Boot Camp Will Start Exodus to Windows
Andrew Kantor writes in USA Today about the new software, Boot Camp, that will allow Windows XP to be installed and run natively on Intel-based Macs. Wall Street apparently thinks this move will help Apple, and maybe even get people to use Macs instead of PCs. This kind of reminds of the early 80's when IBM stupidly decided to license DOS from Microsoft rather than buy it, on the thinking that only the hardware mattered. Even if some people buy Mac hardware, does that mean they are using a Mac? It's the OS that makes a Mac a Mac, not the CPU. Besides, the CPU in question is an Intel chip, not the traditional Power PC CPU. So the hardware is already more PC than Mac, so it's not even clear that these users would be running a Mac machine.
But without the OS, how does this really benefit Apple? I see two audiences for this software. One group are those who are already Mac users but who need to, on occasion, run Windows software because there is no Mac version available. This group is already fans of the Mac and consumers of Apple software, so no real gain in that group. The other audience is the group that wants a Windows PC. The Apple machines don't compete well head-to-head with Dells and other PC makers because of cost, as Kantor says. So, to this group, Apple is essentially offering a more expensive PC, which most consumers won't buy.
So, really the only people likely to make use of this new software are in that first group: Mac enthusiasts who need to run Windows software at times. I don't know if it's still around, but Virtual PC used to provide that capability, though the Windows OS and software weren't running natively on the machine, but rather through an interpreter. (Does that only run on Power PC Macs?) So obviously, this has been a need in the Mac world for a long time, and Boot Camp is Apple's latest attempt to provide that.
With that in mind, will Boot Camp cause any exodus or change in the marketplace? I can't see how. The target audience is comprised of Mac users, and they're not likely to abandon their machine of choice. Those Mac users have probably been using software to enable Windows applications to run already, so for them this is essentially a new version of that. So PC buyers aren't going to suddenly start buying Macs, and Mac users are going to suddenly abandon their beloved Mac machines to run Windows.
On the other side of the fence, the Xbox 360 has a Power PC at its heart. I have to believe the OS for the Xbox 360 is some variant of Windows. So, some version of the Windows operating system has been ported to a Power PC chip. If Microsoft wanted, could a full version of Windows XP running on more traditional Mac hardware be far behind? That might have some small impact because the Power PC is, or at least used to be, considered a better and faster CPU, and high end PC users might embrace the opportunity to use better hardware. But even that would be a small impact.
(Check out Kantor's blog . Mac aficionados do not take well to any comment that might suggest users might abandon their precious Macs. Religious fervor is not restricted to religion.)
But without the OS, how does this really benefit Apple? I see two audiences for this software. One group are those who are already Mac users but who need to, on occasion, run Windows software because there is no Mac version available. This group is already fans of the Mac and consumers of Apple software, so no real gain in that group. The other audience is the group that wants a Windows PC. The Apple machines don't compete well head-to-head with Dells and other PC makers because of cost, as Kantor says. So, to this group, Apple is essentially offering a more expensive PC, which most consumers won't buy.
So, really the only people likely to make use of this new software are in that first group: Mac enthusiasts who need to run Windows software at times. I don't know if it's still around, but Virtual PC used to provide that capability, though the Windows OS and software weren't running natively on the machine, but rather through an interpreter. (Does that only run on Power PC Macs?) So obviously, this has been a need in the Mac world for a long time, and Boot Camp is Apple's latest attempt to provide that.
With that in mind, will Boot Camp cause any exodus or change in the marketplace? I can't see how. The target audience is comprised of Mac users, and they're not likely to abandon their machine of choice. Those Mac users have probably been using software to enable Windows applications to run already, so for them this is essentially a new version of that. So PC buyers aren't going to suddenly start buying Macs, and Mac users are going to suddenly abandon their beloved Mac machines to run Windows.
On the other side of the fence, the Xbox 360 has a Power PC at its heart. I have to believe the OS for the Xbox 360 is some variant of Windows. So, some version of the Windows operating system has been ported to a Power PC chip. If Microsoft wanted, could a full version of Windows XP running on more traditional Mac hardware be far behind? That might have some small impact because the Power PC is, or at least used to be, considered a better and faster CPU, and high end PC users might embrace the opportunity to use better hardware. But even that would be a small impact.
(Check out Kantor's blog . Mac aficionados do not take well to any comment that might suggest users might abandon their precious Macs. Religious fervor is not restricted to religion.)
posted by Doc at 7:51 AM
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