“Boot Camp could give enterprise customers a reason to give Apple a try in the enterprise. There’s an ROI case to be made,” Larry Dignan writes for eWeek. “The whole idea of booting Windows XP on a Mac may seem counterintuitive to hardcore Macheads. The reaction goes something like this: ‘Why in the world would anyone want Windows XP anyway since OS X is so much better?'”
Those that are “running the technology infrastructure for corporations of all sizes from the large multinationals through the middle and down to SMBs… the CIOs and CTOs at a company near you—need a hedge if they are ever going to introduce Apple into the enterprise beyond a few token PowerBooks,” Dignan writes. “Boot Camp is that hedge. CIOs have a lot invested in Windows and aren’t going to junk the OS for Apple. However, if a CIO can get a twofer—Windows XP and Mac OS on one machine—a flyer may make some sense.”
Dignan writes, “There’s an ROI case to be made if Apple chooses to make it.”
Among the arguments:
• Security: Windows is a target for hackers. Therefore, if you use Windows you’re a target too. Meanwhile, Microsoft isn’t even sure what can be done about malware. Move to the Mac; you’re less of a target—for now at least.
• Apple’s OS X is built on Unix, which most corporations are very familiar with. So a switch isn’t as painful as it once was. The Wall Street Journal reported on April 3 that Japan’s Aozora Bank is dumping 2,300 PCs for Macs.
• Your Windows applications will run just fine.
• It’s a twofer. Why not open your options—and perhaps get negotiating leverage against Microsoft—by dabbling in Apple?
• Customer loyalty: If you give employees snazzy hardware, they will be more loyal to the company. OK, that’s a reach, but I’ve seen worse ROI cases made.
Dignan writes, “Chatter will abound today about how Boot Camp is a Trojan horse for growing Apple’s consumer market share… But Trojan horses come in various flavors. This one may be for the enterprise.”
More in the full article here.
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Related articles:
How to run Microsoft Windows XP on an Intel-based Macintosh with Boot Camp – April 05, 2006
Apple’s ‘Boot Camp’ a watershed, could dramatically expand Mac market share – April 05, 2006
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
informed: “A reasonable guess is that the VAST majority of Boot Camp users will be “illegally” violating their Windows license by installing on their Intel Macs. I know of no single-user operating system license that allows for multiple installations on several machines”
The focus of the article was enterprise and we as well as many other enterprise users get stuck in M$’s double pay system. That is we buy a machine with Windows on it then reinstall Windows on it with our site license. Esentially we buy two copies of Windows for every machine. I’m supposed to be getting some Intel based Macs early next year. Legally I believe our site license will cover those machines should I decide to put Windows on them.
Chris Moore:
That is why I specifically used the phrase “single-user” in my statement.
I highly doubt that enterprise users will constitute the “VAST” majority of Boot Camp users in the near term, let alone the long term.
My main point is that Apple Hardware is going to become unnecessary in the whole OSX scheme of things, much the way non-Apple hardware will become unnecessary in the Windows scheme of things.
I’m still having a difficult time seeing this as a Win-Win for Apple. Especially when I consider that in 3rd quarter 2003 I could buy a dual 64-bit Apple computer that ran all software compatible with the previous 32-bit G4 systems flawlessly, could run in 64 or 32 bit simultaneously, could address 64-bits of memory even when running in 32-bit mode, etc.
And in 2nd quarter 2006, Intel’s answer to that groundbreaking technology is a roadmap. Oh boy. We got us a roadmap.
Seems to me, Vista is a roadmap, too. Soon there will be little other than a remote control to differentiate the hardware, and Apple’s software is going to be shared peer-to-peer with anyone who wants it.
It is depressing.
Informed>
Like IBM/Freescale have a 65nm chip (single or dual-core) that doesn’t suck – oh no, sorry – they don’t even have a 65nm chip of any sort, because IBM are too busy churning out 90nm PPC chips to their new buddies at MSFT.
Whereas, Intel will ship Conroe (the first 64-bit desktop iteration of their new architecture) around Week 36-40 and Merom (the laptop version) by the end of the year: Conroe will allegedly have a peak power consumption of around 70W when both cores are running, whereas 970MP consumes around 100W, Conroe’s top-end E6700 will have 4MB of L2 cache as opposed to 970MP’s 2MB. If you believe that shorter pipelines are better, Conroe knocks that one out of the park as well having only 14 stages to the 23 that the G5 has.
And then 2007 will bring 45nm chips, probably Bloomfield and Yorkfield, whilst IBM will still be shipping 90nm and Freescale will be contemplating shutting down their chip production altogether in favour of large typing pool where they can produce white papers.
Damn. I’m so narrow-minded.
I bow to the roadmap.
Intel’s unavailable processor is so neat. And only 4+ years after IBM scaled down its Power4 chip for desktop use.
Here on the outskirts of La La Land, we don’t say a processor “sucks” because its 90nm vs. 65nm. We say it sucks when its capabilities are so far behind the competition. When it requires emulation to achieve something that the competition does natively: simultaneous 32bit/64bit operation, for example. Even AMD offers that today.
What does Intel offer today, April 6, 2006? Answer: nothing worth talking about.
But then, I am not fit to kiss the hem of the great roadmap’s garment.
You still haven’t managed to address the real point: when all the beige boxes have this ultra-neato, late-to-the-game processor, then Apple will be just a me-too box maker with white plastic and an infrared remote.
MCCFR:
One more point: the PowerPC 970’s pipeline has only 14 stages.