Apple today introduced Boot Camp, public beta software that enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows XP. Available as a download beginning today, Boot Camp allows users with a Microsoft Windows XP installation disc to install Windows XP on an Intel-based Mac, and once installation is complete, users can restart their computer to run either Mac OS X or Windows XP. Boot Camp will be a feature in “Leopard,” Apple’s next major release of Mac OS X, that will be previewed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in August.
“Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple’s superior hardware now that we use Intel processors,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in the press release. “We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch.”
Boot Camp simplifies Windows installation on an Intel-based Mac by providing a simple graphical step-by-step assistant application to dynamically create a second partition on the hard drive for Windows, to burn a CD with all the necessary Windows drivers, and to install Windows from a Windows XP installation CD. After installation is complete, users can choose to run either Mac OS X or Windows when they restart their computer.
Funny Apple notes on the Boot Camp web page include:
EFI and BIOS – Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries.
Word to the Wise – Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it’ll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes.
The public beta of Boot Camp is available immediately as a download, and is preview software licensed for use on a trial basis for a limited time. The final version of Boot Camp will be available as a feature in the upcoming Mac OS X version 10.5 “Leopard.” Apple does not provide support for installing or running Boot Camp and does not sell or support Microsoft Windows software. Apple welcomes user feedback on Boot Camp at:
Boot Camp requires an Intel-based Mac with a USB keyboard and mouse, or a built-in keyboard and TrackPad; Mac OS X version 10.4.6 or later; the latest firmware update; at least 10GB of free space on the startup disk; a blank recordable CD or DVD; and single-disc version of Windows XP Home Edition or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later.
More info about Apple’s Boot Camp public beta and download link here.
MacDailyNews Take: Welcome to “Embrace and extinguish,” Apple-style. The war ain’t over, folks. It never was. Now, a new chapter begins and today’s shot will be heard around the world! Don’t you just love the smell of napalm in the morning?
This doesn’t hurt Microsoft (yet), but it absolutely puts Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, etc. into a world of pain.
Why buy a Dell when Apple’s Intel-based Macs will run both Mac OS X and Windows? As we wrote way back on June 8, 2005: Oh, so one could buy a Mac and run both Windows and Mac OS X or buy a Dell and only be able to run Windows. Muahahahahah! So, can anyone explain why would anyone in their right mind would buy a Dell or any other Wintel box assembler’s kit again? This is shaping up to become a “license Mac OS X or die” problem for the Dells of the world. But, what if Steve Jobs doesn’t feel like licensing Mac OS X? Checkmate. Is it too early to suggest that Michael Dell shut down the company and give the money back to shareholders?
Wait until Wall Street figures this one out.
As we wrote in a MacDailyNews Take on May 9, 2005:“The war isn’t over until there’s a surrender. Apple’s still here and the Mac platform is growing and advancing, not shrinking and retreating. As long as Apple makes Macs, as Yogi said, ‘It ain’t over ’til it’s over.’ PCs are turned over every few years; all it would take is for the average user to choose a Mac for their next computer and things would quickly change drastically. With Windows in disarray and Longhorn looking more like Stillborn, right now is Apple’s best time to strike and strike hard.”
Our own SteveJack wrote on December 28, 2005, “Could Steve Jobs be preparing to drop just such a bomb on the Windows box assemblers at Macworld Expo or sometime in 2006? Would he first drop just a moderately destructive atomic bomb on the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo, Gateway, etc., leaving out the ‘Windows apps on Mac without Windows’ threat to Microsoft? Or could Jobs actually be boldly planning to drop the industry-devastating hydrogen bomb on both the Windows box assemblers and Microsoft all in one fell swoop? If a Mac could run Mac OS X and Windows, who would buy a Dell, HP, etc.? If a Mac could run Mac OS X and Windows applications without Windows, who would buy a Dell or a copy of Windows from Microsoft? And what would Microsoft be able to do about it? Drop Internet Explorer for Mac (LOL)? Drop Office for Mac? Big deal, we’ll run the Windows versions on our Macs then, if need be. Is this why Jobs has been building a world-class library of Mac-only software titles for years? Does Jobs still harbor the desire to take back the personal computer industry from Microsoft? Could that be the real reason why Jobs is undertaking the massive switch to Intel-based Macs? Or do you really think the switch to Intel-based Macs is just to get better performance per watt CPUs for Apple iBooks and PowerBooks?”
As Windows-only users buy Macs that will provide them their “comfort” of Windows, they will experience Mac OS X and use it for the excellent Mac-only applications. We all know what happens when people are given the chance to really use Macs for longer than five minutes, they usually want to buy a Mac. These new Apple Mac hardware users will start out using Windows more than Mac OS X and end up using Mac OS X exclusively. Watch and see.
While dual-booting is okay for those that need to use Windows apps, we’d still like to eventually see a solution like Darwine that runs Windows apps without Windows directly in Mac OS X. When that happens, the revenue going to Microsoft dries up and Windows’ death accelerates dramatically.
For those worried about Mac developers leaving the Mac OS X platform and just writing for Windows, we do not think that’s a real worry. Mac developers write for Mac OS X because of the numerous advantages it offers both to them and to the end user. The largest Mac developer, by the way, happens to be Apple, with many best-in-class Mac-only applications (the iLife suite, for just one example). You can’t run these on Windows and Apple isn’t about to abandon Mac OS X for Windows. Oh, sure, maybe a few smaller developers will try it, but most of the shaky Mac developers have already been weeded out during the Mac OS X transition anyway. Mac OS X is strong and getting stronger. Don’t worry about developers leaving the Mac platform for Windows; it’s not going to happen.
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Related articles:
Dude, you bought a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Intel-based Apple Mac runs Windows XP ‘fast, extremely well’ – March 16, 2006
Needham: Apple’s Mac market share could rocket to 9-percent if Intel-based Macs ran Windows apps – March 08, 2006
Is Steve Jobs prepping ‘The Cupertino Project’ – Intel-based Macs that will run Windows apps, too? – December 28, 2005
Apple patent application describes Intel-based Macs that run Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows – November 05, 2005
Is Apple morphing Mac into the ultimate PC capable of running Mac OS X, Windows, Linux? – June 20, 2005
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ ultimate goal: ‘to take back the computer business from Microsoft’ – June 16, 2005
Why buy a Dell when Apple’s Intel-based computers will run both Mac OS X and Windows? – June 08, 2005
Windows users who try Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger might not want to go back – June 07, 2005
Microsoft and Dell must have a lot of bricks lying around today – June 07, 2005
Microsoft CEO Ballmer: Apple’s moved to Intel? Ho hum – June 07, 2005
Apple about to resurrect its Switch campaign? Are the ‘OS wars’ really over? – May 09, 2005
Apple Macs are less expensive, more secure, longer-lasting than Windows PCs – April 21, 2005
macman: I think the world, especially the computing world, has changed quite a bit since the days of PC compatibility cards. You do know Cheers was cancelled, right?
So, the Windows punters want to buy Macs?
Well, they’ll have to fork out for Windows XP as an extra cost, and these guys already think Apple Macs are more expensive!
Perhaps they think they can get a “free” copy somewhere?
Great PR for Apple’s stock, though, but I’m not sure of the long term effect.
Off to bed now.
John
Happy Birthday From Apple Computer! Free and immediately available – run Windows XP on your newly purchased intel Mac! Have Fun and Thanks for your Support!
Oh yeah, if we had told you on our Birthday – April 1, you would have never believed us!
LOL Magic Word = growth. Apple stock up 6%! Wait till Wall Street figures this one out!
I don’t really understand why you would want your mac to run the worst operating system???? Why would you want your mac to be vulnerable to all the viruses that come with it? I will worry about this when I get a mac intel. I am still fine with my powerbook right now. Even when I do get a macbook pro in the future I will only use windows apps when its in virtualization and thats it…. I don’t care how long it takes for them to get that to work at a native speed. Good things are worth waiting for!!!
Look, Jesus Lopez and Eric Wasserman already installed Windows XP on an Intel-based Mac. Their process was difficult for the average user, but some software maker was going to put out a convenient way to boot Windows.
All Apple did was pre-emp any other company. It was going to be done. Apple might as well get the publicity of doing it themselves and showing their confidence in OS X.
This was going to be done. It’s no big deal, really. This had to be a consideration for Apple when they announced the move to Intel.
It’s not a big deal in that sense, yes– but it is a big deal in that it ushers ina new era where the Mac/Windows equilibrium has the potential to be slightly upset. This won’t cause massive migration, but it will send some people over the edge (who will then become Mac promoters, likely as well).
Good stuff.
so when you can load OSX with Vista… that will be good too, right?
Dell could care less about this. i’ll tell you why, because no one is gonna buy an iMac to put Windows on it. companies are not going to use dual booters to run business, and the normal person isn’t going to by a computer split in half.
who will get hurt, apple. if i have an intel mac, and winxp, why by apple software? you can give out reasons, but they all sound like “because osx is better.” true. osx is better. but XP software is usually a. easier to find, b. cheeper, and c. more widely used.
so forgive me if i think this is a bad thing for apple.
Adobe (and others) will just include a copy of Vista or XP OS with its next update – why make a Mac version?
————
Windows owners are not going to buy a Mac to run Windows OS. Windows owners can already run all the software out there – its Mac owners that can´t run Windows software (think games).
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This release by Apple does not make sense. Something else is going on that we aren´t privy to yet.
After reading a few stories from the dark side, I’m definetly giving up on them. On average they are a stupid bunch. They don’t see the point since they still believe that Macs are more expensive. How many times do they have to read that for what they get, Macs are actually less expensive than Windows crappy boxes, and they look much better. Maybe they can’t read or they can’t understand what they read.
@ha!
have to disagree…already talked to a few PC co-workers. They would now buy a Mac where they wouldn’t have before…they want to use things like iMovie to make videos of their kids…but their whole life has been working with Windows. They are excited about this opportunity to have both for the cost of one machine.
Umm, if Windows dies the whole issue of Windows on a Mac becomes moot.
– Does it mean that we can also boot up windoze’s viruses oso?
– The end of Dell is near, rise, Apple, rise.
– Turning to darkside is almost complete.
It is still a good news for micro$oft. That means they can grab another 5% of the market share?
Bad news for PC makers!
•The clone war begin has•
Interesting times…….If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em eh?
I’m also amazed at posts from Windows users, who have been so hung up on the supposed price premium of Apple hardware, are suddenly going ‘yeah – I’ll buy a Mac’. At least potentially they’ll have access to Apples iLife suite.
More importantly, I’d like to know Apples grand plan for keeping Mac developer support for the MacOS.
I bet you can’t boot Vista on a Mac.
Bill: “Gentleman, we have another PC maker joining us, and that is Apple. Now they finally know that resistance is futile. We win.”
SteveBallmer: ” Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer Developer. Who let the dog out, huh ha hu hu ha! I love this company!
Dell: “*#&@#$!*&^%, steve, you son of a #*@)(#$^!*@#&, gentlemen, we will win the war. But please prepare for benefits cut!”
SJ:”Should we stop developing the cats, and focusing on hardware in the future?”
OS X IS NOT GOING AWAY. Too much time and money invested, and it is MUCH superior to windoze. Those who end up dropping support for OS X didnt have much stake in it anyway, and OS X apps will still roll out, at least from the “major” companies. For example, in a day and age when graphics pros will buy a new machine just to shave seconds off of rendering time, there will be a market for os x native apps. and actually, there is a lot of software on os x not found on windows, especially in audio and video.
anyone who said this is the end of os x does not use X on a regular basis. I use mac and windows and I much prefer os X. oh, and by the way, its not MAC, its mac. MAC is a hardware ethernet address designation. get it right!
To Sammy – from a post made at 12:27 pm
“This whole thread proves that Mac fanatics are just sheep that are herded blindly where Apple leads them.
When the contest to install XP on a Mac was won, the response was overwhelmingly negative.
But when the announcement is from Apple to integrate the ability to boot Windows, the loyal sheep suddenly change their tune.
The funny thing is, nothing has changed. Since the revealing of Intel based Macs, everyone knew (sooner or later) that meant native Windows would eventually find its way onto Macs. “
Sammy, your comments show the lack of your ability to comprehend the “big picture” of computing.
The gentleman that won the contest provided a soltuion that could be best discribed as extremely arduous. One that a “normal” Mac user, or even more experienced ones, would not want to undertake (especially since they really don’t want to use Windows in the first place). Also, there were some major driver support issues. In other words, most people weren’t enthusiastic because it would be hard to do and require too much time, something that is actually counter to the entire concept of a Mac.
So, here is where EVERTYHING has changed. Apple stated with the release of the Intel Macs that they had no interest in supporting Windows on a Mac, nor providing a solution for the installation. Apple has reversed that postion and provided us Mac users exactly what we need – an Apple engineered solution that we know will work just as seamlessly as all Apple software. Just a few simple steps and a nice GUI to go along with it. Easy peasy japaneezy.
Now, who this really effects is Dell, HP, Gateway, etc. Apple has ALWAYS had a superior design. And the costs have come down over the last few years. The Mini is a frigging STEAL! For the typical user – why on Earth would you go buy a Dell (which, dare I say, will never be able to boot a Mac OS )when you can purchase a nice, elegant Mac that can do everything the Dell can? On top of that, once people start switching, and realize how much nicer the Mac OS is (not to mention iLife, installed free on every Mac)……
But MS has nothing to worry about, at least for now, They will still be profitable. Windows isn’t going any where any time soon. The genius that is Gates makes the OS – not the hardware. He could care less if Dell, et.al , fall by the wayside. As long as the world still needs the Windows OS, which it does, what does it matter to MS if they use a Mac to accomplish their computing needs? IMHO, this move is going to have serious ramifications on the future of the computing “business”.
Wonder if Michael Dell bought any Apple stock today?
Questions remain…
Does this mean no more MS Office for Mac?
Will Adobe bother making CS 3 for the Mac now?
Will Quark make Quark 7 for the Mac? Well, actually who really cares.
Will we need to endure seeing Windows running on Intel Macs at the Applestore? I’m not sure I can stomach that.
Will businesses want to buy Macs when they can still buy Dells for much less? Is booting Windows on Mac targeted for consumers, businesses, Education? Hacks? Mad scientists?
Will Apple bundle Windows with the Mac?
Will I wake up and this will all be a bad dream?
Sorry but I guess I still don’t get it.
They’ll soon forget about smokin’ Windows once they start mainlining OS X. I’ve been hooked for 28 years, baby.
Didn’t I read somewhere that most users will have to purchase a new PC to run Vista? If that is true there will be a lot of Macs sold – and most home users will not want to fork out extra money to buy Vista and will stick with OSX.
Woo Hoo
Questions remain…
—
To answer ALL of your questions all i have to say is:
This will make Mac marketshare go UP not DOWN…
So, yes, apps will still be developed. Think it through.
Timeline:
Mac/Win dual boot for back compatibility—>Mac substitutes found–> Windows rarely used–>Mac bought, Windows not used…
Any other questions?
Holy sh!t.
In other news… Hell apparently just froze over.
What? MacDude has nothing to say on the subject?