Apple Officially Unveils "Boot Camp" For OS X and Windows XP Booting

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/' target='_blank'>http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"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. Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows.(1) 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."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/systemmanager20060405.gif" /> <br /><br />Well I'll be...! This wasn't something I was expecting Apple to do. It's not quite as revolutionary as them allowing OS X to install onto an Intel system (which I doubt they'll ever allow), but this certainly options up some interesting options for those that love Apple hardware but not the OS, or those that would like to have the best of both worlds.

[Darius Wey]

Hell has officially frozen over. 8O

[bcre8v2]

I installed Boot Camp this morning and now I'm running a dual-boot Mac Book Pro. 8O

Next attempt is to install VMWare in the XP OS and... whatever! :idea:

[Jason Dunn]

I installed Boot Camp this morning and now I'm running a dual-boot Mac Book Pro.

What's the experience/speed like on the XP boot side of things? Does it feel zippy?

[Jeremy Charette]

Holy ****. Dvorak was right! 8O

[bcre8v2]

It won't win any benchmark awards for gaming, but for general use and product testing it's great.

The OS reports:

Genuine Intel(R) CPU
T2500 @2.00 Ghz
998 Mhz, 0.98 GB of RAM

The components are as follows:

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
Apple Built-in Bluetooth
Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator (from XP sp2)
Mat****a DVD-R UJ-857
Atheros AR5006X Wireless network adapter
Marvell Yukon 88E8053 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
--------------------------------------------------------------
The installation process was straight forwarded as documented by Apple.
I have the MacBook set to default boot to Windows XP, and can easily change back to OSX (10.4.6) by holding down the Alt key upon boot and re-selecting Mac OS (back to the default).

Please let me know if anyone would like more info.

-Steve

[Jeremy Charette]

Wow, I am REALLY tempted to get a Mac Mini now. I'm due for a PC upgrade anyway, and Mac hardware is just sexy.

I think Jason might fire me for saying that. :lol:

The only thing holding me back is the graphics card, though the iMac would satisfy that lust, with it's 128 MB Radeon X1600 card (albeit at 2X the price).

[Damion Chaplin]

A step in the right direction, but, but, BUT...

What I want is superior PC hardware with the superior Apple OS.

Why would I want to put a less-than-perfect OS on less-than-perfect hardware?

And before you start throwing things, keep in mind that this is my opinion only...

[Mr. MacinTiger]

Wow - wow.... 8O

Now, I think we can guess Avie Tevanian just bailed on Apple. I bet this really set him off!

I dunno what to think...I can tell you with all sincerity that my old Digital Audio PowerMac G4 and my G4 MacMini - both running OS X, have been the best computer experience I have ever had. But, I think that this is Apple's way of beginning to make a graceful exit from the computer market. :cry:

[jmulder]

I think that this is Apple's way of beginning to make a graceful exit from the computer market. :cry:

I look at it a different way. Assuming OSX is a better OS (I haven't used it, so I don't know), how do you convince someone like me (who doesn't know) to buy your hardware/OS combination without some assurance that the system will be usable. You let them install their own OS alongside OSX.

Until this point, I wouldn't have considered a Mac, but now, I'm thinking I will. At best, I get acquainted with a better OS and maybe I'm a convert. At worst, Apple still sold me an OSX license and Apple hardware and I get to keep using my familiar OS.

[Jeremy Charette]

Whether you end up using OS X or XP, it doesn't really matter to Apple. Either way they sell more hardware (if they push it and advertise it right). That 6% market share is bound to grow, because they made themselves available to the other 94%.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

At best, I get acquainted with a better OS and maybe I'm a convert. At worst, Apple still sold me an OSX license and Apple hardware and I get to keep using my familiar OS.

Bingo. That's probably Apple's marketing plan. It's a good and pragmatic one too!

[klinux]

Agreed with Jm and LYS - once you have purchased the hardware (which comes with the software), Apple could care less. Well, I will qualify that, I am sure Apple would like for you to get an iPod and more Apple stuff.

But the point is that they have now sweetened the deal but providing more incentive for you to get that hardware.

[Jason Dunn]

Someone buying a Mac and running XP on it will remain a fringe scenario for a while, but I do hope that this spurs the PC makers to focus more on design and total user experience.

[Jeremy Charette]

That's exactly it. The only reason I'd consider a Mac is because of the design. I happen to like the XP user experience, so I prefer it, but you can't beat the iMac for great industrial design. Compact, powerful, and minimalist.

I just wish it supported Media Center Edition, because that would be one badass MCE PC.

[Jason Eaton]

Neato, yes I said neato.

I think I might fall right into this target market. I am a dual computer person where I have my iMac for my day to day important stuff, but down in the basement I secretly (okay not much so of a bat cave or anything) have a PC strictly for playing games, the one thing Apple isn't too good on.

Now I can have my cake and eat it too! Well on my next computer purchase maybe.

The iMac doesn't have the hutzpah to play the games I want. So here is to a good first step, bravo, now if they can shoehorn in some good gaming power into a tower and not be 4k, my debit card is in hand!

[sdattilo]

This is SWEET.. I have been back and forth between Macs and PC's over the years, I like some software on the mac, and some on the PC, but really like the machines themselves that Apple builds..

NOW, can someone get or point us to some benchmarks!!!

[sojourner753]

One question.

Can you run activesync successfully. It was my Windows Mobile devices that prevented me from buying a PowerBook about a year ago.