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Developer Transition Kit

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The Developer Transition Kit is a prototype ARM-based Macintosh computer announced by Apple on June 22 2000 as part of its initiative to transition its Macintosh personal computer product line away from Intel's x86 architecture to Apple Silicon.

Specifications

At its 2020 WorldWide Developer's Conference, Apple announced a non-commercial prototype computer called "Developer Transition Kit" (DTK). Intended to assist software developers during the transition of Macintosh software to the ARM hardware architecture, the DTK carries an Apple model number of A2330, and consists of a A12Z processor, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB storage drive, and a variety of common I/O ports (USB-C, USB-A, HDMI 2.0, and Gigabit Ethernet) in a Mac Mini case.[1][2][3] 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. It comes preloaded with beta versions of macOS Big Sur and Xcode. 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 or using it for work other than transition-related software development.[2]

Historical Antecedents

During Apple's 2005-2006 transition from PowerPC to Intel processors, the company announced and made available an analogous prototype computer for developers. Also called "Developer Transition Kit", the computer identified itself as "Apple Development Platform" (ADP 2,1), 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 the case of a Power Mac G5 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 modified to run on Intel's x86 architecture.[4][5] 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. [4][2] 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."[5]

References

  1. ^ "Apple announces Mac transition to Apple silicon" (Press release). Apple. Apple. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  2. ^ a b c 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.
  3. ^ Welch, Chris (22 June 2020). "Apple announces Mac mini powered by its own chips for developers". The Verge. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b Marsal, Katie (23 June 2005). "Inside Apple's Intel-based Dev Transition Kit". AppleInsider. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b Hackett, Stephen (16 Jan 2019). ""This Is Not a Product": The Apple Developer Transition Kit". MacStories. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
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