Heck Re-Freezes - Apple's Boot Camp

[Brian Lesser]

When I read about it this morning (thanks to Penny-Arcade), I was thinking about this question...

How much of a benefit will this be for both companies?

In many cases, it would be a big benefit for both companies. However, the fine print says the following...

You’ll need Windows XP Home Edition or Professional, Service Pack 2 installation disc.

Now don't get me wrong. By now, many users should have Service Pack 2. However, after a small search through Newegg, there a few other versions of XP, such as Media Center edition and Server Standard 2003.

Just a thought...

[Alex Burman]

I was tempted to ask Steve Wozniak how I could run windows on a Power mac g5 just as a joke (especially since I don't own an apple newer then an Apple 2) but i decided not to yet i guess he would have might have given me this as an answer.

Now if only I could run OSX on my dell....

[Michelle Celio]

I was in my networking class this morning and we started talking about this, yeah the concept is cool but its like... ::Shivers:: eww windows. Why would you waste such a beautiful machine with windows? lol. But yeah it pretty cool still...

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Fruity Pebbles

Why would you waste such a beautiful machine with windows?

Why else? For the games!

(well, alright, I'd be interested in getting some CAD action on a MacBook Pro)

[Jonathan Norris]

Apple why would you do this..

You know hacking your machines is more fun .

[IraJason]

They just took all the fun out of getting Windows onto the new Macs...

Really, now I'm looking forward to new MacBook Pros of the 17 inch (or possibly bigger) variety... I am so happy an Apple Store is opening in the shopping center down the street...

[petek]

Originally Posted by Fruity Pebbles

I was in my networking class this morning and we started talking about this, yeah the concept is cool but its like... ::Shivers:: eww windows. Why would you waste such a beautiful machine with windows? lol. But yeah it pretty cool still...

I can think of four reasons right off the bat:
MPLab
EasyC
Inventor
VAGCOM (car computer interface)

I'm thinking of making the plunge after the next CoreDuo speed bump hits the Macbook Pro, though my trusty Tibook still hauls the mail for everything except the above noted apps.

[Clark Gilbert]

This is pefect! It gives me a valid reason to switch to a new Intel based Mac. Now all I have to do is wait for their OS X 10.5 where it's integrated (and probably w/ more features).

[Andy A.]

Well, it is interesting.

I like Mac laptops. However, I have never gotten into any of the OS versions. I actively despise OSX and all its incarnations.

I've never been able to support Apple, because as great as some of their stuff is, you are forever tied to Apple. Just like an Ipod and using Itunes, you are stuck with a proprietary format that is a dead end. With a Mac you are even locked into what hardware upgrades are possible!

It just blows my mind that finally, after something like 20 years, Apple is opening up it's hardware.

If that comes true, I might seriously consider a Mac as my next laptop. The hardware is good and now, finally, the OS can be useful to me to.

-Andy A.

[Kyle Fenton]

I am actually surprised on how much press coverage bootcamp has gotten. Personally I don't find this that exciting. Most people over time would probably want to run Windows through virtualization, and not through dual booting.

Also a legal copy of Windows XP is $150-300, and there is no way you can get an upgrade price.

In the end I don't think this would really matter.

[Greg McCoy]

I can't wait for the virtualizaton...it's only a matter of time. I use Virtual PC on my PowerBook G4 quite a bit when I need to try/test something out in Windows. Even though it's slow, it's very convenient to have the ability to manipulate the virtual hardware to do what you want. You can try out different flavors of Linux, totally crash Windows XP and then just reload it from a DVD archive, debug stuff easier, etc. Much easier than dealing with real hardware. When the virtualization is mature on the Intel machines (and the performance penalty is gone), it will be wonderful.

Originally Posted by Andy A.

Just like an Ipod and using Itunes, you are stuck with a proprietary format that is a dead end. With a Mac you are even locked into what hardware upgrades are possible!

This is true in some respects, but I've found that a lot of their stuff is highly standards-based (XML Configuration Files, PDF graphics everywhere, they build everything with a highly compatible variant of GCC, etc.) You might be suprised

Originally Posted by Andy A.

It just blows my mind that finally, after something like 20 years, Apple is opening up it's hardware.

Apple has evolved a lot over the years...it's true that the hardware is probably more open now than it's ever been, but the fact that the hardware that their software can be deployed on is so small contributes to the fact that their computers are integrated so well. I think it's kind of funny that diehard Windows lovers like the hardware so much, like there's a secret to it. Their stuff is just plain simple, uncluttered. The difference is ultimately in the software.

Then again, I might just be an overzealous Apple fanboy.

[Bill Moore]

Originally Posted by Greg McCoy

I can't wait for the virtualizaton...it's only a matter of time. I use Virtual PC on my PowerBook G4 quite a bit when I need to try/test something out in Windows. Even though it's slow, it's very convenient to have the ability to manipulate the virtual hardware to do what you want. You can try out different flavors of Linux, totally crash Windows XP and then just reload it from a DVD archive, etc. Much easier than dealing with real hardware. When the virtualization is mature on the Intel machines to the point where the performance penalty is gone, it will be wonderful.

Greg, this isn't virtualization software, it will actually run Windows natively. You select the OS on bootup much like the older Macs could choose between starting up with OS 9 or OS X.

[Andy A.]

Originally Posted by Greg McCoy

think it's kind of funny that diehard Windows lovers like the hardware so much, like there's a secret to it. Their stuff is just plain simple, uncluttered. The difference is ultimately in the software.

The hardware has never been plain or simple. This is the first time that anything about an Apple computer is remotely like what the rest of the world is using. Using the x86 instruction set allows Apple hardware to run windows with out any emulation. Of course, there is all sorts of software trickery going on to make it work, but it is native.

So, in the eyes of a wintell user, Apple goes from an expensive closed off high end breed of computers that only make sense if you have to run photoshop or like to complain about Windows to being a high end boutique dealer ala Alienware. Now we can par that cool hardware with an operating system that makes it usable.

And when we get choice, everyone wins.

Also, I don't think I would go for a desktop Mac. The PC world still wins there in my mind due to the massive flexibility in hardware and desktop productivity software. When it comes to laptops though, I don't think anyone has the fantastic mix of speed, style and compactness that the Mac's do. Wintell laptops still seem like big clunky lap warmers. Instead of getting thin and sleek like the ibooks, they just got huge and became 'desktop replacements'. With the addition of Windows, that hardware could become very useful to me.

-Andy A.

[sanddrag]

I think the biggest benefit of this new thingamabob is that when Windows is giving you a bad day, you can just switch over to Mac and be happy. And when Mac OS doesn't have the software you need, just switch over to windows. For Apple people, I think this is great. So many new doors have been opened. For PC people, I can't think of a huge reason to want to run OSX. Everything I can do on a Mac, I can do on a PC, but the converse is not true.

[Rombus]

Originally Posted by Andy A.

It just blows my mind that finally, after something like 20 years, Apple is opening up it's hardware.

Its not too shocking when you think about it. They were forced to go to Intel by the PPC Chips. IBM just couldn't give what apple wanted, a G5 you could put in a powerbook. From day one i heard that there would be Intel macs, i knew OSX and XP would be interchangeable both on PCs and Macs. The thought of XP running on a powerbook, and OSX running on pc hardware is just too tempting to pass up. Even if it OSX on pc hardware isn't exactly legal or supported, it still works.

Essentially, Apple just made a brilliant chess move. By legitimizing the XP on intel mac hardware and giving the full set of mac drivers, they did three major things.
First, now professional users who are stuck using XP boxes for various thing have the ability to switch without much effort.
Second, it gives mac users who have yet to adopt the intel macs due to software incompatibilities (Think Adobe CS2) a reason to upgrade and still be able to use their software in a native OS, while waiting for native OSX86 support.
Third, you will have strict PC users start to look at the better designed and built hardware that Apple provides.

Apple also gets a nice side benefit of being able to grab home users who might feel comfortable with XP, but want to try the imacs or mac minis for there cost. Slowly these users might even migrate over to OSX.

You know what i REALLY want to see? a macbook tablet. I'm very addicted to my tabletPC but would unload this thing on ebay in a heartbeat if heard one was coming out. I'm sure alot of graphics professionals would also love to see one come out. And now with bootcamp, i would have the best of both worlds!