66 replies to this topic

[IMG News]

In a stunning turn of events, Apple has released a public beta of Boot Camp which allows you to install Microsoft Windows on an Intel Mac. This is a technology preview of an upcoming feature in 10.5 Leopard.

The set-up looks to be simple, as Boot Camp burns a CD with the drivers needed for the Mac hardware (such as Video, Airport, Bluetooth, Networking and Audio) and the software walks you through setting up hard drive space for the Windows install. After the installation you can hold down the 'Option' key to choose to boot either OS X or your Windows install.

Requirements:

• Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.6 (check Software Update)
• The latest Firmware update (check Support Downloads)
• 10GB free hard disk space
• An Intel-based Mac
• A blank recordable CD
• A printer for the instructions (You’ll want to print them before installing Windows, really.)
• A bona fide installation disc for Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 2, Home or Professional (No multi-disc, upgrade or Media Center versions.)

Visit the link at Apple's site below to read more and download the beta.

We would like your thoughts on the subject? Now that Apple has made it relatively easy to install Windows on an Intel Mac, are you going to install Windows on your Intel Mac? Take our poll and let us know.

If you try out Boot Camp, be sure to visit our forum to post your findings.

Return to Full Article - InsideMacGames News

[converted2truth]

This spells the end of mac gaming...

I AM PISSED!

Apple always out to increase hardware sales, even if that means encouraging people to run windows on apple hardware.

Apple is going to decrease the base size of their loyalists....

[steiner designer]

converted2truth, on April 5th 2006, 07:47 AM, said:

This spells the end of mac gaming...

I AM PISSED!

Apple always out to increase hardware sales, even if that means encouraging people to run windows on apple hardware.

Apple is going to decrease the base size of their loyalists....

Wow!??   I never thought they would make this so easy.

Kind of a sad day for the Mac Gaming industry.

Chris.

[Lemon Lime]

yes this is very good news seeing as i have just bought a windows xp disk.     

the only problem is that apple has ran out of band width-i get the message the server has stopped responding. but this is not surprising seeing as every nerd and apple fan boy in the universe is trying to go to their site at this very moment.

[Maestro]

converted2truth, on April 5th 2006, 08:47 AM, said:

I AM PISSED!

I'm not!

Finially i'll be able to buy games from the bargin bin without looking at the system requirements!

This is cool  

[MacProject]

Wow.  
Talk about a surprise.  
I suppose it was only a matter of time though.

[MysteryQuest]

converted2truth, on April 5th 2006, 04:47 PM, said:

This spells the end of mac gaming...

I AM PISSED!

Apple always out to increase hardware sales, even if that means encouraging people to run windows on apple hardware.

Apple is going to decrease the base size of their loyalists....

Yeah, strange isn't it. Apple is focusing on Hardware sales, while they only pay attention to software and iPods.

This is one of the biggest mistakes Apple ever made.
If Apple doesn't try to push it's market share fast over 5 years we can say: RIP Mac OS X
And I don't see Apple trying to gain market share at this time.

Windows users won't see the point of switching to the Mac now anymore, the "average" Windows user now thinks there system has always been better than Mac OS X. So, Apple doesn't reach anything with this.

[electricdawn]

MysteryQuest, on April 5th 2006, 05:33 PM, said:

Windows users won't see the point of switching to the Mac now anymore, the "average" Windows user now thinks there system has always been better than Mac OS X. So, Apple doesn't reach anything with this.

Sorry if I come accross like a jerk, but you guys certainly have no clue. This will bring in switchers in droves, who can finally have the best of both worlds on one machine. Nice productivity apps in OS X, and the occasional software that didn't made it over (and that includes games) in Windows.

I've already seen a lot of people in Germany's most famous IT-site forum (Heise) saying that they gonna switch. This is no way the end of Apple, this is just the beginning!

Downloading now....

v/r, E.

[Quicksilver]

converted2truth, on April 5th 2006, 09:47 AM, said:

This spells the end of mac gaming...

I AM PISSED!

Apple always out to increase hardware sales, even if that means encouraging people to run windows on apple hardware.

Apple is going to decrease the base size of their loyalists....

You've got the wrong idea.  Having middlemen like Aspyr and Macsoft is not the position that we want to be in as Mac gamers.  Don't get me wrong--I love the guys that work there!  If I can get game right when it comes out, play it at full speed with all of the features intact (5.1 surround sound, here I come), and at a price that doesn't stay at $50 for almost a year, I'll definitely take it and deal with the extra minute it takes to reboot.  If Aspyr or Macsoft port a game by the time I'm ready to buy it (so I have a choice between Mac & PC versions), then I have to decide whether that extra minute it'll take to start up the game is worth it.

I don't think that we have to worry about them [Mac porting houses] too much--Aspyr definitely isn't relient on the Mac market (Macsoft may have to evolve a bit more), so while these guys might not be converting as many games to the Mac platform as they have up to this point, there are plenty of other markets in the console industry for them to move their primary base of operations to.  

Finally, this won't kill "Mac" gaming, because "Mac" gaming at it's heart has never really about the AAA titles like Far Cry--it's (and this goes for general software as well) all about those crazy innovative people like the guys at Ambrosia Software who make games like Escape Velocity and Ares.  These Mac developers aren't going anywhere, and now that we can dual boot, should help draw more people to the Macintosh platform.

[Lemon Lime]

omfg! apple needs more bandwidth!

[Quicksilver]

MysteryQuest, on April 5th 2006, 10:33 AM, said:

This is one of the biggest mistakes Apple ever made.
If Apple doesn't try to push it's market share fast over 5 years we can say: RIP Mac OS X
And I don't see Apple trying to gain market share at this time.

That's one of the more ignorant things I've heard.  It's quite the opposite--these days, the vast majority of computer users do three or four things with their computers:  write/receive email, chat online, browse the web, and write documents in Microsoft Word.  When they realize that they can do this in the fast and safe environment of Mac OS X AND go back to Windows any time they run into something that they can't part with, there's really no reason not to buy a Mac (unless you're a stickler for price).

[Hobeaux]

MysteryQuest, on April 5th 2006, 07:33 AM, said:

Yeah, strange isn't it. Apple is focusing on Hardware sales, while they only pay attention to software and iPods.

This is one of the biggest mistakes Apple ever made.
If Apple doesn't try to push it's market share fast over 5 years we can say: RIP Mac OS X
And I don't see Apple trying to gain market share at this time.

Windows users won't see the point of switching to the Mac now anymore, the "average" Windows user now thinks there system has always been better than Mac OS X. So, Apple doesn't reach anything with this.

I'd say you worry too much.

This will be a bonus for Apple. People want to switch to Apple but are justifiably nervous about giving up everything that they know. Having the security blanket of still being able to run Windows if they need to will make buying a Mac that much easier. It will help sales.

As for gaming it's hard to tell for certain what developer will do, but I'd want my games to run natively. Just because I can now run them on the PC side of things doesn't mean that I -want- to and I'd pressure the game developer to develop games for Mac OS X.

It's the best of both worlds.

I've been sitting on the fence about "do I get a Mac tower for home or an über PC?" for about a year now. I want to do Mac-stuff (Motion, After Effects, Keynote, modo, some iLife stuff) but want to play the latest games and maybe do some level-editing as well. Now I can get one machine to do them both.

[gbafan]

MysteryQuest, on April 5th 2006, 08:33 AM, said:

Yeah, strange isn't it. Apple is focusing on Hardware sales, while they only pay attention to software and iPods.

This is one of the biggest mistakes Apple ever made.
If Apple doesn't try to push it's market share fast over 5 years we can say: RIP Mac OS X
And I don't see Apple trying to gain market share at this time.

Windows users won't see the point of switching to the Mac now anymore, the "average" Windows user now thinks there system has always been better than Mac OS X. So, Apple doesn't reach anything with this.

Huh?  

You guys that are overreacting are just that, overreacting.  "Boot Camp" is a dual boot loader.  It does not replace Mac OS X and it doesn't even allow Windows to completely be Windows.  Mac OS X and Windows run  on the same machine and can be switched back and forth painlessly.  Isn't that beautiful?

It also requires Windows XP SP2 only.  Not Windows 2000, 2003, XP SP1, or whatever else, just Windows XP SP2.  Apple is providing this AS IS, no support, no warranty, nada.  

Relax.  This is a very good thing to help keep Apple doing what they do best, developing state of the art operating systems and elegant hardware.

As gamers we're always getting the short end of the stick.  The Intel transition has been making that painfully obvious and the Mac porting houses are racing to release UB's of their games.   "Boot Camp" will actually improve the Intel Mac platform by ushering in better hardware in feature revisions.

Thank you Apple!  And yes, I am a shareholder.

[Kanamit]

Wow. Can't believe that they actually did that. Does this have full video card support?

[gbafan]

Kanamit, on April 5th 2006, 08:44 AM, said:

Wow. Can't believe that they actually did that. Does this have full video card support?

According to Apple "Boot Camp" helps you burn a CD with drivers for video, ethernet, etc, etc that installs into Windows.  Going off of this, I would assume it has full video card support.  Once this has been confirmed, I will finally place my order for an Intel iMac.  I will no longer have to wait for UB's.

[Quicksilver]

Kanamit, on April 5th 2006, 10:44 AM, said:

Wow. Can't believe that they actually did that. Does this have full video card support?

Apparently, yes.  I'm still waiting for one of the guys here to come back yelling and screaming about the fact that he's the first guy to play Far Cry on a Mac.

[mac chris]

DOOOOOM DOOOOOM DOOM DOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!

!!
             1!!!
! IT IS THE END THE END THE EARTH WILL IMPLODE AND IT IS THE END
                    AND THE SKY WILL FALL AND NO ONE WILL
EVER HAVE FUN ANYMORE BECAUSE THE END IS NEAR DOOOOOM DOOOOOOM


Or...

I bet spending hundreds of dollars on a new XP license will be a bit of a deterrent.
I bet that there at least must be other people out there (like me) who are never talked about.  I am interested in playing AAA games and I would (shock) rather play it on OS X.  Even if it means waiting.
I bet this will lure many more people to the mac (since it is clearly a shot at growing market share) and eventually that 5% will become greater and more difficult to ignore for publishers.

Or...

we can just wait and see what happens without everyone peeing their pants.

you're all lovely people and I kid a bit.  Just please stay away from the windows in tall buildings.  Everything will be OK.

[Maestro]

electricdawn, on April 5th 2006, 09:38 AM, said:

This will bring in switchers in droves, who can finally have the best of both worlds on one machine.

I agree. This gives computer nerds more options. Now I have a good reason to get an Intel Mac.

[Lord Brixton]

I think all the real bootcamp action is going on over here!

[h16sailor]

mac chris, on April 5th 2006, 10:52 AM, said:

I bet that there at least must be other people out there (like me) who are never talked about.  I am interested in playing AAA games and I would (shock) rather play it on OS X.  Even if it means waiting.

Yes! I want to play Mac games on my Mac...To me, even a ported game is closer to a True Mac Game than a "zombified" Mac booted into Windows. Does anyone remember the dead cat in "Pet Semetary" (book version) that was reanimated by being buried in the old haunted Indian grounds? Yes, it looked like the same cat but it wasn't...That's the creepy picture I get of an iMac booted into Windows.

Virtual PC running at full machine speed is not the same thing...In that situation Windows is Your Bitch and must submit to your will, but a Mac booted into Windows is fully controlled by The Evil Darkness...

However, this is a Very Good Thing, and Apple was very, very smart to release Boot Camp. Example: My engineer brother professes great admiration for the Mac and OS X, but he is an intractible hard-core PC user...This could make the difference...

You won't find me using it, however. At least not for games or anything else that I love to do on my Mac! It would be nice to run the horrible Windows-only geology software we use here at work on a Mac, but hopefully there will be a VPC 8 that runs Windows apps at full processor speed in OS X!