Windows Loves Macs

Michael Rau from dailypress.com reports a rather unusual fact, namely that he loves the way Windows runs on his Mac!

The nice thing about the whole article is that Michael describes how to get a bargain when purchasing a new Mac along with the software needed.

The fact that determined him to buy a Mac and use Windows on it is a simple one and basically one that many encounter these days. There is no doubt that one might love Apple's products more than a PC. This day and age, the Mac has much more to offer than a PC alternative and at a reasonable price. The only thing that might stop someone from choosing a Mac over a PC - is in most cases - the same one; some need to run certain applications that are not supported on Mac OS and can be ran only on Windows.

Michael's case is exactly the same as he recently acquired some professional responsibilities. These responsibilities imply that he works on an application that runs only on Windows XP and he will need to work on a daily basis. This came like a little problem to him as he was planning for some time to purchase "the MacBook of his dreams".

Well, as he tried to resolve this problem in a reasonable way - meaning to buy the MacBook he wanted but at the same time finding a way to work with the Win application - he did managed to acquire some buying tips that he was kind enough to share with us.

The fact when buying a Mac is that there is no such thing as a discount. Macs sell for the same amount whether you buy them direct from Apple, at an Apple Store, at a retailer like CompUSA, or from an online reseller, he writes.
Keeping that in mind, a quest for "the best deal" on a Mac is quite hard if one does not expand a little his/her horizon. This expansion is materialized in knowing what else you would need besides your Mac.

Some of the online retailers offer "bundles" of software and accessories which, when there are other things you want or need and these are part of the bundle, can really make for a good deal, Michael says.

If you know which particular bundle best suits your needs, than you can choose the retailer that offers the deal that is more suitable to you; as he did:

For example, I bought my MacBook through MacConnection, which is one of the older and more established online retailers. The particular items which I got for free (after rebates) were a Logitech wireless mouse, a carrying case (which I didn't really need, but what the heck - it was free), and most importantly to me, a licensed copy of Parallels Desktop.

Even if Mac OS X comes with BootCamp, that is free, Parallels Desktop was without doubt a better choice for him as he needed to run only that single application in Windows and Parallels Desktop made possible running the second OS without restarting.

Also, after purchasing the MacBook he needed a licensed copy of Windows and he found "a dirty little secret" that might be useful if one might want to get such a copy.

Windows XP Pro in the full boxed retail version sells for $299, and you can sometimes find it at a 10 percent to 15 percent discount. However, you can also find what's called an OEM version for much less, if you know where to look. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, and this is what Microsoft ships to computer makers to load onto their systems. It's just the CD-ROM, with no manuals or support.
I paid $139 for mine, and if I'd chosen to buy one with a manufacturer's branding (such as for Dell), I could have gotten it for around $20 less than that.
To find this online, go to a shopping site compiler, such as pricegrabber.com or Froogle, and in the search field, type: "Windows XP Pro SP2 OEM", and you should have several sites which offer OEM versions of Windows.

Well, with some bucks saved from the whole deal, Michael managed to satisfy both his professional need and his wishes to buy a MacBook. All-in-all, the final conclusion was the most interesting. That conclusion is that he has been running Windows on his MacBook for over a month on a daily basis and states that he has never worked on a machine on which Windows runs faster or with more stability.

Some might have expected Windows to run good on a Mac, but to run as good as he says, one might be a little surprised and can't help but wonder...Apple managed to prove once again that they can do every job better than everyone else.

Michael ends his article with the following lines that are quite conclusive:

I wish I could do all my work in OSX, but if I have to work in Windows, I'm glad I can do so in an environment, and on a machine, I trust.
Windows on a Mac. Two years ago, I'd have said pigs would fly before that ever happened,

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