Apple\'s \"Boot Camp\" beta runs Windows XP on Macs
Apple on Tuesday drew excitement from its Intel Mac customers as it introduced Boot Camp, public beta software that enables Intel-based Macs to also run Windows XP natively.
Boot Camp will be a feature in âLeopard,â Appleâs next major release of Mac OS X, that will be previewed at Appleâs Worldwide Developer Conference in August, the company also confirmed for the first time.
âApple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Appleâs superior hardware now that we use Intel processors,â said Philip Schiller, Appleâs senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. âWe think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch.â
Boot Camp simplifies Windows installation on an Intel-based Mac by providing a simple graphical step-by-step assistant application to dynamically create a second partition on the hard drive for Windows, to burn a CD with all the necessary Windows drivers, and to install Windows from a Windows XP installation CD. After installation is complete, users can choose to run either Mac OS X or Windows when they restart their computer.
Pricing & Availability
The public beta of Boot Camp is available immediately as a download at Apple's Boot Camp Web page, and is preview software licensed for use on a trial basis for a limited time. The final version of Boot Camp will be available as a feature in the upcoming Mac OS X version 10.5 "Leopard."
Apple will not provide support for installing or running Boot Camp and does not sell or support Microsoft Windows software. Apple, hwoever, is welcoming user feedback on Boot Camp at [email protected].
System Requirements
Boot Camp requires an Intel-based Mac with a USB keyboard and mouse, or a built-in keyboard and TrackPad; Mac OS X version 10.4.6 or later; the latest firmware update; at least 10GB of free space on the startup disk; a blank recordable CD or DVD; and single-disc version of Windows XP Home Edition or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later.
510 Comments
The big question is how this software relates to open source project that was released a couple of weeks ago. I think it is the same wrapped in Apples own installer.
Tee hee...
Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries.
Word to the Wise
Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it?ll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes.
The big question is how this software relates to open source project that was released a couple of weeks ago. I think it is the same wrapped in Apples own installer.
I haven't looked at the license the open source solution is under - there are some licenses like the GPL that make it unlikely Apple would build upon software under them.
At any rate, Boot Camp supplies the Windows drivers that were sorely missing...
The big question is how this software relates to open source project that was released a couple of weeks ago. I think it is the same wrapped in Apples own installer.
No I don't think so. The Apple project has certainly started last year but was not available in time for the january introduction. It is a very sensible project for Apple to gain market share both inside and outside the education segment. I don't see them wanting for someone else to develop this.
They have developed/packaged a lot of software : a legacy BIOS support in EFI, a graphical boot loader and a driver CDROM for Windows XP (with all the drivers for the Mac hardware). Apple was the best position to do this and to maintain this for all their machines.
It seems that the final version will be included in leopard.
Maybe by then, Boot Camp will be completed by a virtualization technology (I do think so).
Sweet!!
Hopefully we won't see an os/2 effect now.