This
isn’t the first
time Mac users have been
able to run Windows.
Emulation software has
made this possible for
years. However, in addition
to being rather expensive,
emulation software has
the cumbersome and slow
task of translating Windows
code into something that
Mac OS understands. And
you’re still essentially
bound to one operating
system or the other.
What’s different
is that in a dual boot
configuration, you’re
not translating anything.
You’re actually running
Windows on a Mac, as if
it was designed for it.
On startup, you select
whether you want to run
Windows or Mac OS. From
there, it’s just
like running Windows on
your PC.
This is a significant shift
in the power struggle between
Windows and Mac OS. Apple
hopes to capitalize on
the iPod user base, many
of whom have been looking
enviously at Apple computer
hardware, but who have
found it more practical
to work with Windows for
a variety of good reasons.
These potential customers
can now run the popular
Windows-based applications
that aren’t available
on a Mac, while enjoying
the sleek, high-performance
hardware for which Apple
has such a loyal following.
And who knows—maybe
they will poke around in
Mac OS long enough to get
hooked on the Apple way
of computing.
What’s more, it opens
the door to the idea of
Mac OS X running on non-Apple
hardware. For the budget-minded
consumer who might prefer
OS X but would rather run
it on a bargain PC, that
reality may be out there.
Rumors speculate that big
names like Dell have been
looking into such a possibility.
Ultimately, this is great
news, whether you’re
a Windows or Mac fan, or
even if you don’t
care either way. It’s
one less wall between you
and what you want to do
with your computer. It
fosters greater competition,
not only in terms of software
development, but for hardware,
too. And it opens the door
for greater innovation
and cross-platform integration.
We’ve lived with
the either/or paradigm
for so long that it may
take some time to get used
to choosing for ourselves
what equipment and software
we want to buy. I, for
one, am willing to try.
Contact: Apple,
(800) 676-2775 www.apple.com.
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