Many of us know that Apple recently officially switched to Intel and its x86 system architecture. That alone is a fairly big change, but Steve Jobs kept on moving. Apple never fails to keep surprising me with what they come up with; their newest release is generating talk in the computing community like high school gossip. When Apple officially disclosed that they were going to use Intel’s processors in their Macintoshes, it raised a public eye. Intel produces x86-based processors, which requires an x86-based system to operate - something Apple, up to that point, did not use. Apple transition to the x86 technology would be a step closer to being able to load Microsoft’s coveted Windows operating system onto a Macintosh. And after the Intel-based Macs went public unexpectedly early, the public scrambled to find a way to load Windows OS onto a Mac.

And the people acted. Hundreds of people, from ordinary users to businesses, pooled their money together to create a “cash prize” for the first person to find a way to put Windows OS onto an Intel Mac. After several weeks on March 16th, an unidentified winner collected the “Macwintel” prize fund.  My initial opinion is seen in this forum thread. While I knew that Apple had previously stated that they are fine with Windows OS on a Mac, I also knew that it would be uncharacteristic for Apple to just let it happen.

I was right in an entirely unexpected way. Instead of spurning this effort, Apple took “Macwintel” by the hand and ran with it. They released a beta version of “Boot Camp” - a technology that allows Intel-based Apple systems to also load Microsoft Windows XP operating system alongside the pre-loaded Mac OS X. The beta version is now available through their website as an 83MB download.

This is, of course, a pretty bold move by Steve Jobs’ Apple. There are many implications associated with Apple’s new “Macwintel” move. Here are a few pros and cons of this move:

How Boot Camp is a great idea

No program compatibility problems
The biggest reason anyone would be reluctant to take the Mac OS switch is the software compatibility problem. Compared to Microsoft Windows’ pool of software, Mac’s line of software is very limited. The most commonly used programs tend to be specialized software like Adobe Photoshop and Apple’s Final Cut Pro. You also can’t run games on a Mac. In fact, you cannot use most of what’s out there with a Mac OS. A dual-boot with Windows would erase a good number of these problems. Now you can run almost all Windows applications along with games (albeit, not well).

There will be a great rise in overall Apple hardware purchase
By dual-booting Windows OS and Macintosh OS, purchasing an Apple Macintosh allows for extraordinary versatility. This ties back to the program compatibility problem. From Apple’s perspective, luring people to purchase Apple hardware (ie. Macintosh) creates a great amount of revenue for them. Apple doesn’t generate nearly enough revenue from operating system software sales; they generate most of their funds from hardware sales that accompany their software.

The same goes for other products, such as Apple’s iPod. As more people purchase Apple hardware, more people have access to the preloaded Apple iTunes software. With that, it makes sense that the iPod sales would increase, given the simplicity of the one-click music synchronization through iTunes. Again, more money for Apple.

Reasons why Boot Camp could be a “miserable failure”

Windows XP Problems (ie. BSOD)
Let’s face it - there is not perfect operating system. Microsoft’s Windows OS is no different - there are spontaneous crashes, BSODs, and corruption. Windows users started drifting towards Mac because of their “worry-free appeal”. By installing Windows OS onto a Mac, there are going to be more errors and more problems with the system. Just recently, a man was unpleasantly greeted with a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) after loading Boot Camp. Granted, Boot Camp is still in its Beta phase. But there are going to be a plethora of new problems with this dual-OS setup that Apple will have to deal with.

Apple Individuality
For more than thirty years, Apple has been thriving on their individuality. They “Think Different” and so they generally do not follow in the shadow of their competition. Apple created an environment where their individuality earns them revenue to keep them alive. Their systems cannot be compared “Apples for Apples” (no pun intended) with other Windows-based systems. However, by releasing Boot Camp, Apple now has to pay greater attention to a “dollar for dollar” competition against their competitors. Users may expect their iMac to run certain applications at an equal or better performance as the same application run on a, for example, a Dell.

I personally agree to this approach with reservations. Bridging the gap between Apple Mac and MS Windows can get out of hand quite easily. Apple has had control of pretty much everything they’ve sold and they’ve maintained all services and warranty problems in-house. If Apple makes sure that a Windows-Mac dual-boot stays just that, I feel that this move is greatly to Apple’s advantage. Even though Steve Jobs has made business out of rather daring decisions and changes, his company has done a fairly decent job controlling their products. For example, I doubt many people have customized their PowerMac G5 the same way that you could customize a Windows-based system.

In terms of Boot Camp, in the coming months, we’ll see how it plays out. I will leave you all with this quote by Robert F. Kennedy: “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”