By SteveJack
“Apple Computer Inc., the maker of the Macintosh computer and iPod music device, on Wednesday rolled out [Boot Camp, software designed] to run Microsoft’s dominant Windows operating system on its [Macintosh] PCs, a move that could draw millions of new buyers,” Reuters reported today. “By enabling the move to Windows, the world’s No. 1 operating system, Apple hopes to draw people who want Macs, considered by many as easier to use and more stylish, but prefer the Windows operating system.”
The Reuters quote above is typical. People who’ve never used a Mac are about to get a wonderful and shocking awakening. Nobody “prefers” using Windows outside of the Ballmer household – and that’s because the Ballmers are brainwashed. I’m not targeting Reuters here, I’m using their quote as an example of a mindset held by many, many people.
People who have never or hardly used a modern Macintosh have no idea what they’re missing. Because their idea of a “personal computer” is a mediocre Windows box that causes frustration and fails to inspire, these Windows-only PC users cannot figure out why people buy and use and extol Macs. Loving their computer is such a foreign idea to them that they are forced to jump through mental hoops to explain it all away. Mac users are “fanatics,” “cultists,” and worse. Anything, but the real reason, for that would mean they made the wrong choice: Macintosh is better than Windows.
Now, millions of people in the market for a new PC have a new choice: buy a Dell or HP or Sony or anybody else’s PC that only runs Windows or buy an Apple PC that runs both Mac OS X and Windows. Why would anybody in their right mind buy anything but an Apple Mac?
Millions of Windows-only users will now get to see for themselves what they’ve been missing. We all know what happens when people really try a Mac. They want to use the Mac and they dislike using Windows more and more. Eventually, they figure out ways to use Windows as little as possible or stop using it altogether.
As Mac market share gains come, and they will come, software developers will notice; so will Wall Street.
Today, Apple dropped a hydrogen bomb on the Windows hegemony. Nothing will ever be the same. Immediately affected will be the box assemblers like Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba, Lenovo, etc. Eventually, Microsoft itself will feel the pain as people naturally gravitate to booting into Mac OS X and realizing that Windows is dreck and they can do without it. Today, Apple changed the world, yet again. Hang on, it’s going to be a wild ride!
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.
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Related articles:
Reuters: Apple’s new ‘Boot Camp’ could draw millions of new Mac buyers – April 05, 2006
Apple shares surge over 6-percent in early trading on ‘Boot Camp’ news – April 05, 2006
Apple introduces Boot Camp: public beta software enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows XP – April 05, 2006
