15
06
2007
Is Jobs planning a hostile takeover of the Windows desktop? | ZDNet.com
Posted by: Alan in TechnologyIs Jobs planning a hostile takeover of the Windows desktop? | Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report | ZDNet.com
I mentioned this in the comments for the article on Safari for Windows. I found this editorial pretty interesting. Certainly, with the success of boot camp, the prospect of Apple marketing dual-boot machines makes a lot of sense.
However, for myself, I’m not sure I’d see the point in rebooting into a version of Windows where all the Mac applications I was just using are the defaults. But as long as the Windows equivalents were still there and could be used, fair enough.
I think I’ll stick to XP and Ubuntu for now though. I don’t have anything particularly against Apple software. I just can’t afford it 
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Well, if anyone wants evidence that apple are as evil, if not more (Just less able) than Microsoft its here. I can however provide a simple reason why someone wouldn’t buy a Macbook with pre-installed Windows compared to an off the shelf PC.
Cost
You’re going to pay a huge markup to get an apple brand name system, with this exteranious 11th toe OS in it (Because I still believe apple are to damned stubbourn to ditch OSX compeltely) when you could buy a full PC system, also with windows, for less, and be able to upgrade it as you please without Apple dictatiing what hardware you must buy.
When Boot Camp first launched I heard a lot of apple folks dissapointed, because MS was the enemy, and this woudl be the nail in the coffin for software (such as games) to be produced for OSX. now apple’s marketing is very much against “the PC”, to teh extent that one of the PC/Mac ads has them both boasting to be able to run MS office. So, Bill gates wins regardless as he sells a copy of windows no matter what.
I also remember people commenting taht their games ran fine on their macs. True, now. But any gamer knows that with each new game, new hardware must be purchased. Roughly to the tune of around £100 a year give or take on upgrading Memory, or CPU, or graphics card, and so on. So, in 4 years, where the PC ser has replaced say 4 components, at a cost for aroudn £400, the apple user will most likely need a new machine, and it being a Mac, that will be aroudn £1000.
Incidentally this is why you rarely see apple machines in CAD offices, because AutoCAD Full edition can do some really spiffy graphic things the machines often need to be of a really good spec.
Plus, apple smell
But the argument here, was that a lot of Mac Users are starting to use bootcamp to dualboot OSX and XP/Vista. So I read it, as this was the market being directly targetted.
Currently to dual-boot, you’ve got the initial expense of the Mac, plus you have to pay full retail for your copy of Windows. This way, the Macs would come with an OEM version of Windows, so it would work out cheaper for those looking to dual-boot.
Plus it lets Mac develop their own Apple-branded version of Windows.
There’s no denying that Macs are targetting the casual PC users at the moment with their “does everything with no faffing about” advertising. This would just be another step in that direction, whereby they could sell Macs that could do *everything* the shop-bought PC could (in software terms at least).
Although, at the end of the day, the gulf between PC sales and Mac sales is so great, I don’t think Bill Gates is panicking too much
I can’t see him panicking at all, pre installed or bought as an addition he’s now selling a copy of Windows with every Apple Mac as well as with every PC. Panicked, he’s building a new wing on his personal space station.
And to teh apple zealots, so PCs are evil? or is AMD evil or intel? Becuase you’re now as much in bed with gates as any PC user who isn’t exclusively using Linux.
Pretty much. The whole PC vs Mac thing has always come down to Apple vs Microsoft (as nicely evident by the recent ads). If Apple start shipping with Windows, then an obvious comeback would be “If you’re so much better, then why is it preinstalled?”
As a rule of thumb, I’ve often felt that Windows doesn’t get the credit its due. Its maybe not the best option out there, but there’s still a lot of things it does well.