[MacGod]

No, my computer (a powerMac G5) didn't go POOF! and I have no intention of replacing it anytime soon. Additionally, for what it's worth, I don't use any of the affected apps anyway. I just think that if you are going to use a new chip technology that requires rewrites of your apps, it makes sense to port those apps for free. Yes, I know the developers need to get paid, but this is a spurious argument in this case. They get paid for the work they do on bug fixes, too, yet those aren't paid upgrades. A lot of the pay a programmer gets is spread out over various income sources (hardware sales, initial product sales that pay for future upgrades etc).
I just think that to charge a surcharge for what is (from the user's standpoint) the same version is ridiculous. And I think this is especially ridiculous for Apple. Because Apple is the one who's going to be making money off the hardware sales of IntelliMacs (be they iMacs, MacBookPros or future-upgraded models). So, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect Apple to give away such an upgrade for free, and subsidise its programmers' time with that profit. Just as they give away iLife to those people who buy new Macs, so should they give away Intel-compatible upgrades to their pro products to those who buy new Intel Macs. Apple's hardware is fantastic but is using more and more standard PC technology. As others have said before, what truly differentiates a Mac from a Windows machine is the OS and the applications it allows you to run. So, no, my computer didn't just disappear. But all those people who paid $500 for a great piece of photo software and just dropped another $2000 for a brand-spanking-new Intel MacBookPro are now going to have to pay an extra fee (small as it may be in comparison to those costs) just to use that software with their new shiny laptop. It just seems like biting that hand that feeds you very well.

[whitedog]

Quark XPress 7, now in public beta, is already in universal binaries. I guess Quark learned its lesson coming so late to OS X. As for the Adobe apps, they will take some time to convert because there is no MacIntel equivalent to AltaVec. That is a strictly G4/5 technology. Some serious changes will be needed to get Photoshop running natively on the new Macs. Since, if I'm not mistaken, most of the other CS apps don't use AltaVec, we may see a staggered release schedule again. With Quark 7 coming out MacIntel ready, Adobe will need some strong nerves to hold off on updating InDesign until Photoshop is ready. Still, InDesign may work OK in Rosetta so it might not matter. Questions, questions, and more questions.

[chris2x]

afterthoughts? Are you serious? Is this the first Job's speech you have heard?
Jobs always saves the best news for last

[Philip Michaels]

In reply to:

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Jobs always saves the best news for last

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Huh. Where have I read that before?
Oh, right -- in the very weblog post you're commenting on.
Third paragraph, last sentence: "I think weve all come to accept the notion that Jobs keeps his mitts on the really important goodies until the very end."
It wasn't when the Intel news was announced that made it seem like afterthoughts, it was the rushed manner in which the announcements were made.