Unreal: Apple Officially Supports Windows with Bootcamp
I still can’t quite fully believe this, but it is true. Apple now supports dual-booting. The implications here are mind-boggling. Apple now sells hardware that it is going to officially allow and support Windows to boot.
Let me repeat that because it is so significant. Apple hardware supports Windows!
Apple link here. I just got a MacBook Pro yesterday, so I’ll try and get this going soon. Does anyone else find this weird? Nay, unsettling? I do.
I think the OS wars are now over.
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I can well imagine lots of people having something along the lines of the following conversation:
MS User: “I’m thinking about getting a new computer”
Apple User: “You should get a mac, they’re AWsome”
MS User: “Yeah you always say that but I’m used to windows and I have all these windows games and apps…”
A: “Macs can run windows now!”
M: “What? You’re kidding?”
A: “Naah there’s a free app that lets you boot both mac OS and Windows now. You should totally get a mac, they’re AWsome and beautiful blah blah dual-booting blah OS X blah FANTASTIC”
M: “Well those powerbook cases tickle my naughty consumer-bits pinkwise”
A+M: let’s head down to regent street! WOOYAH
*they high5, cut to ‘going to regent street’ montage accompanied by cheesy 90s ballad*
...
*cough* I should write scripts - anyway my point is this DOES make macs a slightly more viable option for those with entrenched gaming/app allegiance. I’m really talking about myself here: I wasn’t all that psyched with the macbook pro, I’m still waiting to see something with Intel that really blows my mind the way this little 12” puppy did when I got it. But since hearing this news I’m seriously thinking about selling my body and heading to regent street cash in hand. My point of view is this: I only want 1 decent laptop, it *has* to be a Mac, though there are all these games I’d preferably like to have the option of playing. This was not possible… until today!
So yes, I think this is the biggest apple announcement in a *very* long time, and in spite of the possibility of being flamed by the rascible nay-sayers who need no introduction, yes, I think this may very well help coax infidels onto the superior platform.
And the market apparently agrees with me, though I wouldn’t like to tie my value judgements to the stock exchange.
Now don’t go back and try to change what you meant now.
I can’t help it if you’re too clouded by brainless Mac zealotry to comprehend simple words, but here’s what I said:
“It seems to me that this serves the same function as Virtual PC…”
What I meant is exactly what I said. I even followed it up with further explanation:
“...giving existing Mac users access to XP-only apps without having to buy a whole new machine.”
Lay off the kool-aid, dude. Your own brain and thoughts might grow back eventually.
And what is this unhealthy obsession of yours with attacking everything that Apple does?
If you’re going to insist you’re not deluded, then it would help if you didn’t actually hallucinate things that never happened. Point to me the comment in which I attacked Boot Camp.
*irascible
I’m really talking about myself here.
Invented conversations aside, Ben, you’re an EXISTING Mac user. But you want to run XP-only games without having to buy a new computer.
In what way is this not exactly what I described would be the primary purpose of Boot Camp?
“*irascible”
Don’t you hate the lack of an edit feature?
Btw, by “new computer” I mean having to get a seperate Windows machine.
Beebyweeby, it’s seemingly a pedantic point but I think you’re quite wrong with this statement:
this serves the same function as Virtual PC, giving existing Mac users access to XP-only apps without having to buy a whole new machine
The fact that this is no longer emulation means, as far as I’m concerned, that it serves a totally, utterly, completely, wholly, entirely different function to VirtualPC. VirtualPC was for most people on most machines a ridiculously poor alternative with performance that blowed sufficiently to proscribe using it for any serious applications. Here we have a system that lets you easily utilise *all* of the power of your core duo or whatever hardware, including running the latest windows games.
Is this not a _completely different_ state of affairs?
I run two machines at work - Virtual PC being too slow on my Powerbook to be useful… Dual-boot won’t help me out, but virtualisation might - if it means being able to run both Windows and OS/X at the same time with my financial system front-end and service system front-end in a window… Oh and I could abandon the awful Entourage… (A great excuse to trade-up to a Macbook!)
I believe this does remove a major obstacle for corporate users, particularly professionals, who like the Apple gee-whiz stuff. Apple macs have been pushed out of marketing and advertising departments in favour of Windows - perhaps this move will see Apple regaining control of this environment at least…
Also, for individual users, the fact that a Mac COULD run Windows makes a decision to buy a Mac less risky - even if they never bother to load it…
So I reckon its a smart move and will lead to more sales. Also, it keeps Apple in the news… In fact the news in Sydney this morning says that the Apple share price on Nasdaq went up on this announcement…
Q: Will Microsoft now abandon support for the Mac version of Office?
A: ... actually there is no support for the Mac version of Office… Anyone tried emailing the people at Mactopia lately? See my post in the software section of the forums for more on this…
Mactopia is at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/
Mactopia? How did they come up with this name? Presumably Microsoft’s idea of nirvana is an Apple running Microsoft software… Now isn’t that a charming example of wrong-headedness…
Is this not a _completely different_ state of affairs?
Again, Ben, in what way does this NOT describe you:
“[it gives] existing Mac users access to XP-only apps without having to buy a whole new machine.”
Now here’s you:
“My point of view is this: I only want 1 decent laptop, it *has* to be a Mac, though there are all these games I’d preferably like to have the option of playing. This was not possible… until today!”
Is Boot Camp significantly BETTER than VPC? Absolutely. I didn’t say it wasn’t. But the purpose, the target market, is still basically the same. Existing Mac users who want to run XP-only apps without having to get a seperate XP machine.
Invented conversations aside, Ben, you’re an EXISTING Mac user.
Indeed I am. But consider swapping this:
My point of view is this: I only want 1 decent laptop, it *has* to be a Mac, though there are all these games I’d preferably like to have the option of playing. This was not possible… until today!
with:
I only want 1 decent laptop, it *has* to play all these windows games and work with all these windows apps I have, and gosh d’you know those macs are f***ing sexy and i have these friends who rave about them positively rabidly, hmm why don’t i… GO TO REGENT STREET WOOOHOOO *fade ballads*
My situation is inverted in the respect that i’m a switched & not a switcher. But it’s potentially the same in that an intel mac is now a _significantly_ more attractive proposition.
Anyway, time will tell, as per usual. (though I don’t see a whole lot of studies confirming whether time tend to tell that time has generally told us… INFINITE REGRESS *implodes*)
Is Boot Camp significantly BETTER than VPC? Absolutely. I didn’t say it wasn’t. But the purpose, the target market, is still basically the same. Existing Mac users who want to run XP-only apps without having to get a seperate XP machine.
Na-ah. The target market is different: it now includes people who, like me, couln’t give a shit about VPC coz it’s slow enough to be a useless pile of crap, but for whom the idea of something that lo and behold actually gets the job done! is, you know, a Good Thing and Useful Product.
The difference in target market seems to be little akin to the difference between people who buy those 30:1 models of cars and people with actual cars.
When something just can’t do what you’d be asking of it, the people who’re asking clearly aren’t the target market.
And BB, you are correct when you say this will perform much the same function as Virtual PC. But you are wrong to imply that this means this is a non-event.
Intel-based Macs are now “officially” Windows-compatible. The Mac has come in from the cold. That will change how Macs are seen by the industry.
In from the cold, but very cool…
Hey Beeblebox, is it really necessary to pepper your feedback with arrogantly condescending attacks whenever you disagree with someone/something?
My situation is inverted in the respect that i’m a switched & not a switcher. But it’s potentially the same in that an intel mac is now a _significantly_ more attractive proposition.
You’re asking me to switch a REAL scenario in which you’re exactly the person I describe as the primary target of Boot Camp, with a speculative, fictional “potential” person that may or may not exist.
I have an imagination and I’m fully aware of the potential. Heck, one could speculate, for example, that Plays For Sure will be the nail-in-the-coffin for the iPod and iTM$. But is that realistic?
What I’m saying is that there’s all kinds of fantasy and guessing-games (your made-up person) and then there’s reality (you).
Anyway, time will tell, as per usual. (though I don’t see a whole lot of studies confirming whether time tend to tell that time has generally told us… INFINITE REGRESS *implodes*)
Time will tell? Or will we tell time? The paradox is simply mind-boggling.
“The Mac has come in from the cold.”
I prefer to think that Windows has come in and joined the party :D
Na-ah. The target market is different: it now includes people who, like me, couln’t give a shit about VPC coz it’s slow enough to be a useless pile of crap, but for whom the idea of something that lo and behold actually gets the job done!
You mean to say that, exactly as I described, it’s BETTER than VPC? How is that you keep disagreeing with me and then affirming what I say all at the same time?