There's a trend afoot toward vertically-integrated graphics pipelines and APIs for driven by the enhanced efficiency and easier optimization they offer. This really only further highlights OpenGL's benefit of portability, though.
It's just becoming a more interesting trade-off with OpenGL.
Given that the same company that's "ditching OpenGL" according to that article is the one now throwing their weight behind WebGL, I think it's safe to say that the article in question is overblown. Apple isn't ditching OpenGL. In fact, OpenGL remains the only 3D acceleration API available on Macs. Apple just added another API with lower overhead to certain devices.
Those are not negative news, just the speculation of Some Dude on the Internet.
Apple is not abandoning OpenGL, heck, SpriteKit and SceneKit are both laid on top of OpenGL.
The fact is OpenGL doesn't allow the underlying hardware to be fully utilized, so now those demanding best performance can use Metal. A good example would be a high-end gaming engine like Unreal. And those who don't, can keep using OpenGL forever.
All the FUD about walled garden and proprietary APIs ignore how Metal is supposed to be used. Engines like Unreal already support OpenGL, DirectX, the PlayStation variation of OpenGL-ish API, Mantle (AMD) and so on.
Now it'll support also Metal.
People who use the Unreal engine can still write cross-platform games for it, but now they'll get even better performance under iOS thanks to Metal.
Comments
Can someone tell me what the recent negative news around OpenGL (see for instance http://www.alexstjohn.com/WP/2014/06/03/apple-ditching-openg...) means for the future of WebGL? I don't follow the graphics world from close, therefore my question.
There's a trend afoot toward vertically-integrated graphics pipelines and APIs for driven by the enhanced efficiency and easier optimization they offer. This really only further highlights OpenGL's benefit of portability, though.
It's just becoming a more interesting trade-off with OpenGL.
Given that the same company that's "ditching OpenGL" according to that article is the one now throwing their weight behind WebGL, I think it's safe to say that the article in question is overblown. Apple isn't ditching OpenGL. In fact, OpenGL remains the only 3D acceleration API available on Macs. Apple just added another API with lower overhead to certain devices.
Technically you don't need OpenGL for WebGL, it just makes the implementation easier.
Mixing a legacy platform with a legacy language just isn't working out.
I'm not sure what you mean here... what isn't work?
Those are not negative news, just the speculation of Some Dude on the Internet.
Apple is not abandoning OpenGL, heck, SpriteKit and SceneKit are both laid on top of OpenGL.
The fact is OpenGL doesn't allow the underlying hardware to be fully utilized, so now those demanding best performance can use Metal. A good example would be a high-end gaming engine like Unreal. And those who don't, can keep using OpenGL forever.
All the FUD about walled garden and proprietary APIs ignore how Metal is supposed to be used. Engines like Unreal already support OpenGL, DirectX, the PlayStation variation of OpenGL-ish API, Mantle (AMD) and so on.
Now it'll support also Metal.
People who use the Unreal engine can still write cross-platform games for it, but now they'll get even better performance under iOS thanks to Metal.
That's really it. No conspiracy theories.