Boot Camp: Apple Sanctions Windows?

Tiger and Windows on the Same Machine?

Very unlikely. Highly impossible! These were familiar expressions used to describe the possibility of mixing a Mac and a PC together for several years now – until very recently when interesting and unprecedented developments took place. It all started when Apple announced in the beginning of the year that all new iMac systems and their new professional notebooks, MacBook Pro, to be using Intel's just launched Yonah processors or otherwise now known as Intel Core Duo. From face value, it seemed that the decision was from a technical viewpoint to offer their customers a much-needed speed bump while not breeching thermal dissipation and power requirement quotas. With the latest Macs now conforming to the x86 instruction set architecture (ISA) and running an x86 version of the OS X, people have been endlessly speculating of running Windows on a Mac system and OS X on a Wintel machine – basically fusing the best of both worlds to fulfill the eternal dream. Of course things aren't as straightforward as they seem, as there are plenty of restrictions to ensure everything works only in their respective hardware to prevent a mass epidemic movement of sort.

However coincidentally or not (in the grand scheme of things), on the 4th of April 2006, Apple has 'given in' to support Windows on its Mac systems using Intel processors. Developed by Apple, the introduction of Boot Camp basically allows Mac users set up Windows XP as a secondary operating system on their Mac computer. For now, users with Intel-based Mac such as the new iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pro (MBP) with Boot Camp can boot either to OS X or Windows XP (SP2) at any one time. Though published by Apple, Boot Camp is however a public beta download. So while it is free, you'll have to enjoy this versatility at your own risk for the time being.

Fortunately, Apple has mentioned that when they release the next major update of the Mac OS X, Leopard, Boot Camp will be integrated as a standard feature. This is certainly great news as that means Boot Camp is not a one-off development effort relegated as a non-supported beta utility, but one that would mature and manifest itself in future Mac operating systems to breath new life and usage roles. So what does this all translate to consumers and existing customers? After some consideration, we have compiled some of the key reasons why you should get all excited about Boot Camp and what it means to you. Read on.

Boot Camp is good for everyone

1) A Dream Machine – The MacWintel System

For ages, the Mac has always been the must-have gadget of every geek for its elegant hardware and software design that simply can't be matched on the traditional PC. Despite its worldwide cult status, only a small percentage of them actually owned it. Face it; there's only that much potential for a Mac with limited applications, so many people kept it at bay. Now that there's Boot Camp, one can buy a Mac system, operate OS X and all Mac legacy application while legitimately running Windows on the same system. So now you get the full software compatibility of a Wintel machine on a Mac and satisfy the age-old desire of having the best of both worlds; in essence, a MacWintel system.

2) Application and Hardware Choices Unleashed!

As mentioned earlier, one of the main benefits for Mac users is that they can now run applications that used to exclusively operate in Windows. With Microsoft dominating the operating system space, you've got to admit that there are far more applications developed for the PC than on the Mac. The tons of useful utilities, demos and applications in *.exe format that were once useless for a Mac will be a thing of the past now that it can boot to Windows as well to execute these. Even small but crucial applications such as those accompanying mobile phones, cameras and PDAs, primarily support Windows. Many peripherals (such as web cameras) that were once the domain of only Windows can now operate on the Mac. So less hassle and more joy as you know your system can handle any device with Windows and OS X running on the same machine.

Things are going to be very different now with Boot Camp bridging the world of the PC with that of the Mac, bringing with it near infinite possibilities, usage roles and more software/hardware compatibility all on one machine. Sounds like consolidation for the consumer side, doesn't it? Now you don't have to get two dedicated machines any more.

Game on with a Mac!

3) Appealing to Non-Mac Users

There are definitely more PC users in this world and many of them have never used a Mac before. However, many may have heard of the user friendly, less virus-prone and robust UNIX system based operating system on the Mac but have hesitated to adopt one because of familiarity issues and lack of widespread applications compatible with the PC world. Now with the dual boot option, Mac computers have become a good multi-platform system for PC users to appreciate the goodness of OS X and the cool factor of Mac computers without giving up the luxury and versatility offered on Wintel machines. Add to the fact that the next upgrade of Mac OS X is looming near, we expect even more users to be wowed by what it would offer, but with an even better uptake than previously since market share is bound to rise. And where market share increases, more software developers would be keen to exploit the finer capabilities of OS X to offer even better applications and tools.

4) Gaming on a Mac? Now it's Faster and Better!

We have been hitting on the point that a Boot-Camp enabled Mac running on Intel Core Duo processors are now very application friendly. When we meant application friendly – we don't mean software related to work only, but games as well.

For many, the lack of game choices and limited gaming performance of previous Mac systems were a terrible drawback to adopting a Mac. In fact, the Mac was never seen as a gaming platform. However with the new Macs sporting Intel's Core Duo processors and discrete mid-range class graphics cards, their hardware is more than capable of tackling the vast variety of modern games out in the market. Boot Camp is the final key to unleashing the Mac as a capable gaming system to be a full-fledged entertainment machine as you are no longer restricted to Mac-friendly games.

This is also great news for game developers since they can now concentrate on developing games for Windows and it will run effortlessly on an Intel-based Mac computer with Boot Camp. In fact, when we ran Unreal Tournament 2004 and Doom3 demo (both of which were Mac versions) on the MacBook Pro, we realized that it didn't run as smooth in OS X as it did when we switched to Windows running the respective demo versions. The likely reason for this is because the MacBook Pro is based on the Intel CPU platform and in order to run applications made for the previous PowerPC platform (such as the Mac compatible game demos we ran), they are mounted onto Rosestta to emulate how it should run in a x86 environment to be compatible with the underlying x86 hardware. However on the Windows environment, everything is running in x86 mode natively, so there's no go-betweens to hamper performance. Until games and more applications are developed for Universal compatibility, by virtue of this little test, the newer Macs running OS X are most likely going to be slower than the PC performing the same routines.

Are You Making the Switch?

Apple has definitely opened up to appeal to both veteran Mac and PC users alike. Reflecting back, perhaps one of the first signs of this would be the debut of Mighty Mouse. For 21 years, Apple has maintained their "one button is enough" mantra on the Apple mouse even though the Mac OS does support multi-button operations. Succumbing to rising demand, Apple finally introduced a mouse with more than one button for accessing additional options. The next step was the major hardware platform switch from PowerPC to Intel processors and this would come in to full effect on the entire Mac computer line-up by the end of 2006. Now with the introduction of Boot Camp, Apple has started a new era to attract not just the iPod users, but also the vast untapped PC user market.

Apple has definitely made the right move to support Windows on its Mac and thanks to this move, they have opened up a sea of possibilities on the once 'restricted' Mac. For one, we are sure that Apple is going be busy at the cash register counters. Though it may seem like Apple has defected to Microsoft, the truth is that Apple still has the upper hand since OS X will only run on a Mac and not the other way round. For professional Mac users, they can benefit from the Mac's proprietary and more efficient software functions in the OS X while letting their hair down after-hours for some gaming entertainment on the same machine. This is probably the first time in computing history that the best of Mac and the PC converges on to a single commercially available system and because of this paradigm shift, Apple has made everyone including Mac users so pleased that its share prices jumped by a couple of dollars. If only there were a lot more Universal applications available for the new Macs to run at their fullest potential within OS X, now would have been a better time than any to be a Mac convert.

We can't wait to see how the integration of OSX 10.5 Leopard will affect the future of Mac in terms of consumer appeal and sales, as it will support dual boot natively among a host of other enhancements. However by the end of the year with Windows Vista going gold, we can already foresee yet another round of operating system wars unfolding, but till then, here is Apple's 30th birthday present for you. Enjoy Boot Camp beta until Leopard arrives in mid-2006.

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