Reports spreading across the web that Intel Macs can’t boot Windows XP might be inaccurate, reports Dan Warne for APC Magazine.
“Tech journos far and wide have been quick to jump on the story that while Apple says it isn’t doing anything to specifically prevent people from installing Windows on an Intel-based Mac, the new Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) that Apple is using on the new Macs won’t work with current generations of Windows,” Warne reports. “EFI is the next-generation replacement for the 20-year-old BIOS, the oldest part of modern PCs which is in desperate need of an overhaul. EFI allows devices in the PC to be initialised before the operating system boots, and has features like full network support before the PC has even booted, allowing drivers to be downloaded and updated before an operating system loads.”
“However, Intel Australia, while being careful not to comment on Apple’s hardware specifically, says motherboards based on the Intel 945 chipset already support EFI and can boot Windows with no problems,” Warne reports. “This cryptic statement can’t be taken as full reassurance though: it may be that 945 boards support EFI but do not come with it installed by default. Officially, Microsoft says it will support EFI natively with Windows Vista, so it’s almost certain that Intel-based MacBook Pros and iMacs will be able to boot Vista when it is released later this year. But a year is a long time in computing and there would be great utility for many users in a notebook that could run Windows XP during work time and OS X at home, or one that could easily be rebooted to Windows to play the latest games.”
“A Mac that can legally run Windows/Linux/OS X on the one box is the ‘ultimate PC’ in compatibility terms, which should further drive hardware sales. Considering Apple includes the operating system with every Mac purchase, its OS revenue isn’t endangered by allowing people to install Windows on a Mac post-sale,” Warne writes. “Of course, Apple can’t condone or encourage running Windows on Macs, because that would cause Mac developers to question whether they should continue investing in the OS X platform if Apple is not fully committed. It’s a ‘wink wink, nod nod’ situation, where Apple must know that allowing users to run Windows on a Mac can only help boost Apple’s bottom-line.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: APC is awaiting an official response from Microsoft USA on how Windows XP works with EFI. They promise to update their article when they get new information.
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