Why does it chap my cheese so bad that there are rumors of Windoze XP for the Mac? I mean, I’ve been around Apple long enough to know how these rumors flourish so I shouldn’t be bothered by it. But man, it is bugging me bad this time.

I guess it all started a few weeks back when I started asking myself “Is Apple a hardware stock?” and just came to fruition with the latest rumors. See, I’ve determined that Apple is not a hardware stock since they don’t just make hardware. They have to class to make a good looking machine and an OS like OS X that look great and work seamlessly together. So when rumors of XP on the Mac come up I guess I get defensive. To me it borders on the old Apple clone issues. Apple didn’t just make an OS they made the machines to run it too. Same issue, other side of the coin.

Okay, that and the fact that it is Windows trying to move in on Mac hardware. I’ve always felt a bit uneasy about Linux for Macs but never let it get under my skin like this. I guess I see Linux as our brother-in-arms or something.

If, and it is indeed a very HUGE “if”, Microsoft is really trying to port XP to the Mac, we can only wonder how Apple will respond. Or, can they? Or would they need to? I mean, they’re going to ship Macs with OS X installed anyway so if some poor, misguided, foolish, zombified, hapless Mac owner actually wanted to install XP on purpose on their machine, Apple can’t really do much about it now can they? Heck, I could write my own OS and run it on an Apple machine and, Reality Distortion Field not withstanding, Apple’s trained, leashed Pit Bull of a legal team really couldn’t slap a Cease and Desist order on me. Though it’d be cool if they tried any way.

But imagine a world where Windoze XP ran on Macintosh computers. How many poor iMacs would be subjected to violence when applications began locking up more often than they do now? How many Pro Mice would be needlessly slammed on desktops when users are forced to use Windows Media Player? Worse yet, can you picture Apple users playing Winmine? Burr, it sends a cold shiver up my spine.

First, I doubt that M$ would port to the Mac hardware. People buy Macs to run Mac software, by and large. I can’t see there being a large market for it, though I’ve been wrong before.

Second, I don’t think there is anything Apple could do to stop M$ from making software for the Mac. I mean, they do make Office for the Mac, right? Now, I don’t think that Apple would provide XP as an out-of-the-box solution. If, however, someone bought a Mac, erased the drive, and installed XP or LinuxPPC or Darwin or YellowDog Linux, I don’t see what Apple could do. If someone came out with a competitor to iTunes for the Mac, I don’t see what Apple could legally do to kill it.

Third, I thought M$‘s contract with Intel meant that they couldn’t port to a chip architecture without Intel’s blessing. Did I read that somewhere, or is it all of those nights drinking beer ‘at altitude’ kicking in again?

Windows XP running on a Mac would be interesting.

Tech Support Conversation:

Joe: “Hey Brad, I need help with my Mac.”
Brad: “What’s wrong, Joe?”
Joe: “Things just all went to hell.  Everything is wrong!”
Brad: “So, what machine do you have?”
Joe:  “One of them new iMac DVSE flat panel machines.”
Brad:  “Really?  That’s cool.  I love those things.  So what OS version are you running?”
Joe: “Windows Mac XP 2 Service Pack 27.”
Brad:  “So let me get this straight.  You own a Mac and your not running the Mac OS?”
Joe:  “No, I have a Mac.  Why do you ask?”
Brad:  “But you’re running Windows!!!!”
Joe:  “But it has the name Mac in the title!”
Brad:  “Sorry, can’t help you.  If you want my help you’ll have to put the Mac OS back on your Mac.”

Best regards,
Brad

Just to be clear, I don’t believe the rumors either. It just bugs me when things like this come up. Like running Windows on a Mac is a good thing!

Please, continue taunting the idea, I’m loving it.

Ummmm…I’m sure you guys already know this, but there is already a very simple way of running Windows on your Mac…

Virtual PC

...which, according to the demo at MWNY, will also be able to run Windows XP on top of Mac OS X…so there’s your double-X rating right there )

—BlueDjinn

Wow, those are some zany rumors.  Can you imagine MS going to the effort for porting XP to the PowerPC platform?

Mind you, it would probably benefit Apple’s hardware sales.  As much grief as the Wintel world often gives Apple’s industrial design, you know they all wish they could have machines that look as cool.  Can you imagine the jump in sales for the iBook and TiBook?

That said, this is the silliest rumor I have heard since X for Intel. 

Where did you hear it Ahnyer?  This is the first I have heard about it.

On 2001-08-16 00:26, Bryan wrote:
That said, this is the silliest rumor I have heard since X for Intel. 

Where did you hear it Ahnyer?  This is the first I have heard about it.

I read about it over at As the Apple Turns . What’s funny is that over there Jack ridiculed the idea just like you and even compared it to OS X on Intel . Like I said, I don’t believe it either but the notion ticks me off.

I doubt it could (or should) happen. It would be like the Star Trek program of years ago. (System 7 on x86)
It just wouldn’t be feasible. If MS were to get XP running on the PowerPC platform, there would be *no* software. Programs already written for Windows are based on the x86 architecture, and would have to be re-written to run on XP Mac. Mac programs wouldn’t work either.
It just wouldn’t work. Unless MS were to do something innovative like an emulation layer, but come on, this is Microsoft we are talking about.

I think we’d sooner see OS X running on an Intel box before we see XP on a Mac. Gates loves Macs, but not that much.

See, the reason Gates loves Macs is that he can sit back at his leisure and look at all of the hard work Apple programmers have put into OS X and other Mac apps. It gives him something to copy.

Besides, MS has bigger fish to fry.