Macs Do Windows Part II

As mentioned in the previous post, Macs Do Windows, Apple has released a new product, called "Boot Camp", that allows Mac users to dual boot between the Mac OS and Windows on the Mac. While this could hurt the business of the other PC manufacturers, such as Dell, Gateway and Hewlett-Packard, this could actually help Microsoft's business. After all, there are more machines that can now run Windows.

So what does Bill Gates and Microsoft have to say about Apple's new discovery? Actually, they have been unusually silent. In an interesting commentary by David Radin, he explains why Microsoft may be mum about this.

David Radin: Microsoft finds Apple move hard to swallow

So, what do I think about this move? Here is who I think are the winners and losers of "Boot Camp".

Winners

• Apple - Now that Macs can support dual-booting between Windows and Macs, more people may consider purchasing Macs over a PC.


• Microsoft - Many applications are written for the Windows environment, which, in my opinion, is the reason why more people are not switching to alternative machines (Macs) or alternative OSes (Linux). Now that Macs can support Windows, more Mac users may start purchasing Windows to use.

Losers

• PC Manufacturers, such as Gateway, Dell and Hewlett Packard - Graphic designers and artists choose Macs over PCs to do their work because the graphic technology is better on a Mac.


• Software Engineers - Software engineers will have to be aware that some of their users may be running Windows on the Mac. They will have to take the Mac system into consideration for their development.