14 DAY TRIAL // Apple's launching of Boot Camp was the story of the week, however, if anything, Apple's move has only been the subject of misinterpretation.
There had been ridiculous stories of Apple giving up on OS X even before this, but now they have come back in force. Why anyone who has any inkling of an idea about Apple Computer thinks that they would all of a sudden drop their own OS and start putting Vista on Macs is beyond me. Apple and Jobs have publicly ridiculed Microsoft and their next generation OS such a long time now, and have made a public show of delivering features that were promised and then cut from Vista years before Microsoft delivered, that this notion would be comical if only the people who voiced it were not serious.
Now with Boot Camp out, people are speculating that Macs will be bought and kept in Windows forever, OS X simply being ignored. This is another absurd presumption. Why would anyone buy a Mac, only to keep it in Windows mode, when they can buy a dull PC and be done with it? Why would those people spend more on a Mac if they will be using none of its unique features? Just for the pretty case?
Apple's release of Boot Camp is all about changing the rules, something Apple is famous for. A year ago, there were Macs and PCs, and each had different hardware, and each did 'its own thing'. Today, Mac and PCs have pretty much the same hardware, and while the Mac can now do both the 'Mac things' and the 'Windows' things, generic PC boxes can't claim the same feat. At this moment, Apple is slowly redefining the rules of the game. Their machines can do everything, no matter what operating system you have and use, Macs can accommodate you. Nobody else can boast this feat, and nobody else will be able to. This move cements Apple's position as a computer manufacturer, and gives them an edge that nobody can match. This is bad news for all the other hardware makers, as Apple has placed them in the same position it has placed portable MP3 player manufacturers. They can't compete on style and ease of use or versatility, and in time, will be left to compete over lower prices and the PC equivalent of the 'FM tuner'.
This is the big deal, this is the last remaining barrier. The average Joe still believes that Macs are 'incompatible' because they don't run Windows software. Well, guess what, soon, PCs will be incompatible, because they don't run Mac software. Apple has just taken one of the last great remaining myths that hurt them and turned it around.
But is Apple a hardware or software company? This is a question that has come up a lot. The answer is, Apple is a computer company. They like to do the entire package and do it right. This might seem strange, as the release of Boot Camp is apparently a move that jeopardizes the software part of Apple. The key word here is 'apparently.' Apple is taking the long road, as it has always had. Sure, people can now do both Windows and OS X, but this is exactly what Apple wants. Apple never advertised the hell out of OS X like Microsoft did with their OS, they preferred to go with retail stores, where users can see for themselves and make up their own minds. Boot Camp is just another means to the same end.
Even if someone does buy a new Mac only to keep it in Windows forever, sooner or later, that machine will start behaving like a Windows machine, and when it does get infested and crippled and it crashes and burns, and the user needs to get something done, they will switch to OS X and try to pull through. I won't even go into the natural curiosity and experimentation that will undoubtedly take place, and, after using Windows and OS X side by side for a while, then the user will truly be able to make a choice and decide which is better for them. But it will be an educated, knowledgeable assessment, not based on rumors or speculation or hear say. That is what Apple wants, this is where Apple wants you, informed, judging from your own personal experiences, because that is where they know they will have you. Sure, you might still keep the Windows around for a game or some other application you need to use every now and then but that is perfectly normal and to be expected.