Microsoft ‘pleased’ with Apple’s Boot Camp; Woz says ‘It’s a great thing for Apple’

“After long imploring computer users to ‘think different’ and defining the Macintosh as a lone bulwark against the Windows onslaught, Apple Computer has decided to open the gate, at least a bit. Two decades after the first Mac arrived, Apple said Wednesday that it would offer users of its latest models a simple way to run the Microsoft Windows operating system as well as its own. That means a single Apple computer will run programs written for either the Mac or Windows, though it will have to shut down one system to start the other,” John Markof writes for The New York Times. “‘The religion has changed,’ said Charles Wolf, a financial analyst at Needham & Company, a New York investment firm. ‘Apple is saying we have the chance to really build the Macintosh platform, and although there are risks, we’re going to do it.'”

Markoff reports, “Wednesday’s move also won an important endorsement from Apple’s other co-founder, Stephen G. Wozniak, who long ago left the company but remains a vocal Macintosh user and is idolized by the Mac faithful. ‘It’s a great thing for Apple,’ he told a reporter by e-mail. ‘I don’t see the earth being rocked, but I can now recommend Apple hardware to a lot more people. One pitch is that if Windows gets too frustrating and unbearable and unsafe, then they can easily switch.’ And Microsoft took the opportunity to salute the move, and itself. ‘Windows is a great operating system,’ a Microsoft statement said. ‘We’re pleased that Apple customers are excited about running it, and that Apple is responding to meet the demand.'”

Full article here.

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67 Comments

  1. Okay… so Bill is towing the trojan horse into the city…

    Now let’s watch how it’s going to end this time around…! ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”cool smirk” style=”border:0;” />

  2. I agree with many people that say they don’t want to run Windoze on their systems. Neither do I. But, if this will bring more people to the Mac, it’s a good thing. I don’t see Mac people leaving the Mac OS X to go to Windows. However, I do see Windows users getting one to do iLife & other stuff, comparing the 2 OSs side-by-side, and deciding to leave Windows for Mac OS X. I don’t know why others don’t see how this will work.

  3. This is about Thinking Different. It’s just a tool to allow people to TRANSITION off their Windows addiction. The intention isn’t to suddenly say that Windows is better, this is a temporary tool for people to be able to slowly ween themselves off Windows.

    Apple has now created an environment where people have nothing to lose by buying a Mac. They are saying our OS is better than what you use and we are going to prove it by putting them side by side.

    All this talk of Apple conceding to MS is uninformed.

  4. HAHAHA yea i bet they’re pleased at tapping into the huge Mac market.. *cough cough..

    hey Redmond.. you don’t honestly think your market share will go UP cuz of this do you?

    Having a XP and OS X on the same rig.. LOL..

    Guess which one’s getting voted off the island..

    LMFAO

    HOw about a word from Dell?

  5. ” ‘Windows is a great operating system,’ a Microsoft statement said. ‘We’re pleased that Apple customers are excited about running it, and that Apple is responding to meet the demand.'””

    OMFG i think i just split a kidney laughing so hard at that first part.
    As for the second part. Get one thing straight Skippy the Microsoft Spokesman. This is designed to take PC users AWAY from you, not give Mac users access to your petri dish of an OS.

  6. I like the idea. I have to use Windows for some very specialized software. I purchased a cheap e-Machine just to use this software. Other than that I would not need Windows at all. So for me I’ll load Windows on my MacBook Pro when get one. Also, it will be nice to show off to friends that are Windows people.

  7. Microsoft is playing it along, it cant dis its own O.S. that is why it is saying great for apple, obviously they have their own plans.

    In my opinion i dont see why someone would switch to apple just to use their xp operating system they already have.

  8. ‘Windows is a great operating system,’ a Microsoft statement said. ‘We’re pleased that Apple customers are excited about running it, and that Apple is responding to meet the demand.'”

    Give me a break. Windows is like hepatitis: some people are forced to live with it, but no one is “excited” about the idea. Besides, it’s obviously just a means to an end (non-OS X apps and games), not an end in itself.

  9. Windows is a great operating system to run some business sofware and some games. Mac OS X is more beautiful and easier to use at home. To compare it on one Mac-Intel is a good move from Apple .. This will shake up the whole computer hardware industry. Congratulation for Apple and Microsoft.

  10. Another perspective…

    This could be a more serious threat to MS than they realize. Windows has long been bloated and full of viruses and the extra code that no one really ever needs..

    This will be MS’s turn to revamp Vista to be “better” than OS X and if they don’t then its really the nail int he coffin of whats after Vista…

    Christopher Powers

    2006 and 2007 are really going to be exciting years for both camps.

  11. Apple needs to redesign Boot Camp. OS X should load first…then if you want to use windows click on an icon in the dock. OS X should always be the main boot of a Mac. Fix this Apple we know you can.

  12. Someone:

    ” “‘Windows is a great operating system,'”

    wow…..

    Is that what they tell everyone?”

    Basicly… yeah.

    Hoever, it really vaildates P.T. Barnum’s statement: “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”

  13. Credit where its due…the MS statement is briliant.

    But we all know what is truly meant is:

    “Windows is a great operating system” – “OSX is a great operating system”

    “We’re pleased that Apple customers are excited about running it” – “Future Apple customers are excited at switching to OSX while retaining access to an inferior OS”

    “..and that Apple is responding to meet the demand.'” – “..and that Apple is going to make huge market share gains.”

    Double-speak or what?

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