Apple devices: expanding categoories?

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Now that I think about it, the device section is starting to look a bit like it could be an Apple product guide, along the veins of Brock Kyle's excellent EveryMac network.

Could this wiki add a few more categories if the device is a computer, so that we cab add a few more differentiating characteristics of each unit?

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What extra information/fields would you like to see added?

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What could be…? Hmm..

I wouldn't know how to explain it, but:

  • Cleanup: Pare down/remove devices that cannot run iOS 5 nor 6, and all Macs that cannot run Lion nor Mountain Lion
  • For Macs, let's put it this way: Apple didn't want to bother making 64-bit drivers for '06-'07 Intel IGP's (950, X3100), which will disqualify them from ML, but not Lion (affected models can only boot a 32-bit kernel, but will run apps in 64-bit user space)
  • Qualifying Macs also have specific versions of Windows that Apple will support; and within these, Apple has defined also the architecture(s) that may be used. In general, models possessing a maximum of 4 GB or less will only be supported under 32-bit Windows, even if they can run ML. It was thought that the EFI ROM had something to do with this, BUT a few '07 units not qualifying for ML actually have a 64-bit ROM (verifiable under Micromat's MachineProfile tool). Apple simply blocks certain models from Win64 based on its own criteria. XP and Vista aren't supported by Apple from September '10 forward, but here, the reasons are a bit more clear: XP is getting old, and Vista was a mess to support.
  • Apple has not defined plans for Win8 yet, but you can bet a few models will be dropped with an updated Boot Camp
  • Nice to have: Models shipping with iOS 6 obviously can't run iOS 5, so the latter spinbox can be set to "N/A" to keep things nice.

The site I'm comparing to, has a hoard of information, most of which is highly geeky and not very relevant to us here. But a little history of each device should get people talking,

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So maybe all that's needed is an extra field to describe the device's support for Windows? Whether or not the device runs the OS in 32- or 64-bit mode can be described in the existing Notes section.

Unfortunately there's no way to automatically select N/A for older OS fields if the device shipped with a new version of the OS.

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Sounds good. A number of models are still missing info or have incomplete data, but as for Windows, consider the following if/when applying the category:

  • Apple has excluded all '06 Macs from Win 7 (see Apple Knowledgebase article referencing Boot Camp 3.1) for no obvious reason. All models demonstrate that they meet or exceed the requirements for Win 7, though the earlier '06 Macs started off with just 512 MB RAM.The latter can't roar or pounce any way you slice it, so Apple may have been in the right making said exclusion.
  • Given the above, the Late 2006 models qualified for Lion, but not ML, Lion included Boot Camp 4.0, which doesn't apply to these models…
  • ..and thus, Boot Camp 3.0-3.2 needs to be retained; and Snow Leopard is the only source for said versions,
  • All other Macs not mentioned in the first two points are supported by Boot Camp 4 and Win 7
  • The 64-bit versions are supported on:
    • iMac: all models from Late 2009 forward
    • Mac mini: Mid-2010 forward
    • Mac Pro: Early 2008 forward
    • MacBook: Late 2009 forward
    • MacBook Air: Late 2010 forward
    • MacBook Pro (13): Mid-2009 forward
    • MacBook Pro (15/17): Early 2008 forward
    • Xserve: not listed, but assumed that 2G and 3G models would qualify
  • Windows 8: Strange beastie, this one. The only significantly-changed requirement for the new edition is that the CPU needs "NX" (No eXecute) support present and turned on. All Macs are assumed to have this. What might affect it is, again, Apple's willingness to support certain older models.
  • "The Strange Case of the '07 MBP": OK, so it's got 64-bit parts all the way through—but it only supports 32-bit Windows AND won't boot to a 64-bit OS X kernel in Lion. Huh?? 64-bit Win is somehow hackable on this model, but where would the blocking issue be in a normal setup?

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