Apple Introduces Boot Camp
Public Beta Software Enables Intel-based Macs to Run Windows XP
April 5, 2006—Apple® today introduced Boot Camp, public beta software that enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows XP. Available as a download beginning today, Boot Camp allows users with a Microsoft Windows XP installation disc to install Windows XP on an Intel-based Mac®, and once installation is complete, users can restart their computer to run either Mac OS® X or Windows XP. Boot Camp will be a feature in “Leopard,” Apple’s next major release of Mac OS X, that will be previewed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in August.

“Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple’s superior hardware now that we use Intel processors,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch.”

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 www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp, 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 does not provide support for installing or running Boot Camp and does not sell or support Microsoft Windows software. Apple welcomes user feedback on Boot Camp at bootcamp@apple.com.

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.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.

More info can be found here:
http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?tab=av&q=apple%20and%20windows&recipe=all&scope=all&edition=d

PCs and Macs start to converge

By Chris Long
Click producer

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41530000/jpg/_41530168_bootcamp-apple203.jpg Apple's Boot Camp has changed the course of the PC/Mac war

In 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. In it he described the way he thought life had developed on Earth. He called it "survival of the fittest".

One hundred and fifty years later, that concept continues to cause a stir around the world.

After watching the little local difficulty between Apple and Microsoft that has been bubbling under for the last 25 odd years I suggest a new chapter to Darwin's book: "If you can't beat them, join them".

With a seriously innovative approach to computing and a user base that lives to embrace those innovations, Apple was able to deliver its own funky front end.

Microsoft could only play catch up: not only did it not manufacture the hardware, but the hardware was not built to treat graphics in the same way.

The personal computer was finding it hard to match the Mac's pictures.

But still, the PC market exploded. There are now nearly a billion desktop computers being used these days and only 3% or so of those are Apple Macs.

The computer market has evolved. We can now see PCs running beta versions of the new Microsoft Windows, Vista. Some thought it was game over, then it all changed.

With the next evolution we had an Apple computer with an Intel processor and a brand new version of OS X, the Mac operating system, to run on it.

New direction

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41530000/jpg/_41530146_bootanalygetty203.jpg Apple is riding high as it switches to Intel chips

Then Apple flummoxed everyone by launching a program called Boot Camp that allows users to load Windows XP onto an Intel powered Mac.

The gauntlet had been thrown down and it was just a matter of time before OS X was loaded on a PC.

A hacker, who preferred to remain anonymous, told us:

"To install OS X doesn't require too much low level knowledge. You certainly need to be familiar with making a partition on your drive, and segmenting your hard drive essentially to do a specific installation of OS X.

"As it's quite an enthusiast's scene out there at the moment - putting OS X onto PCs - there's a lot of shared experience that you can find on the internet regarding that process."

So we have the Windows platform running XP, Vista and OS X, and we have the Apple platform running OS X, XP Windows and Vista.

We have the Windows platform based on the Intel chipset and we have the Apple platform based on the Intel chipset.

I know they are different but I just cannot see how.

Changing market

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41530000/jpg/_41530150_bootanaly-ap203.jpg Macs could also run Windows Vista when it is released

Bryan Glick, editor of Computing Magazine and long-time PC user, thinks there was an inevitability about Apple's move to the Intel platform.

He told Click: "The whole personal computer market and technology is becoming increasingly commoditised. Intel is much more of a mass-market commodity provider of chips. IBM, as we've seen, isn't really interested in the mass market; it's already gone out of the PC market itself."

Mac evangelist Sam Downie said: "When Apple announced that they were partnering with Intel I found out that it was a great move by them.

"They were having several problems. Lots of consumers were expecting a G5 in a laptop, and because of heat problems that wasn't going to happen.

"But with the move to Intel those heat problems have died down, there are faster machines, and also the ability to run Windows."

He believes this is a good thing because users can now run the applications they want to.

"For example there's a lot of accounting software on the Windows side which won't make it to the Mac unfortunately, but now, people have that advantage and they can do that."

So in the future, will we see one of the two operating systems taking over?

Brian Glick says: "I think we'll see PCs running Windows and Macs running OS X. I think you'll get some Mac users who will use the Windows capability there in order to be able to run some Windows applications that you can't get for the Mac.

"Personally I can't really see that anyone who's familiar with a Windows environment is suddenly going to choose to use it on a Mac instead."

But when it comes to the crunch, can either Sam or Brian see themselves running Windows XP alongside OS X?

Sam says: "For me, personally, I'll see. When I get that new Mac book pro, I'll see."

As for Brian: "I think it's pretty unlikely to be honest. I've yet to find anything I want to do on a PC that I can't really do one way or another."

Thanks Matt, I saw this the other day, great for gamers!!

Apparently you can partition your hard drive and install both operating systems, so that each time you boot up you can choose which one to work with!!

Anyone heard of the Linux operating system?
Speaking to some people "in the know" and they reckon it's the best one available.
Cheaper than Windows or Mac and dead easy to use.....

Yep, Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License , the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone.

http://www.Linux.org