Developer Transition Kit

The Developer Transition Kit is a prototype ARM-based Mac computer announced by Apple on June 22, 2020 as part of its initiative to transition its Mac 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 eventually appeared in the first three models of Apple Silicon Macs, operating in Thunderbolt 3/USB4 mode). It came preloaded with beta versions of macOS 11 Big Sur and Xcode 12. The DTK was replaced by the fifth-generation Mac Mini on November 10, 2020, which contains an M1 processor.

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

To get access the DTK, developers needed to sign up for a one year membership to Apple's Universal App Quick Start Program, at a cost of US$500.[9][1] The membership to this program came with a couple of benefits, such as code-level technical support, access to one-on-one labs with Apple engineers and a license to use a DTK made available by Apple, effectively giving access to the DTK on a loan basis.[10]

The device had to be returned to Apple one year after joining the Universal App Quick Start Program, "or as otherwise earlier requested by Apple".[11] Several conditions of use were attached, including restrictions against disassembling the computer, running unauthorized benchmark tests, or using it for work other than transition-related software development.[3][11]

Controversy

The terms of the Universal App Quick Start Program indicated that the program would run for the duration of one year counted from the moment the developer signed up for it, with an option to terminate it early without reason. Additionally it had a specific provision regarding one of the benefits associated with the program, namely the DTK. The DTK was to be returned within 30 days after the end of the program itself or "as otherwise earlier requested by Apple".[11] Apple had earlier communicated that the DTK was meant to prepare for the launch of the Macs based on Apple Silicon, thereby suggesting that the Program would be available for applying until the new Apple Silicon Macs would be available.

In February 2021 Apple emailed the developers regarding the early return of the DTK, while keeping the rest of the program and its benefits active until the original expiration of one year.[12] Additionally, Apple indicated in their email that they would provide a discount code for a US$200 discount towards the purchase of a Mac with M1 after the DTK was returned that would be valid until May 31st 2021. This discount code wasn't promised beforehand or part of the original agreement but was considered as a compensation in exchange of an early return.[12]

Some developers reacted with criticism to this email. Among them were developers that voiced their unhappiness about their experience with the DTK. Apple wrote in the description of the Program that the "Developer Transition Kit [was] not fully tested and [was] to be used only for limited testing and development purposes" and that the DTK "may contain errors that could cause failures or loss of data". However developers complained that the DTK was showing much more issues than a normal user would expected, making it "unusable" in development.[12][11] Others were under the impression that they could use the DTK for a full year, being caught in surprise by Apple's email indicating that they soon had to return the DTK. Many were also indicating that they were unhappy about the US$200 discount code offered by Apple, comparing it to when Apple offered developers the option to return their Intel DTK earlier than the originally planned date for an iMac during the transition from PowerPC to Intel processors. During the last transition, a developer could also choose to keep the DTK for the whole length of the program except that they would not get the iMac.[12]

On February 5th, 2021, following developer backlash, Apple sent out another email that increased the discount code to US$500, and expanded the discount to be used on any other Apple devices. In addition, the code will now expire at the end of 2021, instead of May.[13]

Developer Transition Kit (Intel)

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.[14][15]

The Intel 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. [14][3] Apple required developers to be a Select or Premier Apple Developer Connect (ADC) member, with memberships starting at US$499 per year and additional requirement to pay US$999 to receive an Intel DTK.[16] Apple surprised developers in the end by offering developers a free Intel iMac in exchange for sending back the Intel DTK.[17]

During Apple's 2005 Worldwide Developers 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."[15] The Intel DTK was replaced by the first-generation Mac Pro on August 7, 2006, which contained an Intel Xeon processor.

References
  1. "Apple announces Mac transition to Apple silicon" (Press release). Apple. 2020-06-22. Archived from the original on 2021-01-20. 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". Apple Developer. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  10. "1-on-1 Developer Labs - Universal App Quick Start Program". Apple Developer. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  11. "Universal App Quick Start Program" (PDF). Apple Inc. 22 June 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-02-04. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  12. "Apple Asks Developers to Return DTK Mac Minis in Exchange for $200 Credit Toward M1 Mac". MacRumors. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  13. "Apple Ups DTK Mac Mini Return Credit to $500 After Developer Complaints". MacRumors. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  14. Marsal, Katie (23 June 2005). "Inside Apple's Intel-based Dev Transition Kit". AppleInsider. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  15. Hackett, Stephen (16 Jan 2019). ""This Is Not a Product": The Apple Developer Transition Kit". MacStories. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  16. "Apple's Intel switch: Jobs' keynote transcript". Cnet. 2005-06-15. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  17. "Apple offers free iMac upgrade to Developer Transition Kit owners". engadget. 2006-01-11. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
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