Vista Delay, WinXP on Macintel Gives Apple an Edge in 2006
- 2006.03.24
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What a surprise this week that we all find out Windows Vista has been delayed yet again. First it was scheduled for 2005, then 2006, and now it won't be out until January 2007 (or will it?).
PC manufacturers are extremely disappointed with Microsoft - and for good reason - as the release of Vista before the holidays was expected to drive PC sales in 2006.
Just a few months ago, the only option for those awaiting the new release of Windows was to wait - or run Linux beside the existing Windows installation if they wanted a more up-to-date operating system.
Of course, one could have bought a Mac as well as a PC, but for many it's tough to justify the purchase of two computers and all the software to go with them.
That all changed this past week. Now Windows can run on any of the Intel Macs with a few modifications to the installation files. After 22 years of complete separation, it's now possible to run Windows natively on a Macintosh without emulation software or any additional hardware (remember the Quadra 610 DOS Compatible?).
With a 2 GHz Core Duo processor, the iMacs can handle Windows XP perfectly, just like they do the Mac OS. That's right, you can run Windows XP and OS X on the same machine without having to uninstall one operating system before using the other.
Apple has said in the past that they would not prevent anyone running Windows on the Intel Macs, and hopefully they will stick to that statement. Allowing Windows to run on these machines benefits Microsoft, Apple, and Windows users.
Microsoft will be licensing more copies of Windows, and Apple will be selling more computers to those who'd like a change from their Windows PCs but aren't ready to give up Windows entirely.
Vista or OS X?
Unfortunately for Microsoft, the whole Vista situation might just swing the balance of favor over to Apple. Vista is purported to have relatively high system requirements - in fact, it most likely won't run on the majority of PCs in use today without some significant RAM and video card upgrades.
This means that many people will have to buy a new computer for Vista. Many of them were holding off a computer purchases until Vista - and now that it's not going to be out until 2007, they may reconsider.
If they have a machine that's already four or five years old, it may be difficult to wait another three months to replace it - and if they do wait three months, what happens if Vista is delayed yet again?
Add into that the fact that the Mac has fewer viruses and much less spyware (none in the wild in either category), as well as more features than many competing PCs (Front Row and a built in webcam in the case of the iMac and MacBook Pro). Then factor in the newly enabled Windows capability of the Intel Macs, and which computer are these people likely to be buying?
No, not the Dell.
Apple's Advantage
This also gives Apple an advantage in the laptop market, too. Not only is the MacBook Pro a great laptop in general, it's also a great laptop that can run OS X and now Windows as well. Perhaps businesses won't be convinced to adopt MacBooks for the office (especially given how new and unproven running Windows is on it) , but it could certainly convince those who may depend on one or two Windows applications for work, yet would like the security and usability of the Mac for email and the Internet.
How practical is all this? To install Windows on a Mac, one needs to make a modified version of the Windows install CD. This is fine if you're familiar with the files on the disc, but for a casual user of both platforms, it may be too much of a challenge.
Of course Microsoft has the option to actually release a version of Windows specifically made for the Mac - sort of as a replacement for Virtual PC - and this might go over well with the public.
Given that Vista's been delayed so much, I somehow doubt that will happen in a very timely fashion. Regardless, it's a distinct possibility that more people will be buying Macs once they realize that Windows can run natively on them.
While the delay of Vista may not improve PC sales, it just may
help the Mac. 
Recent Apple Archive articles
- iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
- Options for replacing your older iPod, 11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
- Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
- Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
- More in the Apple Archive index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: iMac Core2, Sep. 2006 - Apple introduced the biggest screen ever in an iMac with a 24" Core2 Duo model at 2.16 GHz.
- List of the Day: Old Mac MP covers 604-based multiprocessor Macs and clones.
- September 6 in LEM history: 99: G4 vs. Pentium III - 00: Setting up a server - 02: Norton Utilities warning - 10 greatest computer annoyances - 06: iMac Core2 Duo - Mac mini Core Duo - The iMac Core2 value equation - 07: Apple seduction - Why I really want an iPod touch - iPod history, 2005 to present - Upgrading a Power Mac G - Apple intros iPod touch, classic, and video nano
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Anticipation: New iPods Now, New Macs Later, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 09.05. The season of new iPods is at hand, but new Macs may wait until 2009.
- Buy a MacBook Now or Wait?, MacBook touch Patents, Samsung X360 Takes on MBA, and More, The 'Book Review, 09.05. Also 20 years of portable Macs, data backup and preservation, universal U-Charge battery charger for Mac 'Books, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Listen to Just the Music with the V-Moda Vibe Earbuds, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 09.05. Well built, the noise canceling earbuds will let you hear all the nuances of your music without letting through background noise.
- Source of iPhone 3G Problems, Army Uses iPods as Field Translators, Gains with Business, and More, iNews Review, 09.05. Also UK bans iPhone ad as 'misleading', iPhone password easy to bypass, GM to offer radios with USB in 2009 models, weather tracking software, and more.
- Macs Gain Ground in August, Consumers Most Likely to Buy Macs, LaCie USB Speakers, and More, Mac News Review, 09.05. Also migrating Time Machine to a new drive and two new keyboards from Logitech.
- Best iPod touch Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Refurb 8 GB, $199; new, $284; refurb 16 GB, $299; new, $370; refurb 32 GB, $399; new, $453.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $999; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,450 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $1,849; rebates on new.
- Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.05. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $279; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz $390; 17" 800 MHz SD, $439; 1.25 GHz, $449; 20", $569.
- Overclocking a Mac mini Got Me Hooked on Souping Up Macs, Adam Geller, My First Mac, 09.04. Stories of hot rodding iBooks, G3 iMacs, and PCI Power Macs on the cheap.
- Apple Will Not Abandon Optical Drives, the Mac Drought, Purposeful Mac Acquisition, and More, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 09.04. Also Mac OS X 10.5 on a G4-upgraded Blue & White G3 and problems using a flat panel display with a Quadra 700.
- Only Leopard Runs Routine Maintenance Tasks after Startup or Waking from Sleep, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 09.04. Mac OS X 10.5 runs routine system maintenance scripts as soon as possible after starting up or waking up your Mac. Earlier versions of OS X do not do this.
- Tomorrow's Solid State Drives and Notebooks, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 09.04. Flash drives are great but have some shortcomings. Some thoughts on building better SSDs and notebooks to use them.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 867 MHz Combo, no APX, $490; 1 GHz, $550; SuperDrive, $625; 1.5 GHz w/o APX, $660; w/APX, $675.
- Best Mac mini Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 1.25 GHz G4 SD, $549; 1.42 Combo, $409; new 1.83 Core2 Combo, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 after rebate.
- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.04. Used 1 GHz, $779; 1.33 GHz, $799; 1.5 GHz, $859; 1.67 GHz, $910.
- 11 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 09.03. The latest versions of Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, SeaMonkey, Flock, and Camino tested in Leopard.
- Save Internet Radio, USB and Hard Drives, Hardware Manufacturers vs. Linux, and More, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 09.03. Also Mac won't book after cleaning, newer versions of OS X improve wake from sleep, downgrading to OS 8.6, unreadable pages on Low End Mac, and more.
- Another Free POP3 Provider, Recharging a Dead PRAM Battery, Current Kanga Value, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 09.03. GMX email now available in US, Panasonic UJ-841S drive won't burn discs, restoring a dead PRAM battery in a Pismo, and thoughts on Kanga value today.
- Best eMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Used 700 MHz Combo, $120; 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $150; 1.42 GHz, $349.
- Best Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Mac OS X 10.5, single user, $99; 5 users, $140; 10.5 Server, 10 users, $395; unlimited, $850.
- Best MacBook Air Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 09.03. Refurb 1.6 HD, $1,499; new, $1,690 after rebate; refurb 1.8, $1,699; new, $1,919 a/r; refurb 1.6 SSD, $2,099; new, $2,294 a/r; refurb 1.8, $2,299; new, $2,400 a/r.
- Psystar Strikes Back, Countersues Apple, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 09.03. Psystar is trying to paint Apple as a monopoly and force it to license the Mac OS.
- More links in our archive.
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