Bunk Camp: Apple gets it wrong

By Asher Moses on 11 April 2006

Boot Camp will do little to coax Windows XP users into switching to Mac OS X. For this to happen, Apple needs to either license out OS X to all users -- not just Mac owners -- or support a true Mac virtualisation application. Asher Moses explains why.

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Comments (164)

  • Dr Gonzo commented on 12/04/2006 02:01

    Microsoft pay your wages, so I guess an article like this from you is only to be expected.
    You are way off on this one, I know 3 people who have ordered Macs now they can boot XP.
    They needed certain specialist packages on the PC (although theres hardly anything you can't get for Mac these days)
    So now they will use OSX for day to day and just boot XP for their one application.

  • rsavage commented on 12/04/2006 02:00

    VMWare used to make a port of it's amazing virtualization software for FreeBSD, so why can't it do the same for OSX? I would think VMWare would now take the opportunity to develop a port of VMWare Workstation for the OSX user, considering the MAC is now an Intel platform.

    -Rory A. Savage

  • ET commented on 12/04/2006 01:51

    OS X doesn't hold much attraction for me. The Mac Mini does, on the other hand. Now that XP can run on one, I'm more likely to buy it. I'll then probably play with the Mac side, and learn more about it that way. So I think that Apple got it right.

    BTW, I've heard that Keynote is a good presentation software. Something that can't be said about Powerpoint.

  • lol commented on 12/04/2006 01:47

    Rolleyes.

  • CletusTSJY commented on 12/04/2006 01:46

    This is probably the worst "professional" editorial I've ever read. "Does OS X really offer any applications that would entice me to purchase a new Mac and put up with the tedium of Boot Camp? I doubt it." What does that mean? You've never used a Mac? You're not really sure if there are...but...prolly not.

    And do you have any idea how much harder it is to make an OS that runs on hardware from many different vendors? Apple isn't going to make any money from selling their OS as a standalone, and their hardware sales would drop dramatically as well.

    I'm not saying that all the PC users are going to switch to Mac, but more that this editorial really employs no educated thought. It seems more like an advertisement for Parallels. Saving someone the 45 seconds it takes to boot into a different operating system will not be Apple's saving grace and would not have nearly the impact on sales that Boot Camp did. It would just be a convenience.

  • Dxbydt commented on 12/04/2006 01:45

    What are you talking about? Can your PC at home dual boot Mac OS X? Sure it's kind of a pain to switch back and forth between Windows and Mac OS but that's still leeps and bounds over what any traditional PC can do. And another point here, Apple isn't trying to get people to run PC software on a Mac, they want them to use the Macintosh software as originally intended. This solution just gives users an extra option to run software that they otherwise couldn't.

  • Born in the USA commented on 12/04/2006 01:44

    Wow. Talk about spouting opinion without even getting facts first!

    Does this writer have a clue about performance? Did he even bother to compare the computers, options, processor speeds OR prices?

    A Mac Mini, which sells for $700 US, has the same processor equivalent speed of a Pentium 4 4.4 GHz, which doesn't even exist!

    How is this 2x or 3x the price of competitors? The iMacs sell for $1,200 and $1700 for integrated, all in one performance with fantastic graphics, speed, and the total package. On a lark, I checked Dell's site. They're still shipping machines with Celeron D processors. Good Lord. Is it any wonder their stock is HALF the price of Apple's?

    Do the research. Check it out. You'll not be coming back to this article again.

    http://www.systemshootouts.org/processors.html

  • matt commented on 12/04/2006 01:42

    What do you know, a long list of apple fanatics throwing tantrums. Dual boot or no, I would get a mac if they were not so expensive.

  • KJ commented on 12/04/2006 01:40

    Recently i was shopping for a new laptop. I eventually baught a Sony Windows based laptop. Now if Apple released there bombshell news about running Windows on Apple i would have definitly baught an Apple system... As for whether Apple should have there OS running on a Windows based system, i beleive that it would be alot beneficial for them as they are letting there users use a Windows OS. I must say that Apple are showing a weekness by not providing this service.

    KJ

  • Johannes commented on 12/04/2006 01:39

    > Does OS X really offer any applications that would entice me
    > to purchase a new Mac and put up with the tedium of Boot
    > Camp? I doubt it.

    Yes, it does. The application is called OS X.

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