Most analysts seem to be pushing the idea that Apple Computers have introduced Boot Camp to help gain market share and indeed it will. However I beleive that the main reason for Boot Camp may be to fend off competition and an outcome of this will be to gain market share. Let me explain.
When Apple introduced the Intel based Macs, to developers, there seemed to be a flurry of work involving trying to get OSX to run on standard Intel based PC's by code hackers. This very much threatened Apple's sales with the possibility that people could buy standard Intel based PC's and either buy a copy of OSX or even download a pre-hacked version and shoehorn it into their equipment.
Now Apple has not been completely oblivious to this threat and its Boot Camp software in my opinion is a way to reverse the tables on this threat. It will probably work too as most people will probably see it as having the best of both worlds and sticking it to Microsoft. Of course Microsoft won't care at all that more people will end up going out and buy their software.
Edit: If you like this post please feel free to digg it….
Once upon a time ago, I used to develop software for the NeXTStep OS, which is the basis of OSX. We used Intel-based workstations at that time and not the original NeXT boxes.
I think that Apple releasing BootCamp is their attempt on deflecting the fact that OSX can be bootstrapped on run on a normal PC. Now that I would love to see.
Comment by superwayne — April 8, 2006 @ 12:02 pm
Really? Wow that is fascinating.
Tell us more please. Link to a blog or site if you have one.
If you are allowed to that is. Blasted NDA’s can get people in trouble sometimes.
Comment by codenexus — April 8, 2006 @ 1:31 pm
The main problem is Adobe. there’s no chance of CS2 being ready before the next powermacs are out. The only way that apple can work around this is allowing access via Windowes XP. Adobe is potentially screwing things up big style for apple
Comment by chris mitchell — April 8, 2006 @ 1:54 pm
I prefer John Gruber’s idea on Daring Fireball – Windows: The New Classic to explain Apple’s tactics. And this from Gavin Shearer, The First Boot in which he opines “it’s all about Toshiba and Sony. This is most emphatically not about Apple vs. Microsoft – instead, this is about Apple taking a nice, big slice of the high-end Windows PC market to double their share. If I’m Sony, and I sell high-end Vaio laptops, Boot Camp is Steve Jobs’ way of telling me that my customers are now in play. (Frankly, skywriting it would have been more subtle.) After all, Apple makes the tastiest hardware in the computer business and it’s priced competitively with other quality PC brands. So if I’m a consumer, and I see a Sony laptop for $2000 that runs Windows alongside an Apple laptop for $2000 that runs Windows and Mac OS X, well, which is the better value? The Mac is. No question. It’s the no-compromise choice. In one fell swoop, Apple has just captured all of the value of its rival PC makers, while continuing to provide the same great stuff (iLife, OS X) that comes with their own machines.
If I were Sony, or Toshiba, or HP, I’d be freaking out right now.”
Comment by Tony — April 8, 2006 @ 5:54 pm
I partly agree to what you say but a more plausible explaination would be the one offered by Tony in the comments section.
Comment by Anshul — April 9, 2006 @ 3:14 am
Apple is a hardware company. Prior to BootCamp they were targeting 2% – 5% of the PC market. Now they are targeting a much higher percentage of the market, basically anyone looking for a high end PC. I can’t see any way that this would mean apple will sell less PC’s, only, more, and for a hardware company, thats a good thing. Plus after 3 months when Windows is a spyware and virus nightmare, OS X will still be running beautifully. Im feeling pretty good about my shares in apple right now.
Comment by Ryan — April 9, 2006 @ 7:40 am
I posted about how Apple would gain hardware market penetration by doing this, way back in March when the machines were first announced.
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?p=1820101#post1820101
Comment by asanwal — April 9, 2006 @ 5:38 pm