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Technology Stocks : Apple Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Stock Puppy who wrote (52164)	4/5/2006 1:01:03 PM
From: William F. Wager, Jr.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213185

Blogger's React to Windows-on-Mac... By ANDREW LAVALLEE WSJ Online April 5, 2006 12:51 p.m. A delayed April Fool's gag? A last-ditch corporate effort to win a hacking contest? Bloggers alternated between shock and delight over Apple Computer Inc.'s announcement that its new "Boot Camp" software allows Windows XP to run on its new Intel-based Macintosh computers. "I still can't quite fully believe this," said Hadley Stern, a designer and writer who blogs at Apple Matters. "The implications here are mind-boggling." And like many bloggers commenting on the news, Mr. Stern couldn't resist a jab: "I think the OS wars are now over." "We just about plotzed," said gadget blog Gizmodo. Killer Combination According to Gadgetopia writer Rob O'Keefe, Windows-on-Apple is a killer combination for the big PC makers. "Michael Dell may not be worried yet, but depending on how this plays out, he might be soon," he wrote. In a post subtitled "Hell Freezes Over II: Revenge of Jobs," the technology and politics blog Politechnical Institute agreed. "This is going to increase Apple's marketshare big time. Buy a Mac, bring your XP license and apps, and have everything on one platform. You want games? Boot Windows. Windows, Unix, and Mac, all on one box." Contest Over Ars Technica's Clint Ecker pointed out that last month two hackers won a user-run contest to get Windows XP running on an Apple computer. "While the contest was technically 'won,' the process was probably far too complicated for the average user, and even required that the user have access to a PC (kinda defeats some of the point, right?). Apple's new process seems to be as easy as you'd expect, complete with a nice 'Boot Camp Assistant' to walk you through the entire process," he wrote. This was echoed in comments on Slashdot, where more than 300 chimed in before noon. "Steve Jobs just missed out on winning $12,000 in the boot XP on a Mac contest!!! And you know the dude needs the cash since he is only paid $1 a year as Apple's CEO. I bet he is just kicking himself right now," wrote one poster. The End of Mac OS? Some commentators on the self-described "news for nerds" site expressed concern that the move will lessen demand for Mac-based programs. "Isn't this a disincentive," wrote one Slashdot reader. "Why develop for a tiny fraction of the market when you can develop for the other 95% and wait for the remaining holdouts to install Windows on their Macs?" Others Slashdotters were reassuring. "The ability to boot Windows makes Mac hardware more relevant, not less. They will go from selling 4 million boxes a year to selling 8 or 10 million," wrote another. "Apple is betting that most of those people will use OS X more and more, and Windows less and less. After all, the Intel Macs come chock full of very nice software (iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, etc) which still has no equal in the Windows world." Gleeful Gamers Although some Mac-centric types said they have little use for PC software, there is at least one reason to celebrate, wrote the men's shopping blog Uncrate. "Our new iMac's game library just got a whole lot bigger." "I can now finally throw out my PC and play Fantasy Grounds on my new Mac mini. No hacks, no blessing of weird files and burning of mysterious CD's," said Michael Heilemann, a graphic designer in Copenhagen, on Binary Bonsai.