14 DAY TRIAL // Boot Camp's days are numbered and while this is something that has been known for quite a long time, the final countdown has begun. Users of the current beta version of the software will have until the end of the month left, and then an upgrade to Leopard will be required.
The Boot Camp beta was set to expire with the release of Leopard, but with the delay of the latest version of OS X, the dual boot solution was pushed back as well. Despite its lifetime being extended repeatedly, the solution is quickly approaching its end of life. Apple has issued a warning to Boot Camp users to remind them that it will expire at the end of this month. "As indicated in the license agreement for Boot Camp Beta, the Boot Camp Beta program expires when Mac OS 10.5 Leopard becomes available publicly in October, 2007."
The license for Boot Camp 1.2 and earlier expired on 30 September, forcing users to update to version 1.4, in order to use the software for a little longer. While the license is set to expire when Leopard is launched, Apple has not offered any official release date as of yet, so it is yet unclear exactly when that will be. Furthermore, Apple warns that "to continue using Boot Camp at that time, upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard." Although there have been various reports stating that Apple might release a stand-alone version of Boot Camp so that pre Leopard users would still be able to take advantage of the dual boot capabilities of the hardware, the company has not given any indication of such plans. Should Apple not release a stand-alone version of Boot Camp, users will be forced into upgrading to Leopard, despite otherwise not needing such an update.