[Wowfunhappy]

As long as they're coming out with new hardware configurations anyway, why should switching to AMD require substantial effort?

There are modified Darwin kernels that allow Hackintosh to work on AMD processors. These kernels have some stability issues, but if hobbyist outsiders can get most of the way, I don't forsee it being a big hurdle for actual Apple engineers.

[blihp]

Because strategically, the move to ARM makes more sense for them to focus on even if sticking with Intel is a bit more painful in the short term. They already have a large team working on ARM processors and an architecture license for the platform. With x86, they are basically just resellers. So adding AMD's flavor of x86 to their lineup would likely be seen as a distraction for them without providing a long-term benefit.

[Wowfunhappy]

But by that logic, they shouldn’t come out with any new, non-ARM laptops at all!

As I see it, as long as Apple is putting out x86 hardware, there’s no reason why it can’t be AMD x86 hardware.

(I’m also secretly hoping the ARM thing won’t actually happen, but that’s neither here nor there, and I’m probably wrong.)

[joshstrange]

Honest question, why don't you want them to transition to ARM?

[Wowfunhappy]

Primarily, compatibility with legacy apps, and compatibility with other OS's (eg Bootcamp/Parallels).

I also have major concerns about raw performance at the high end, and I suspect ARM would come with even more software lockdown, although there's no reason that has to be the case.