Apple Patent Reveals Plans For OS War?

A recent patent filed by Apple will enable owners of Intel-based Macs to load Mac OS X, Windows or Linux as their primary operating system and then indicate which of the three theyid prefer as their secondary OS. The Inquireris Nick Farrell on Wednesday reported the news, which was revealed on the Architosh Web site.

The Architosh article features a link to the patent itself and speculates that while Apple CEO Steve Jobs has dismissed talk of Macintosh market share in the past, he could now be gearing up to attack Windows head-on when the new Intel Macs debut next year.

The article also notes: "This patent seems to indicate a way the company will prevent Mac OS X from being installed on other hardware, while simultaneously dealing with multi-OS startup and the use of Virtual Machines on future Mac OS X systems."