Apple officially supports dual-booting between Mac OS X and Windows XP

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The second shoe has dropped. Apple dropped the first one when it moved from the Power PC to Intel. Now it is providing a way for users to run either Mac software or Windows XP on the same platform. And if the tool, known as Boot Camp, is as easy as all the other software Apple produces, then it means anyone can buy an Intel Mac and run Windows XP on it.

This helps Apple in two key ways:
  1. Apple can boost the sale of its Macs, especially to business.
  2. Apple can introduce a lot more people to Mac OS X. The real (business) work can get done in the safe environment of Windows XP. Then users can reboot into OS X and experience what an alternative, quality OS can provide.
And I'll tell you what else it will do. It will put a hurt on Linux. A lot of folks want what Linux provides without the political drama of the GPL. They also want an alternative OS like Linux that works on leading-edge hardware with all the drivers and hardware working out-of-the-box. The days of trying to do what I'm doing with the Gateway M685 are numbered. Either Apple is going to make Linux workstations on Intel irrelevant because Apple provides a superior Unix experience, or else major Linux players such as Redhat and Novell are going to have to tighten quality and support, especially during a Linux installation.

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