Vista Delay, WinXP on Macintel Gives Apple an Edge in 2006

What a surprise this week that we all find out Windows Vista has been delayed yet again. First it was scheduled for 2005, then 2006, and now it won't be out until January 2007 (or will it?).

PC manufacturers are extremely disappointed with Microsoft - and for good reason - as the release of Vista before the holidays was expected to drive PC sales in 2006.

Just a few months ago, the only option for those awaiting the new release of Windows was to wait - or run Linux beside the existing Windows installation if they wanted a more up-to-date operating system.

Of course, one could have bought a Mac as well as a PC, but for many it's tough to justify the purchase of two computers and all the software to go with them.

That all changed this past week. Now Windows can run on any of the Intel Macs with a few modifications to the installation files. After 22 years of complete separation, it's now possible to run Windows natively on a Macintosh without emulation software or any additional hardware (remember the Quadra 610 DOS Compatible?).

With a 2 GHz Core Duo processor, the iMacs can handle Windows XP perfectly, just like they do the Mac OS. That's right, you can run Windows XP and OS X on the same machine without having to uninstall one operating system before using the other.

Apple has said in the past that they would not prevent anyone running Windows on the Intel Macs, and hopefully they will stick to that statement. Allowing Windows to run on these machines benefits Microsoft, Apple, and Windows users.

Microsoft will be licensing more copies of Windows, and Apple will be selling more computers to those who'd like a change from their Windows PCs but aren't ready to give up Windows entirely.

Vista or OS X?

Unfortunately for Microsoft, the whole Vista situation might just swing the balance of favor over to Apple. Vista is purported to have relatively high system requirements - in fact, it most likely won't run on the majority of PCs in use today without some significant RAM and video card upgrades.

This means that many people will have to buy a new computer for Vista. Many of them were holding off a computer purchases until Vista - and now that it's not going to be out until 2007, they may reconsider.

If they have a machine that's already four or five years old, it may be difficult to wait another three months to replace it - and if they do wait three months, what happens if Vista is delayed yet again?

Add into that the fact that the Mac has fewer viruses and much less spyware (none in the wild in either category), as well as more features than many competing PCs (Front Row and a built in webcam in the case of the iMac and MacBook Pro). Then factor in the newly enabled Windows capability of the Intel Macs, and which computer are these people likely to be buying?

No, not the Dell.

Apple's Advantage

This also gives Apple an advantage in the laptop market, too. Not only is the MacBook Pro a great laptop in general, it's also a great laptop that can run OS X and now Windows as well. Perhaps businesses won't be convinced to adopt MacBooks for the office (especially given how new and unproven running Windows is on it) , but it could certainly convince those who may depend on one or two Windows applications for work, yet would like the security and usability of the Mac for email and the Internet.

How practical is all this? To install Windows on a Mac, one needs to make a modified version of the Windows install CD. This is fine if you're familiar with the files on the disc, but for a casual user of both platforms, it may be too much of a challenge.

Of course Microsoft has the option to actually release a version of Windows specifically made for the Mac - sort of as a replacement for Virtual PC - and this might go over well with the public.

Given that Vista's been delayed so much, I somehow doubt that will happen in a very timely fashion. Regardless, it's a distinct possibility that more people will be buying Macs once they realize that Windows can run natively on them.

While the delay of Vista may not improve PC sales, it just may help the Mac.