“Apple, the computer maker, today shocked its army of fans by unveiling software that will let its newest Macintosh machines run Windows, the operating system developed by arch-rival Microsoft. The watershed decision could help Apple to dramatically expand its share of the computer market. The company has already seen sales of its computers boosted by the massive popularity of its iPod music player, dubbed the ‘halo effect’ by analysts,” Rhys Blakely writes for The Times. “The company said a trial version of the software, called Boot Camp, will be available as a free download… The program will also be built into Leopard, the next version of Apple’s own operating system, which is due to be unveiled in August.”
“Boot Camp will work on the recently unveiled new generation of super-fast Apple computers, the first to use processors built by Intel, the world’s largest chip maker. Apple is eventually expected to build all of its computers to run on Intel chips,” Blakely writes. “However, users will have to buy their own copy of Windows first… Apple, mindful that many of its customers have been fierce critics of Microsoft products, sought to downplay the move. The company said it still considers its own operating software easier to use and more reliable than Windows. Apple aficionados have long criticised Windows’ alleged shortcomings, especially on security issues… Apple did not say if there would be future updates to Boot Camp, or if the software would allow Mac computers to run Vista, Microsoft’s recently delayed upgrade of the Windows operating system that is now set for release to consumers in January 2007.”
Full article here.
Advertisements:
• Apple’s brand new iPod Hi-Fi speaker system. Home stereo. Reinvented. Available now for $349 with free shipping.
• Apple’s new Mac mini. Intel Core, up to 4 times faster. Starting at just $599. Free shipping.
• MacBook Pro. The first Mac notebook built upon Intel Core Duo with iLife ’06, Front Row and built-in iSight. Starting at $1999. Free shipping.
• iMac. Twice as amazing — Intel Core Duo, iLife ’06, Front Row media experience, Apple Remote, built-in iSight. Starting at $1299. Free shipping.
• iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
• iPod. 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video. The new iPod. 30GB and 60GB models start at just $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.
Related articles:
Apple’s ‘Boot Camp’ is bad news for Windows-only PC box assemblers – April 05, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Reuters: Apple’s new ‘Boot Camp’ could draw millions of new Mac buyers – April 05, 2006
Apple shares surge over 6-percent in early trading on ‘Boot Camp’ news – April 05, 2006
Apple introduces Boot Camp: public beta software enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows XP – April 05, 2006
Die M$
I think watershed should have been windfall.
I do not think that word means what you think it means…
actually….that was an incorrect statement
Die Dell
Shurley the holy grail for Apple (and computer useres in general) is to get Windows apps to run on OSX without the need to install Windows/XP.
MDN word: months – four months till WWDC
Nope, watershed was the correct term.. It means a turning point in a series of events. Although… windfall is sure to be applicable as well
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
Maybe in this order
First
Die Dell
Second
Die M$
>Shurley the holy grail for Apple>
And don’t call me Shirley. That SB Surely BTW.
“…the company did not say if the software would allow Mac computers to run Vista, Microsoft’s recently delayed upgrade of the Windows operating system that is now set for release to consumers in January 2007.”
it does however give this indication from the bootcamp hompage…
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.
PC’s can’t even run Vista, why should a Mac be expected to?
Seems like AAPL has tested the limits of Yahoo Finance stock page. It’s showing a one-time stock trade at around 11:30AM of FOUR BILLION shares of AAPL.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
They must still be running those old Pentium chips that had the math problem.
(APPL is up to $66.17, up $5.00, or 8.2%)
The holy grail is when developers create universal apps for OS X (power pc, intel) and Windows. Eventually windows will surely come to its death, untill we see them try and start from scratch, except already 10 years behind by then. Its a revolution of whispers, and the whispers are getting louder and more provocative.
i would not be too quick to think this such totally good news….. for sure more people might buy macs but with having to reboot all the time many may well just stick to what they know..ie windows and also does this not give developers an option to not bother with mac software… more likely the smaller guys granted, but still surely the idea is increase developer interest not give them an option to cop out….
my personal fear is that most people who use windows do so because they have to or dont think about it much, just like alot of people buy a car for a purpose and really what it looks like etc is of little importance, to these people the beauty and advantages of mac may not be apparent…. so rebooting all the time would jsut be a bore………
i think running windows programmes inside OSx is the way to go…… so they are getting used to the mac OS, are not buying MS software, and maybe avoid the security fears as well.
Like it or not, this is the single most important announcement that Apple has ever made in terms of reaching the masses and increasing marketshare.
I personally have no need for Windows, but a very large percentage of computer users do… As of today, there is absolutely NO advantage of owning a PC over a Mac..
In addition to the worlds best designed hardware and operating system (OSX,) Macs can now run every software application ever made for Windows natively.
With prices starting at $599 this will go down as Apple’s greatest move ever.
Hilarious!
While geeks were out there trying hard to get XP to run on a Mac, Apple quietly went about making a solution for the rest of us (i.e. non-geeks).
Well, now there’s NO WAY I’m letting my wife buy a PC to run AutoCad!
Excellent. I just hope all the viruses can’t start to affect your Mac partition if you’re sharing files between platforms. It is Windows after all. Does anyone know about that situation?
Every PC user I have ever talked to about switching to the Mac mentions first and foremost the investment in software that they would have to re-purchase. That’s why the best strategy for Apple is a combination of either VM emulation or Darwine for the short term and the Yellow Box development environment for the long term. Then PC owners pay little or no extra cost to switch to the Mac and developers have little or no overhead costs in developing for both Mac and Windows. Both situations bode extremely well for Apple. We may well see the day when almost every application is cross-platform.
It is going to be amusing watching the media get meaning of this wrong. It’s already been going on today all day on tv. Amazing the number of people that are saying that Apple is switching to Windows as its operating system.
HMMMMM, ????
Boot Camp??????
Interesting choice of name. Has anyone else thought about that??
You go to Boot Camp when you need to be trained for the real thing. (Army training before battle / business)
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
You go to Boot Camp when you have been bad (PC – MS user) and need to have your attitude corrected. lol
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Just a thought.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Norm
People are not thinking here. This won’t help Apple sales at all. Why? Because the consumer will have to purchase a copy of Windows. That costs either $200 for XP Home or $350 for XP Pro. They can’t use what came with their home pc. That’s an OEM version. They will have to install a retail version. So, how does spending $1300 for an iMac and another $350 for XP Pro increase the chances of someone switching from a $700 Dell?
People aren’t switching to Apple hardware because of the hardware. They are switching because they are sick of Windows.
it is a good day to die.
The end of MS has begun. The irony? It begins with selling copies of Windows!
I work in Edmonds, Washington, about 20 miles away from Redmond, WA (home of the Evil Empire).
It’s weird, early this morning I heard the most horrific smashing and banging sounds coming from just over the horizon.
And now I know what it was: the sound of Monkey Boy going apoplectic in the Executive Suite at Microshite.
Is “muahahahahahaha” a real word?
Die Wintel world, die.
Love and kisses,
Shirley
MDN Magic Word: ENOUGH. As in, “had ENOUGH of the craptacular mess that is Windows? Then just switch to OS X.”
Beside Jeff’s point of false economy for Windows on Mac, what will the average-Joe computer user think when the partition on his Mac hard drive is riddled with malware? Most computer users will blame the “box”, i.e., Apple.
Will this Window malware slow down or affect the OS X partition? Sincere question. Any guidance appreciated.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that the crashing and smashing sounds came from the various pieces of office furniture flying around as Ballmer shrieks how he’s going to “F’ING KILL APPLE!!”
I hate it when I ruin my own jokes, lame as they are.
🙁
MDN: “METHOD” – Methinks there is most definitely method to Steve J.’s madness. Wait- he’s not mad. He’s just an eccentric genius. Oh, never mind. I’m too excited by this news to even make sense.
What a great marketing strategy. You can bet money that there will be no way to set “Boot Camp” up so that it defaults to anything other than OS X at startup.
Lots of Winblows users believe that they need XP in order to do some vital something or other that OS X can’t possibley do but they’ve been hearing so much about the Mac that they’de be willing to try it if they can boot XP.
They will forget to hold down the option key while booting at least once a day and before they know it they will have started exploring OS X. Then they will have switched to OS X for something trivial like e-mail and web surfing and then they will start looking for an OS X version of that app they can’t do without on XP.
Next thing you know they’ve become Mac users.
This will benefit M$ in the short term because they will sell some more copies of XP or Vista (whenever that ships). In the long term it will be a disaster for M$ unless Vista is so damned good that it really does compete with OS X (not likely). Either way it’s good for Apple hardware sales.
How many grey box assemblers include a proper install disk that you could use to install onto your Intel Mac? Even if they do, does the EULA allow for installation on a machine other than the one that it was supplied with?
How many people would actually go out and spend $$’s on a proper clean copy of XP?
I think this is good for those of us with a kosher disk, or those prepared to pay for one (let’s assume M$ wil try to prevent unlicensed use). But the average PC sheep is going to wonder ‘why would I pay a premium for a fsckin’ computer with a funny OS AND THEN shell out more for the OS I’m realy comfortable with?’
Still, I think it’s great. Roll on Darwine or Virtualisation, though
Dell stock only down 12 cents.
I doubt this is going to have a big impact on Mac sales. Maybe some businesses can get a huge discount on Windows XP, but the average person can´t.
And corporation IT guys are going to nix this idea – “Now I have two OS´s on one computer – which is causing the problems??? I need a pay raise and an assistant!”
Sure it will increase Mac sales, but by a tiny fraction.