My nerd curiosity must be satisfied, so I’m about to run Apple’s new Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows on my Intel iMac. I’ll let you know what I discover (I’m sure every other Mac site in the universe will also.)
What do you think of this interesting new develpment from Apple?
I’m not sure about this. I think it blurs the definition as to what exactly is a Mac? Is it hardware? Is it software? No, it’s the seamless marriage of both. Allowing people to run Windows blurs this line, and I’m not sure it’s a good thing. Yes, it’s super cool, and the techie in me loves it. But my marketing-minded, Apple-loving side has a bad feeling that I just can’t shake.
This is great news as far as i’m concerned. It finally means that my parents will be able to buy a mac even though they need financial software (Sage) that only runs on windows. In fact we have just ordered an intel iMac a few minutes ago!
I am stunned that no one has pointed out the obvious. Why would anyone want to develop software for the Mac, when Windows runs on Mac hardware? As a small, one man shop, I’m certainly thinking about this. Maybe Adobe, Microsoft and the other big players are also having that “Hmmm” moment. Why go through all the trouble developing for two OS’s when they both run on the same hardware.
I admire the tight integration between hardware and software that Apple’s machines represent, but as history has pointed out, there are some people that will opt for a bare-bones, no frills box with which to do their computing. Not everyone wants or needs a Mercedes Benz when a Hyundai will do the job just fine. Pretty soon, Apple’s lack of shrink wrapped generic PC OSX will look more and more like a mistake.
As a longtime Mac follower, I consider this to be a ballsy move on Steve’s part, but it begs the question, what, ultimately is the plan. As it stands right now, Apple can safely set aside the Macintosh division in favor of the iPod and the growing consumer electronics focus. Their balance sheet backs this up. Mr. Tevenian’s exit from Apple is now cast in a strange light.
I hope to hell that I’m wrong.
Goodbye Apple. This is sad. The parallels between Beta and VHS have come true. Who will want to use Mac OS X if the hardware runs Windows? If it is a question of gaining more market share, then it becomes irrelevant. 5% or 99% of a market share means nothing if they’re all running Windows.
Is this why Avie left?
Microsoft won.
Goodbye, Apple? I find it really hard to believe that the Mac faithful (who stuck with Apple for years and years during some really crappy times) will suddenly run away. I surely won’t.
For Apple to stay around, it has to remain profitable. Geez, it’s been profitable even when it sucked.
This is an augmentation of a strong platform. People have been buying more Macs even before this came out. Is this somehow going to make people run the other way? No way! It will help tilt things in Apple’s favor for those on the fence.
Avie may have left for this reason, maybe not. It will likely take many, many years to know.
Steve’s vision when it comes to Apple over the past few years, however, clearly expands beyond what the Mac faithful ahve expected. There was a reason he called his last venture NeXt. He is launching a new era in expectations for computing. Macs now stand out again– no other box can do this multiple OS thing as easily. Now, as long as Apple keep OS X software sharp, attention will continue to grow on it as a platform.
Sit back and enjoy the ride.
The BootCamp concept is nothing new. About 10 years ago I was running a PowerPC 6100/60 with a DOS card. It ran Win95 just well enough to play solitaire.
Ranting Latino: I think you’re wrong.
The “Why would anyone want to develop software for the Mac, when Windows runs on Mac hardware?” statement doesn’t hold water. Any software developer who comes to that conclusion already decided years ago that since 95% of the computers out there are running Windows, there’s no point in developing for the Mac anyway. They fled the platform a long time ago.
Large or small, the software developers who write applications for the Mac do so because they *choose* to. They like the platform, there’s a market for their apps and therefore it makes good business sense. Macs having the ability to boot Windows doesn’t change that.
Have to agree with you John since I just purchased $9500 in Adobe software upgrades for OS X. Guerilla Warfare at it’s finest. Just remember this is beta software and what happens if Apple releases Leopard for the PC before Christmas while Vista is still Vaporware.
First, I left the Windows world back in the days of Win98.
And I’m being totally serious here when I ask: Is there any software made for WindowXP that is worth running? Because . . . there was no good software in the Windows world when I left–zip–nada–zilch. In fact, after moving to the Mac, I quickly realized that Windows had just been sucking away entirely too much of my precious free time with upkeep. Does WindowsXP need upkeep? My Macs need almost none.
I don’t play games, so please don’t trouble yourself suggesting those.
Thanks in advance,
Ulf
I don’t play games either, but the responses I’ve seen elsewhere from those who do is very encouraging. In fact, a tad shocking.
There seem to have been a number of fence-sitters. Let me be one of the first to welcome them as their tookusses land in our yard.
Apple’s message is clear: you now have no reasons to don’t be a switcher too.
Everyone here should read John Gruber’s analysis of Boot Camp at DaringFireball.net
http://daringfireball.net/2006/04/windows_the_new_classic
“Windows: The New Classic” i.e. Apple dropped the Classic emulation box in the Intel Macs, and effectively replaced it with the new “Classic” OS called Windows XP.
Also, he noticed how cleverly devious Boot Camp’s XP logo is:
“It’s a bastardized variant of Microsoft’s Windows logo, sans color, and with the whitespace between the four panels forming a hidden ‘X’.”
Take a look at the logo. Apple placed a big fat “X” right in the heart of the Windows logo. That should give everyone assurance that Apple sees Boot Camp as a Trojan Horse into Fortress Microsoft.
To quote Neo from “The Matrix”: “I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid… you’re afraid of us. You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin. I’m going to hang up this phone, and then I’m going to show these people what you don’t want them to see. I’m going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.”
Clearly, if Boot Camp invites head-to-head comparison between Windows and OS X, then the former is the Blue Pill and the latter is the Red Pill. With Boot Camp, Apple is offering the choice to the 95% of computer users who never even knew such a choice was available. Maybe most will choose to go back into the Matrix, but if even 5% of Windows users choose the Red Pill after seeing OS X, then Apple just doubled it’s marketshare.
HEY GUYS!!! Attention… Mike you too… question… Is there relation between Avie leaving Apple and this boot camp thing? The previous Rick comment is wise.
This move is really good, because it will be really hot or really bad move for Apple, but not in the middle, this is why is exciting, no warm waters, hot or cold… sweet.
Macxter – It’s common for senior executives leaving a big company to wait for a ‘lull’ before they leave. Perhaps Avie felt that the company was firing on all cylinders now, and he could leave knowing he’d done a great job. Just a guess. Mike
Well, I said I don´t believe that to have both systems was a good idea.
Now, I am having a lot of problems with dvd copies (my country I can do only a copy if I have the original dvd), arccos protection. I uses mac the ripper, but now it appears a warning message saying there are bad sectors. Well in XP there are thousands of this products, I already said here I´ve got an old Pentium III, without dvd player neither. I´ve thouhgt to install both camp to run programs like dvdfab decrypter, but I don´t trust anything microsoftg on my mac, do I install or not?
Regards