Apple to allow users to run Windows XP

Intel Macs to get dual boot option

5 April 2006 14:31 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Apple has announced that rather than have hackers and coders come up with ingenious ways of getting Windows running on its Intel Based MacBook Pro, it would do it for them.

Apple has announced that it is launching a new application called Boot Camp that allows users to Windows XP.

Available as a free 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.”

Apple says 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.

More information can be found at www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp

Full tags

Software, Mac software, Operating Systems, Apple