Wimple?

Apple announced that, with the use of their BootCamp software, users of their new Intel based Macs could run Windows and Mac OS side by side.

This is a new strategy for Apple, who until now have been steadfastly a single operating system (OS) company. Ever since the first Mac rolled out, Apple has refused to buckle down to the increasingly Windows centric world. Until now.

So what does it mean to the world?

Well, for one, you can now run Windows and Mac OS X on the same computer. You can choose to boot your computer either on the traditional Apple OS or on to Windows. This opens up a plethora of options for users who like the design and the looks of the Mac, but have applications which dont run on the Mac OS.

I hate to be a spoilsport, but I dont find this announcement to be anything great.

I have tried dual booting my computer for years now (thanx mainly to the Linux revolution and now the Solaris effort by Sun Microsystems). What I have realized is that, while I have the option to boot multiple operating systems, I tend to prefer using one of them. So that OS keeps all my files and my preferred applications. I rarely go to the other OS, mainly because it does not have most of my applications.

So if you bought the Mac, you bought it to run Mac OS X, which is a really cool OS, but does not run some of my most critical applications (Intelligolf is one of them, if you must know).

If you run OS X and Windows on your Intel based Mac, you still need to install all your applications TWICE. You have to maintain two copies of your data, cause you cannot see Windows NTFS file systems under OS X and OS X file systems under Windows. So you cannot really share data between the two OSs that you have installed on the Mac.

One of the biggest differentiators for the Mac so far have been the OS. OS X, and it's ease of use, has been the reason people buy the Mac. And there is also the fact that the Mac looks a hell of a lot cooler than most computers out there. But nobody buys the Mac because of the internals. The selling point for Apple is always what you can do with the computer, not how it is built.

Another problem I see is support. Bootcamp does allow users to "Install" Windows on their machines. But what about drivers for all the Apple hardware? What about updates?

As far as build quality is concerned, the PC market has matured quiet a bit and is almost as good, if not as good, at making computers as Apple is. They may not have the flair at making their computers as attractive and "cool" as Apple has, but they are not extremely far behind either.

I user an Acer Ferrari 4005 laptop and it turns a lot more heads than I have ever seen a PowerBook do. It is also far more powerful and allows me to do unbelievable things. And it runs Windows without complaint. And runs all of my favourite, and critical, applications.

So while the news of Apple actually promoting the installation of Windows on their hardware is a big one, I dont think it's of any great consequence.

If you are in the market for a Mac, it's because of OS X. Not because it runs Windows as well. If you are in the market for Windows, you have a lot of options and Apple may not be the best choice for you.

If you want both OS X and Windows, I think you are confused. Or you just want it to feel good that you can run Windows as well.

But I dont think you will use it as much. That's just my opinion. Feel free to disagree.