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April 5, 2006
In news that would have been stunning only a year ago, Apple just announced that its newest computers will run Windows XP in native mode with a freebie software download. But since Apple already upset many dedicated loyalists willing to defend their Apple computers from the Microsoft horde (possibly to death) when it started putting Intel processors in its new computers this year, I wasn't surprised at the announcement. I am amused that the beta software download is 83 megabytes in size, and called “Boot Camp”. Does anyone else see the irony in this? Why not call it “Sell out”, or “Peer Pressure”?
Once again, the marketing folks at Apple say it better than I in the press release:
More and more people are buying and loving Macs. To make this choice simply irresistible, Apple will include technology in the next major release of Mac OS X, Leopard, that lets you install and run the Windows XP operating system on your Mac. Called Boot Camp (for now), you can download a public beta today.
TRANSLATED: Mac computers are growing in popularity because of the unique features and user-friendly operating system that we have spent more than 25 years refining and differentiating from the Microsoft OS, and we want to make sure this continues by giving you the ability to run the same operating system as everyone else.
Another key phrase in the release:
Boot Camp will burn a CD of all the required drivers for Windows so you don't have to scrounge around the internet looking for them.
TRANSLATED: Huh?
And my all-time, absolutely favorite statement, which had to have been approved by Steve Jobs himself (while he was laughing out loud):
Word to the WISE:
Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it'll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes .
TRANSLATED: Does anyone who has a PC need a translation? And for current Mac owners: Hey, this means that you can be just like everyone else! Isn't it great? Now you can curse and swear at your computer after its hard drive is gobbled by a mysterious e-mail attachment. And you can also be privy to the thousands of shareware tracking programs that inhabit the PC world and keep track of every website you visit. Isn't it great?
Now, don't get me wrong. I am tired of turning around in my office to move from my Mac G5 to my HP PC whenever I need to run a program on one that won't run on the other. So sure, I'd love to be able to hit a button and switch seamlessly between operating systems. But I don't think this Boot Camp software is going to solve the problem, since even if I had a compatible computer with an Intel dual-core processor, I'd still have to restart the Mac in order for it to boot up in Windows XP. And I certainly wouldn't use a beta version of the software just to get me up and running on both OS platforms. Rather, I might wait six months to a year before all of the compatibility issues (which should be surfacing as I write this) are settled. Of course, I could be wrong. Secretly, I'm sure many folks at Apple have been running Windows XP for quite some time during the ramp up to the Intel processor switch. So all of the bugs should be worked out by now. (Ha ha ha ha ha!!!)
I only wish this announcement had been posted last Saturday (April 1 st ), along with the one I saw stating that Nikon and Canon had announced an alliance to provide full lensmount compatibility for all of their future DSLRs. Last time I checked, Sony and Samsung were considering joining the same alliance, as was Apple.
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