Posted on 04/05/2006 8:15:14 AM PDT by Swordmaker
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. (NasdaqNM:AAPL - News), the maker of the Macintosh computer and iPod music device, on Wednesday rolled out a first-ever software patch to run Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system on its PCs, a move that could draw millions of new buyers.
By enabling the move to Windows, the world's No. 1 operating system, Apple hopes to draw people who want Macs, considered by many as easier to use and more stylish, but prefer the Windows operating system.
Apple shares rose 5.7 percent in early trade on Nasdaq.
Apple said the "Boot Camp" software, available immediately as a download, enables Macs powered by Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News) chips to run either Windows XP or Apple's Mac OS operating system software.
Apple's rivals Dell Inc. (NasdaqNM:DELL - News) and Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ - News) primarily use Microsoft Corp.'s (NasdaqNM:MSFT - News) Windows software.
"We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in a statement."
In addition, with the patch, Macintosh users will now likely be able to run some games and other software on their Mac OS X computers without buying a separate Windows based computer.
The final version of Boot Camp will be available as a feature in the upcoming Mac OS X version 10.5 "Leopard" personal computer. Apple said it will not provide support for installing or running Boot Camp and does not sell or support Microsoft Windows software.
Cupertino, California-based Apple said last June it would shift to microprocessors made by Intel, the world's biggest chipmaker, from those made by International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM - News). It plans to move its entire Macintosh line to Intel chips by the end of 2007.
The stock was up $3.48 to $64.65 on Nasdaq.
I've been testing Windows on a new iMac for several days, and, except for a couple of trifling annoyances, it runs perfectly, just like a stand-alone Windows PC. I was able to install Boot Camp, and Windows XP Pro, on the Mac in under an hour. After that, I installed 15 Windows programs, most unavailable in Mac versions, and all ran properly.In Windows mode, the iMac was blazingly fast -- far faster than my two year old H-P Windows computer. And every function of Windows I tested, including Web browsing, email, and music playback, ran flawlessly.
Sweet! Go AAPL!
It appears that one component of Boot Camp is a firmware update to add legacy BIOS support to the EFI boot system. That could open some interesting possibilities for booting Linux, Solaris, etc.
My thoughts exactly. The Mac OS X software is what makes the Mac so appealing to some.
Shiller is right
I'm doing some work in a regulated space that requires all sorts of virus and security software to access this secure net via a VPN. I will not load this on my Mac OS X, So I just boot up WIndoz when I need to access their network - although a VM would be better than dual boot. I bet that is next.
I've been wanting Apple to dump IBM for Intel for years, so these opportunities would present themselves. But this is a high barrier to entry - a whole new computer - which few people actually "need" right now. Which is why I wold be selling OSX for Dell etc instead (which may eventually come out).
Take me as an example. I don't need a new computer till much later this year or early next, so I won't even consider this for myself til then. However, if they had announced an version of OSX I could run on my fairly new laptop, I would have pre-ordered it today.
Apple just wants the profits from both the hardware AND the software, and want to lock the consumer in. Fine by me, I still might buy one because it's an outstanding product, although I do have some questions about Al Gore still being there etc.
Nobody "needs" Windows malware either, but today's announcement will give customers the perception that they can escape the problems associated with Windows and make a graceful transition to a better OS. (Of course, they will be opening themselves to Windows malware by using Boot Camp - but the perception holds.)
Which is why I wold be selling OSX for Dell etc instead (which may eventually come out).
That could happen - when hardware becomes a zero-profit business.
Good point! Hopefully Apple can keep it at bay.
That could happen - when hardware becomes a zero-profit business.
Companies like Apple will never let that happen. The best will never be free, else it couldn't be the best.
could you explain what VPM and VM mean?
Extra branch in Apple's tech support phone tree will ask callers, "If you are calling to speak to Bill Gates, or regarding any of Microsoft's products, please dial five now."
Dialing five will only repeat that over and over again until the caller realizes that calling Apple to speak to Bill Gates or to ask for help for a Microsoft product is silly.
Yes, indeed. In my opnion, this is what this action is all about.
Now my purchase of a new system this summer got more complicated.
Allow me.
VPM is Virtual Private Network... a protocol that allows you to tunnel through the internet from a home or other office to a computer or network at a remote location as though your computer were local to the server.
VM is Virtual Machine... the ability of a computer to run "alien" code (say WindowsXP on a OS X Mac or vice verse) natively in a window of the hosting OS.
The closest to transparent I have ever seen this was the VM ability of the Amiga (680X0) to run Apple Mac (OS 7 & 8, also 680X0) in an emulation window in AmigaOS... and it actually ran faster on the Amiga than the equivalent Mac OS did on a similarly clocked Mac by about 4 or 5 percent.
A truely VM ability would have the software for the host OS and the guest OSes running as fast as they would on native stand alone machines.
It could happen. Apple cannot dictate the market conditions that determine the competitive price for computer hardware. If the other PC manufacturers get into a major price war, Apple would certainly be affected too. Profit margins on hardware are already slim, so it would be difficult to maintain current levels.
For the past few years, Dell has been selling zero-profit hardware to consumers as part of their marketshare growth strategy. They make their profits by selling to businesses.
If the hardware industry becomes unprofitable, Apple may decide to become a software-only company. That is a viable option, since they've switched to Intel processors. They could have a very strong business just selling Mac OS X and Mac applications to all x86-based customers. In his closing remarks at the Apple Developer Conference last year where the Intel change was announced, Steve Jobs clearly emphasized that the centerpiece of Apple's strategy is Mac OS X - not hardware.
Dell and Gateway, on the other hand, don't have any products to offset decreasing hardware profit margins. They don't own an operating system or any notable software products.
For now, Apple is making excellent profits by selling a mix of hardware and software products. That mix could change in the future - but I expect Apple will continue to be a computer industry leader for decades to come.
I'm now beginning to think that Apple will eventually ditch the Intel-based Mac OS in favor of Windows.
Now why would I want to buy a Mac computer and use the less-secure Windows XP instead of the more-secure Mac OSX? It just doesn't add up.
Hell, I don't even use Windows on my X86 computers. I have Xandros Linux installed on my 1.4GHz laptop and on my 2.4GHz desktop. And I can still use iTunes on Xandros using Crossover Office. That's the only way I can listen to Alex Jones' radio show on the internet (I tried installing Linspire's LSongs on here, but it didn't install).
As much as I disliked the Tramiels back in the day for shelving the Atari 7800 in 1984 and lots of empty promises with the Lynx and Jaguar, I have to admit that they put out some decent Jackintoshes, I mean Atari STs (Jackintosh was slang for the Atari ST because the ST and the Mac were based on the Motorola MC68000 processor, and Atari was owned by Jack Tramiel). And their 8-bit computers (especially the Atari XE Game System) were really nice.
Of course the thing I'll always be grateful to Jack Tramiel for is the Commodore 64. That little 64K beige and brown computer gave me years of use...I used to have a 1200 baud modem for it.
bump
Swordman, Good.
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