May 26, 1997
Why Apple's common hardware reference platform isn't
By Bob O'Donnell
CHRP has been chumped. At least, that's how it appears based on recent actions taken by
Apple at its WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC). The Common Hardware Reference
Platform (CHRP), sometimes also referred to as the PowerPC Reference Platform, has long
been touted as a critical element of Apple's long-term strategy to clone the Macintosh and
turn the MacOS-compatible market into one that's as open as the world of PC-compatibles.
But now it seems Apple's commitment to CHRP is suffering.
The original vision for CHRP-based computers was a grand one. These systems would be
capable of running multiple OSes natively, use industry-standard components, and be based
on an open design specification so that virtually any computer manufacturer could build
them. They seemed like an ideal solution.
They also fit in beautifully with Apple's cloning strategy. When Apple announced that
it was going to permit Mac clones, the company said it would jump-start the market by
licensing its own motherboard designs, as well as the MacOS. Eventually, though, with
CHRP, cloners would only need the OS. (This multistep process was necessary because the
Mac is so dependent on proprietary Apple hardware, particularly the infamous Mac ROMs,
that clones would never have been possible without Apple's involvement.)
Now, just a few months prior to the scheduled debut of CHRP-based systems, Apple's
support for the idea seems lukewarm at best. Part of it may be due to market and technical
problems that have arisen since the concept's introduction. Last year, Microsoft dropped
its promised Windows NT for CHRP, making it simply another platform for the MacOS. Also,
Apple announced that the first CHRP machines would still require a Mac ROM because the
company couldn't deliver the hardware abstraction layer that would let the machines run
completely free of any Apple proprietary hardware.
Apple also seems to be suffering a bit as a victim of its own cloning success and may
be reacting as a result. In particular, Power Computing and Motorola, are making
significant inroads into the Mac market. Perhaps because of the runaway success of Mac
clones, Apple is clamping down harder on the clonemakers just as it was supposed to be
giving them freedom. For example, the company announced at its Developer's Conference that
even CHRP-based systems will require Apple certification to "guarantee
compatibility." Also, the company admitted that it is 18 months or more away from
completely removing the hardware dependencies planned for CHRP. (According to one report I
read, that date was a guess because some Apple engineers think the task of completely
separating the hardware from the software is impossible.) And as if that weren't enough,
the company also confirmed that the required CHRP ROMs are apparently running late.
Without them, clone vendors cannot ship any systems.
The final irony is that Apple's own hardware map for the coming year, which was also
detailed at WWDC, doesn't include a single CHRP system. Now it may be that the company
wants to differentiate its products, but it does seem rather odd that Apple isn't creating
any products based on the specification it labored so hard to create.
Add all these details up, and you start to get the feeling that Apple's having some
serious reservations about the whole notion of CHRP. Officials will never admit, of course
-- after all, they can point to CHRP support in the upcoming MacOS 8.0 -- but the strength
of their convictions has certainly weakened. That's too bad because if Apple wanted to
keep the Mac from slowly sliding into oblivion, it needs to help the Mac clone vendors as
much as possible, regardless of how much it may hurt.
©
Copyright 1997, by InfoWorld Publishing Corp., a
subsidiary of IDG Communications, Inc. Reprinted from InfoWorld,
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