Apple news
Apple’s 30th anniversary disappointed with no new product announcements. Everyone was expecting the new video iPod or MacBook. Shortly after April 1, Apple surprised the industry by releasing a public beta of a new piece of software: Boot Camp.
So what is Boot Camp? Simply put, it allows users of new Apple hardware (those systems featuring the Intel Core processor) to install Microsoft Windows XP together with Mac OS. The dual-boot installation permits the machine to be booted to either operating system depending on what applications the user is interested in running. Boot Camp is a 83MB download.
Why is this so revolutionary? Prior to this, anyone with a Mac wanting to run Windows applications had to rely on emulators or purchase two pieces of kit. Emulators, including Apple’s Rosetta technology, are very poor substitutes for actual native applications. Certain functions cannot be emulated and many operations involve huge overheads. Now, Mac OS can be the primary operating system and Windows XP can be utilized for those applications not yet available on the Mac.
Instead of copping out and providing a platform for additional Microsoft domination this may actually be a smart move to draw the Windows crowd to the Mac. Cool hardware with the ability to run those applications one has been used to. All indications are that Windows XP runs extremely well on the Apple hardware. The installation is not straightforward, and numerous reports have emerged of drives being formatted unintentionally. Also, Windows XP SP2 is the only official alternate operating system that is supported. A valid installation CD is required, no upgrade CD can be used. There should be no reason why other Intel-based operating systems cannot be installed…maybe it’s possible to triple boot: Mac OS, Windows XP and Linux 
On the hardware front, Apple yesterday released the new MacBook Pro 17″. The main feature is the 17″ screen. A built-in iSight camera for video conferencing, Intel Core Duo processor, ATI graphics with 256MB, Bluetooth and wireless networking and the new ExpressCard slot.
A really nice piece of kit! I discovered an interesting piece of trivia in Apple Confidential, the book I’m currently reading. During the development of Apple’s mobile computing strategy, Steve Jobs proposed a name for the new product line: BookMac. That was quite a number of years ago. Then, the name was derided and never made it. Shows you what switching names around can accomplish.
