virtualization is now the only possible option but there's no solution to that either yet.

 

Apple chose EFI because it's willing to take steps forward to make the best computer. Microsoft and the PC industry are willing to what's easist to make a buck.

[mb2]

why should apple leave the hardware business? they make some of the best hardware!

do u really think Dell, compaq etc etc are innovating?

iPod, Mac Mini, iMac (personall i prefer the design of the old one, but still better than 95% of PCs), Macbook Pro

^all of these have been excellent hardware designs.

the scroll wheel, the magnetic cord and adjusting brightness/ keyboard backlight on the macbook, the compact, simple, design of the mac mini. they have no parrallels elsewhere (and when they do, they've been poor copies)

if u take out the other things that differentiate them from PCs- the OS and the price, then a Mac wins hands-down for me every time.

of course, when u get a certain amount of money, then u don't care about little differences in price, and apple hardware wins out. plus, u can run either OS on mac's now.. (and, there are PCs out there which are as/more expensive too.)

 

as for EFI.. because its better? and as for CSM.. they don't need it, why? more stuff to go wrong, adds 'bloat', possibly cost for more flash memory, possibly makes booting slower.. they aren't going to go out of their way so it can work with windows XP. and lets not forget, at the time vista was meant to work for EFI, and come out in 2006, so it doesn't seem to be such a strong protection from running M$.