Developer Transition Kit (2020)

The Developer Transition Kit is a prototype ARM-based Macintosh computer announced by Apple on June 22, 2020 as part of its initiative to transition its Macintosh personal computer product line away from Intel's x64 architecture to Apple silicon.

Mac transition to Apple Silicon

Specifications

At its 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced a non-commercial prototype computer called "Developer Transition Kit" (DTK).[1] It is intended to assist software developers during the transition of the Macintosh platform to the ARM architecture. Described informally as "an iPad in a Mac mini’s body,"[2] the DTK carries a model number of A2330 and identifies itself as "Apple Development Platform."[3][4] It consists of an A12Z processor, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, and a variety of common I/O ports (USB-C, USB-A, HDMI 2.0, and Gigabit Ethernet) in a Mac mini case.[1][3][5] Support for wireless communication based upon Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5.0 is included, while Thunderbolt 3 support, built-in to every Mac commercially available as of June 2020, is not included (although Apple has confirmed that forthcoming Macintosh computers based on Apple silicon will include Thunderbolt support[6]). It comes preloaded with beta versions of macOS 11 Big Sur and Xcode 12.

Performance

In an interview shortly after the introduction of the DTK, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi praised the DTK's performance and contributed to expectations of superlative performance of forthcoming commercial products based upon Apple silicon custom-engineered for the Macintosh platform: “Even that DTK hardware, which is running on an existing iPad chip that we don’t intend to put in a Mac in the future – it’s just there for the transition – the Mac runs awfully nice on that system. It’s not a basis on which to judge future Macs ... but it gives you a sense of what our silicon team can do when they’re not even trying – and they’re going to be trying.”[7][8]

Conditions of use

The DTK is being made available strictly to developers on a loan, not purchase basis, and as such must be returned to Apple at the conclusion of the ARM transition. Several conditions of use are attached, including restrictions against disassembling the computer, running unauthorized benchmark tests, or using it for work other than transition-related software development.[3][9]

Cost

The DTK is being made available to selected software developers as part of a developer transition program whose total cost is $500 (USD).[1] YouTuber Dave Lee observed that, possibly due to Apple's lower component costs, this price compares very favorably both with the 2005 DTK (whose rental cost was $999), and with a current Mac mini of roughly similar specifications.[10]

Historical antecedents

During Apple's 2005-2006 transition from PowerPC to Intel processors, the company announced and made available an analogous prototype Macintosh computer for developers. Also called "Developer Transition Kit", the computer identified itself as "Apple Development Platform" (ADP2,1), and consisted of a 3.6 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 1 GB DDR2 RAM, 160 GB SATA hard disk drive, and optical disk drive in a Power Mac G5 case slightly modified with an altered cooling system. Connectivity included USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and Gigabit Ethernet. Software included Xcode 2.1 and a version of Mac OS X 10.4.1 which runs on Intel's x86 architecture.[11][12]

The 2005 DTK was similarly available to software developers on a loan basis, and Apple required developers to return the prototype computers to the company within a week of December 31, 2006. [11][3] During Apple's 2005 WorldWide Developer's Conference, then CEO Steve Jobs emphasized the non-commercial nature of the prototype hardware: "This is a development platform only. This is not a product; this will never be shipped as a product. It’s just for you guys to get started in development. You actually have to return them by the end of 2006. We don’t want them floating around out there. These are not products."[12]

gollark: This reminds me of the Monty Hall problem somewhat.
gollark: Oh, so "real numbers except that", I see. The backslash was missing mysteriously.
gollark: What's this notation with R{whatever}?
gollark: I see, you have changed it.
gollark: What do you mean?

References
  1. "Apple announces Mac transition to Apple silicon" (Press release). Apple. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  2. Smith, Ryan (22 June 2020). "The Next Phase: Apple Lays Out Plans To Transition Macs from x86 to Apple SoCs". AnandTech. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  3. Slivka, Eric (22 June 2020). "Apple's $500 Developer Program Includes Tools and Resources for Transitioning to Apple Silicon, Plus a Loaner A12Z-Based Mac Mini". MacRumors. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  4. Rossignol, Joe (22 June 2020). "macOS Big Sur Listed as 'Version 11.0' in System Preferences". MacRumors. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. Welch, Chris (22 June 2020). "Apple announces Mac mini powered by its own chips for developers". The Verge. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  6. Gartenberg, Chaim (8 July 2020). "Apple promises to support Thunderbolt on its new ARM Macs". The Verge. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  7. Gruber, John (24 June 2020). "The Talk Show Remote from WWDC 2020, With Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak". Daring Fireball. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  8. Long, Michael (25 June 2020). "Just How Fast Is Apple Silicon?". The Startup. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  9. "Universal App Quick Start Program" (PDF). Apple Inc. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  10. Lee, Dave. "Apple Silicon - Let's Talk". YouTube. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  11. Marsal, Katie (23 June 2005). "Inside Apple's Intel-based Dev Transition Kit". AppleInsider. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  12. Hackett, Stephen (16 Jan 2019). ""This Is Not a Product": The Apple Developer Transition Kit". MacStories. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
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