I’m totally stealing this from John Gruber, but I think he’s being really really eloquent when he says:
“Holy shit!”
Apple has released a public beta of a utility to let you dual-boot Windows XP on your Intel-based Mac, called Boot Camp.
And the bestbestbest part: this technology is going to be included in the next version of Mac OS X, 10.5, Leopard.
This totally looks like a surprise strike at a target of opportunity. What’s that? Oh, haven’t you heard? Windows Vista isn’t going to ship until 2007. But IT OK, Microsoft is going to put stickers on any PC even barely capable of having Vista installed on it, thus guaranteeing that anyone who actually upgrades in ’07 has a really really shitty experience. Nice one, Microsoft! Go, Apple!
Once people get used to running Mac OS, and can compare it side-by-side with XP on the same hardware… I’m betting that some folks eventually just get rid of XP altogether. Not all, mind you; I’m sure some will continue to use both, and some will actually prefer XP for many reasons. But there will be at least some switchers, and that only works to Apple’s advantage, since the bulk of their income still comes from sales of hardware, not software.
Knowledge Base article with all your FAQs about Boot Camp found here.
OK, that does it. I’m totally dual-booting my new sexy thing this weekend.