“Apple says it will ship its first Intel-based Macs in mid 2006, with the transition finished by the end of 2007. It says it will continue to restrict OS X to running only on Macs, although I expect to see hackers figure out ways to install it on generic Intel PCs,” Rob Pegoraro writes for The Washington Post. “Deciding what Mac, if any, to buy in the meantime will be tricky.”

“A PowerPC-based Mac will be guaranteed to run any Mac software around, and any differences in performance should be minimal at the start. An Intel-based Mac, by contrast, may balk at some existing Mac programs and will probably be buggier at the start,” Pegoraro writes. “But an Intel-inside Mac will bring one huge benefit — Windows compatibility.”

Pegoraro writes, “First, Apple suggests you’ll be able to install a copy of Windows alongside Mac OS X with moderate effort. Second, Microsoft’s Virtual PC program, which simulates an entire PC inside Mac OS X, should run a lot faster. Third, a program called Wine (http://www.winehq.org) that Linux users employ to run individual Windows programs — without needing a copy of Windows at all — can be revised to run at full speed on an Intel-based Mac. If Apple and its developers can pull all this off — an enormous ‘if’ — the Mac will become the most compatible computer around. And if Apple can keep its lead in hardware design, it will also remain one of the most elegant and stylish (if not the cheapest). Imagine this: In a year or two, the best Windows PC may come from Apple.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: This is important for potential switchers who currently think they can’t live without Windows, but these Macs capable of running Windows will soon show them the truth. First week: 80% Windows, 20% Mac OS X. Second week: 50% Windows, 50% Mac. Third week: 80% Mac, 20% Windows…

This is also important for Macs in the business world; justifying that Mac for work may be about to become a whole lot easier. Just tell ‘em you’re going to be running Windows XP. What they don’t know won’t hurt ‘em.

Related MacDailyNews articles:
Intel’s built-in virtualization tech could be one way to run Windows on Intel-based Apple Macs – June 16, 2005
If Intel-based Macs can run Mac OS X and Windows, buying a Mac will be a no-brainer – June 15, 2005
Apple could use Trusted Platform Module chip to keep Mac OS X off non-Macs – June 14, 2005
Intel-based Macs running both Mac OS X and Windows will be good for Apple – June 10, 2005
Why buy a Dell when Apple ‘Macintel’ computers will run both Mac OS X and Windows? – June 08, 2005
Microsoft and Dell must have a lot of bricks lying around today – June 07, 2005