Editing Power Macintosh (section)

=== Development and partnership with IBM (1991–1993) ===
By mid-1991, there was internal concern at Apple that the 88100 may not be the correct processor to move forward with as no other computer manufacturers had committed to using the processor.{{r|pmbook|p=11}} Using IBM's POWER was again considered, but it was a seven-chip design at the time, which was not desirable from a cost perspective. Engineers from Apple and IBM's Advanced Workstations and Systems Division met in Austin, Texas to discuss creating a single-chip version of IBM's [[POWER1]] RISC architecture. Motorola was also present at Apple's request.  IBM had already been working on such a chip, called the [[RISC Single Chip]] (RSC), to reduce the production cost of their entry-level [[RS/6000]] workstation systems.{{r|pmbook|p=7}} In these meetings, a number of changes were proposed to RSC that would facilitate lower costs, lower power usage, and higher yield production suitable for both the Macintosh and future RS/6000 products.

In early July, executives at the three companies reached an agreement<ref>{{cite magazine
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iVAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1
| title = Rivals IBM, Apple team up for open platform
| date = July 8, 1991
| magazine = InfoWorld
| publisher = InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.
| volume = 13
| issue = 27
| first = Kristi
| last = Coale
| page = 1
| language = en
| access-date = December 19, 2020
| archive-date = April 26, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220426044328/https://books.google.com/books?id=iVAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1
| url-status = live
}}</ref> which was formally announced to the public in October.<ref>{{cite magazine
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zT0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1
| title = IBM, Apple ink historic deal
| date = October 7, 1991
| magazine = InfoWorld
| publisher = InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.
| volume = 13
| issue = 40
| first = Tom
| last = Quinlan
| page = 1
| language = en
| access-date = December 19, 2020
| archive-date = April 11, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220411160635/https://books.google.com/books?id=zT0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1
| url-status = live
}}</ref> In addition to the new RISC architecture, which was given the name [[PowerPC]], this "[[AIM alliance]]" had several goals, including creating an operating system based on Pink, an object-oriented scripting language called ScriptX, and a cross-platform media player called the [[Kaleida Labs|Kaleida Media Player]]. Of the alliance, John Sculley said, "The Macintosh strategy paid off very well for us in the 1980s, but we didn't think we could establish the next generation of computing by using that model in the 1990s. Working with IBM, and making it available to everyone, we can have a much wider impact with these technologies than we did with the Macintosh."<ref>{{cite magazine
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nFAEAAAAMBAJ
| title = Sculley stirs revolution
| magazine = InfoWorld
| publisher = InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.
| volume = 13
| issue = 13
| date = August 5, 1991
| first = Tom
| last = Quinlan
| pages = 1, 111
| access-date = September 20, 2020
| archive-date = May 9, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210509145645/https://books.google.com/books?id=nFAEAAAAMBAJ
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

Development of the [[PowerPC 601]] chip started in October 1991 and was completed in 21 months, with volume production starting in July 1993.{{r|pmbook|p=17}} The first computers to ship with a PowerPC chip were a line of IBM [[RS/6000]] workstations in September 1993.<ref>{{cite magazine
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7joEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12
| title = First PowerPC system finally hits the street
| magazine = InfoWorld
| publisher = InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.
| volume = 15
| issue = 39
| date = September 27, 1993
| first = Cate
| last = Corcoran
| pages = 1, 12
| access-date = September 20, 2020
| archive-date = April 11, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220411160515/https://books.google.com/books?id=7joEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12
| url-status = live
}}</ref> Many Macintosh application developers used these machines for the development of the initial PowerPC ports of their products, as Macintosh-based PowerPC development tools were not ready. The [[PowerPC 603]] (which focused on lowering power usage) and [[PowerPC 604|604]] (which focused on high performance) projects were also underway at the same time.

In July 1992, the decision was made to scale back the ambition of the initial system software release; instead of attempting to create a completely new kernel, Apple focused on producing a version of System 7 where portions of the existing [[Macintosh Toolbox]] ROM were rewritten to use native PowerPC code instead of emulating a 680x0. This provided a significant performance boost for certain highly utilized parts of the operating system, particularly [[QuickDraw]].

The first public demonstration of the new Power Macintosh — specifically, a prototype of what would become the [[Power Macintosh 6100]] – was at an Apple Pacific sales meeting in Hawaii in October 1992.{{r|pmbook|p=23}} The demo was a success, and in the following months, the product plan expanded to include three models: the entry-level 6100, a mid-range [[Power Macintosh 7100|7100]] housed in the [[Macintosh IIvx]]'s desktop case, and a high-end [[Power Macintosh 8100|8100]] based on the [[Macintosh Quadra 800|Quadra 800]]'s mini-tower case. A fourth project, the [[Macintosh Processor Upgrade Card]], was started in July 1993 to provide a straightforward upgrade path to owners of Centris- and Quadra-based Macintosh computers.{{r|pmbook|p=23}} The importance of this was especially significant for the Quadra 700, 900, and 950, which were not going to receive full logic board replacements. Computers upgraded in this fashion received new names such as "Power Macintosh Q650" and "Power Macintosh 900".