Autodesk confirms AutoCAD for Mac, iOS app
updated 11:30 pm EDT, Mon August 30, 2010
Release slated for October
Autodesk has confirmed earlier reports suggesting AutoCAD will return to the Mac platform sometime in October, alongside a companion app for iOS devices. The popular 2D/3D design and engineering software spent the last 15 years as a Windows-only offering, although early versions were offered for both platforms.
Although Mac owners can already run AutoCAD using virtualization software, such as Parallels, the upcoming release is expected to take advantage of many Mac OS X native features. The offering is said to support multi-touch gestures and 64-bit operation.
The software has established a dominant role in many industries ranging from architecture to product design. Autodesk senior vice-president Amar Hanspal claims many of AutoCAD's 10 million users had expressed interest in a Mac version.
The company will also release AutoCAD WS, an app for the iPhone and iPad. Users will be able to view designs from the mobile interface, which will also provide options for making minor changes. The company has yet to disclose a full list of capabilities for the free iOS app, however.
AutoCAD for Mac will carry the same price as the Windows variant, which currently sells for $4,000. [via AppleInsider]
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Joined: May 2004
Hooray
This is a very important event. It removes a large barrier that some firms have to adopting Macs. Now we can be king of ALL the design world.