It's Official: Intel Macs Running Windows

Very sweet....now I just need to get an intel mac: for the first time in history linux, os x, and windows can run on the same computer without emulation

I think getting mac to run on a PC would be of more value. I can get or build a PC with better specs than a Mac for quite a bit less. I think it is time for Apple to open up. They should make their OS available for all.

""I can get or build a PC with better specs than a Mac for quite a bit less.""
What are you on? Less money maybe, but better specs?? Not even remotely possible.

Why would you want to run Linux and OS X at the same time? What's the point?

I don't see the point. Macs don't run games, their hardware can't touch a PC gaming machine. Macs make for good buisness machines but when is comes to gaming nothing is better then a PC.

Hey Nemo! Have you checked out the benchmarks lately? Yeah, intel is around 30% LESS than an AMD FX60. Maybe that isn't "better specs", but it is certainly something I want!

Nemo: You can certaintly build a PC with better specs for less money than a Mac. Macs may be good, but they expensive, even a similarly configured system. My $1,300 Dell XPS 400 runs Doom 3 at highest setting. Show me a Mac that can do that (or something equal) for $1,300.

Macs are not even close to the effeciency standard accomplished by OEM Windows machines....not even close!

Why on Earth would one want to run Windows on Macs?? Maybe the efforts should concentrate the other way: run OSX on PCs.

andi: I would never touch a mac in the past, BECAUSE they didn't run Windows. Mac OS may be great, but I use Windows. Always have, and will continue to. I have no desire to learn a new OS. Plus, Windows is the standard for anything business, so again I NEED Windows. But now that you can get Windows on a Mac.....I would consider it. If they can get the prices down to PC-levels, then i'll really be interested.

Ladiesman: I agree with you that Windows tends to be the standard. Hardware-wise, I don't think Apple has too much of an advantage. And, I won't argue that OSX has fewer vulnerabilities (I don't want to open a can of worms). BUT, the least that MS could do in order for Windows to reach OSX's level is to get rid of BIOS once and for all and implement EFI in the 32-bit Vista.

I worked on the Widows platform for years, finally bought a Mac mini from a friend who upgraded. It is very intuative in what is the next movement for my keystrokes. Seems like Mac is the Sony while XP PC's are Panasonic for any intuative button pushing.

XP on macs = cool. now, would a .net member please try to port the vista beta to a mac? and ladiesman enough with the nubtalk. no one cares about your cheap dell. alienware is one of the best for gaming pc's, so is the xPaq.

Jeffrey: Oh, I won't argue that alienware's are great for gaming (except stupidly overpriced). I only bought my Dell because it was the least expensive thing out there for what I wanted. Beleive me, I have no particular love for Dell. It happened to be cheap.

But I wasn't wanking about my Dell, more just saying that Macs...like Alienware's....are stupidly overpriced for what you get.

you can run OSX on a PC now but its illegal. Windows on a mac is not

For those of you who think that Macs are stupidly over priced for what you get check out system shootouts web site.
If you think that is a wee bit too much to pay for being virus free - no root_user (or you believe in the 'smaller market share myth' after 5 virus and hack free years) and just generally secure out of the box and somewhat slower when it comes to gaming - get a cheap Dell - then that is your choice.

Umm, macs have not been 'virus and hack free'....ever. The very day Panther was released, a hack was posted. Tiger is having a hell of time as well.

I'm not saying I don't like Mac OS. I use OSX at work and am quite enjoying it. But get over the illusion that Mac OS is indestructible or unexploitable.

Blah Blah Blah people. This old debate will never be resolved. Industries, Institutions and Individuals are all entitled to their preference. What's important is that the Berlin Wall of the home computing market is beginning to crumble.

I admin a network with *nix, Win, and Mac systems. I am thankful that sometime in the near future, I will be able spec out comparable x86 machines, and work with a simplified parts inventory.

It is quite interesting reading all posts about what I can install on an intel mac. Installing windows xp on a mac is the dumbest thing you can do. First, it would be the most expensive pc (performance/cost wise). Second intel duo processor is a 32 bit processor, an ibm cpu based g5 is a 64 bit processor so falling in love with a cute desktop is another stupidity for choosing an intel based mac for doing anything on a computer, because apple went backwards by choosing intel duo for their next line of macs. Wake up people! get yourself together and think wisely. AMD has 64 bit processors that can outperform any intel cpu. 64 bit processing is the future. Oh by the way, owners of 64 bit power pc macs, don't buy a intel based based mac and assume that you are upgrading.

I for one am glad that in the near future I'll be able to travel with one laptop. The digital sound processors and real time analyzers that I use in my pro audio installations all use XP apps, so I need to have a PC unless I want to put up with running Virtual PC on a Mac . I've had Macs and PCs since the MS DOS days, I always go to my Macs unless I'm forced to use a PC. The Macs cost more, but I'm so much more productive that it easily covers my extra expense. Printing, networking, digital imaging, digital audio recording, desktop publishing, etc. I've tried everthing on both platforms, the Mac is plug and play, my PCs eventually work, but it's almost always a challenge to plug in a new printer or set up a new network, etc. and the time wasted ticks me off. If your time isn't worth much, I guess the cheaper machines are fine, but I only have one life and I don't want to waste it. If I was into gaming I might think different, but I prefer drive my track car at Laguna Seca instead of pretending to do it on a computer. The best tool for the job is the best tool, not the cheapest. I'm glad I stuck with the Mac during the days when everyone said they were dead.

Enlighten Yourself- 32 bit or 64 bit, what makes a difference is the bottom line: performance. Compare the benchmarks and you'll see the Core Duos outperform comparable G4 AND G5 macs (with the exception of the quad processor), and you NEVER would have seen a G5 laptop so there is no comparison there.

I think Apple should have used AMD, as well, but it seems they had a long-standing deal with Intel from the beginning.

man, some of these posts are funny..reading posts left by Windoze users -- literally all sound alike....I am gamer inneed of a PC for games, I use it for business, i.e. cashier @ gaming store, where Windows games are sold and on top of that the biggest to date, "I'm too cheap"....These clueless folks are missing what the Mac expierence is truly about, it's about tight quality control that is given to both the OS and Hardware -- now, I can't say the same for Dell, Sony, etc -- all they have control over is... you weak, game playing mind. The rest of us, who use it for hardcore creativity work -- Movies, Music, Graphic Art, Compositing, 2D and 3D effects, will continue to use Mac's. We'll let the rest of the "business" world flicker around with PC's.

Thanks for reading. Now let me go play with my Playstation 3 prototype.

yoyoyo- 32 or 64 bit what makes a difference? first of all 32 bit os ten has been re-compiled for intel based macs. It is not the same operating system. Second, you cannot upgrade the memory of an intel based mac over 4gb. Simply because it is the physical limit a 32 bit operating system and cpu. Remember g5 macs with 8gb memory? Ask your mac guy at the store to see if he can help you to upgrade your intel based mac to 8gb. What good is a system that is slightly faster than a g5 but only capable of doing limited things. On top of that, Intel rushed out intel duo processors without testing them thoroughly. It is full of serious bugs. I can't post a link here but just help yourself and type " intel duo bugs " and let me know if you find more than 36 bugs.

What's the point of buying a mac and putting windows xp on it? Are people nuts??? People forget the elegance of the Apple system. That why Apple doesn't sell it's OS to put on any machine. Their engineers test everything out both the OS and Hardware. Windows can be put on most any Intel machine but there are always conflicts and drivers issues. It's really mindless as if you put a Ford Pinto engine into a Porche and expect the same performance. Okay, it's been done, Whooope! Now you got the same crappy, corrupted piece of junk you could have bought from Dell, HP or Gateway with XP.

Why run XP on a Mac? Jason Snell, a long-time member of the MacWorld staff puts it this way: "Mac users are Mac users because they love the Mac. But some of us, from time to time, need to run Windows ? usually for a small collection of programs that aren?t Mac compatible. For anyone who has the need to boot into Windows from time to time, this is great news ? because it means that we can stop buying PCs altogether, and just keep an extra partition handy on our Macs."

It looks like whenever it comes down to facts like "what happened to 64 bit g5 downgraded to a bug ridden 32 bit intel duo? or why on earth a 64 bit unix based operating system would be re-compiled in order to run a 32 bit cpu?" Mac users are burying their heads to the sand and euphoric with the feel and the look of their cute computer while talking about things that are so laughable that is pretty hard to even make myself concentrate on writing this blog. It obvious that a mac user should sepearate himself/herself from emotional attachments to their computers and look at the big picture.

Here is an excerpt from wikipedia
"The original Macintosh operating system underwent many major revisions. However, the final version, Mac OS 9.2.2, still lacked many modern operating system features. In 2001, Apple introduced the new BSD Unix-based Mac OS X, featuring improved stability, multitasking and multi-user capability, while supporting older "Classic" applications by providing a "Classic" compatibility layer.
Here is the conclusion dear mac users:

Macintosh is now stable because its core has the father of all operating systems called "UNIX" which is originally run on PCs. Let me repeat "PCs". Steve Jobs is selling you a computer with an operating system that is being currently run on PCs with a cute interface. I definetely am not a windows pc fan or mac hater but like to talk about the facts just the facts. And don't forget.. when you praise mac about it's reliability and throw rocks at pc users you are making PC user's day by confirming the saying "ignorance is bliss"

oh by the way think what operating systems they mean in the excerpt:

" However, the final version, Mac OS 9.2.2, still lacked many modern operating system features. "

waa waa waa PC users. Hows Mr. Dell Doing who once was quoted saying that he would close apple and return the money to his shareholders.. then make his big change to suggesting that he would love to sell OSX as an option on his useless machines. The PC maker market is probably shaking in their boots. They might actually have to make good hardware now.. which in effect will raise the price of their boxes. Are PC users mad.. who cares.. but their all gonna be forced into dealing with the reality that you get what you pay for. "The best tool for the job is the best tool, not the cheapest." << words of a wise man.

"Unix originally runs on PCs?!!!!"

Enlighten Yourself wrote:
"Steve Jobs is selling you a computer with an operating system that is being currently run on PCs with a cute interface. I definetely am not a windows pc fan or mac hater but like to talk about the facts just the facts."

Enlighten, you should get your facts straight before making such a statement.

i don't care how bad or worse than a pc an apple computer is. Mac is prettier, is simpler, 'out of the box' - for dumb people (to quote a friend) or for bussy people; i got busy i the past 6-7 years being nothing else but a pc engineer. whereas I was supposed to create something, not maintain a machine;it's time to forget about the zillions of possible configurations when it comes to getting together a workstation ~ intended to produce, provide entertainment tools and so on. At work, okay, pc. At home, where i decide whatnot? Mac.

OK. I think this is what we all want:

A computer that will run all the software we want, be it made for Mac, PC or Linux. A solid machine, Mac quality, PC price. At startup, a window appears: Please select your OS. Three choices, PC, Mac, Linux. Or two choices, or just one it doesn't matter. Easily customizable, easy to upgrade software and hardware.

One of the biggest problems I have with changing to a Mac (Running XP Media Center) is I love the PC software I already have. Why can't software companies get to the chase and make programs to run on ALL systems? Just have multiple drivers, and on instillation, you select the correct one. I don't have money to fork over for all new software to switch.

The best of ALL worlds.