MacBook Pros in High Demand, Increased Mac Market Share?

[manu chao]

Um. No. I work at a place in which IT only allows windows machines. I cannot use my mac at work as a result. If I had a Macintel that could run windows - and it has to be Windows 2000 - they would let me set it up.

What is the point of using a Mac if you have to run Windows on it?

 

[jaydub]

While I haven't decided to purchase an MBP, the possibility of running windows is an attractive "feature" because I use some programs which do not have a Mac counterpart. Now, for someone like me who doesn't do gaming, it'd be a great to just be able to run a few windows programs.

I've been out of the apple scene for ages though, so I don't even know the answer to this -- but can Apples see networked NTFS drives?

 

[Electro Funk]

I think some people are missing the point. In the real world those of us that love OS X still have to deal with clients and colleagues that run Windows applications. There are a lot of enterprises out there that have standardized on IE as their web browser and the entire Office suite + Project and Visio. The latter two apps in particular force the use of windows.

I don't believe there is a big demand for dual booting Windows on a mac. What I believe most people want is the ability to run a windows app as a window in OS X with the ability to copy and paste between those apps and their true OS X apps. Microsoft Office for OS X with Entourage provides 90% of the compatibility that is required in many companies.

What we need is a solution that virtualizes Windows inside OS X on the Intel platform, utilizing the underlying intel hardware to turbo charge the virtualization whereever possible. This will allow us to stay in OS X for 98% of what we do and run a virtualized windows applicaiton for the few things that absolutely require windows.

i could not have said it better... it's not that we want to buy a mac and use windows apps on it... it is that we have to run some windows only apps on a daily basis for work and we dont like WINDOWS! i have owned a pbg4 for the last five years... i also have an imac core duo, and the list goes on... the fact that i own all these macs does not change the fact that i work in the networking industry and there are some apps i have to run on a daily basis that just will not run under osx... what am i to do??? well right now the answer is a dell latitude provided by my company (thank god i didnt have to drop the cheese for it)...

It would be soooooo nice to be able to get rid of this dell and start carrying my new macbook pro with me everyday!

 

[mark88]

If you let Windows people dual boot, then it really is a contest between operating systems.

It's NOT!

People who buy Macs and end up installing Windows will do so because they want a Mac, but HAVE TO or WANT TO use Windows for one reason or another.

There aren't going to be masses of people buying Intel macs just because you can install both OS X and Windows on them. For one thing, they are very very expensive.

 

[Chef Medeski]

😱 44 odd percent of college students! Crikey that would be rather impressive. Though I'm equally pressed by the 27% figure of college students! Well the sky's the limit I guess.

[sarcasm]Probably next year Microsoft will be saying it would be nice to have a 10% market share![/sarcasm]

Yeah, but how many college students honesty can either afford a Mac let alone a brand new Intel Mac?

I bet if you asked, 99% would say they want a ferrari, doesn't mean much.

 

[jaydub]

Yeah, but how many college students honesty can either afford a Mac let alone a brand new Intel Mac?

I bet if you asked, 99% would say they want a ferrari, doesn't mean much.

Working in a University, you'd be surprised how much money students have for school, whether by way of student loans or grants. Most of them know that having a relatively new computer is a necessity so they plan accordingly.

 

[lorien]

i would use windows to play some older games such as Icewind Dale 2 and Baldurs Gate 2 among some of my other RPG games i already own for windows.

Yeah totally, I'd use windoze to play games, thats all though. 😎

 

[docpsycho]

2) The model has been out long enough for things like the 15" PowerBook FW800's screen problem to be ironed out.

Funny I still have not had any issues with my Pb as mentioned above. and use the (bleep0 out of it doing sound editing and the what not


My concern is there has been ZERO mention of unique identifier embedded in the processor and it can be traced back to you. Now, on ye ancient P3 systems is was actually designed to be turned off in BIOS. can it be turned off on the MPB & Iimac? or is big brother is watching you??

 

[rcha101]

wahoo! 10 % market share!

I know so many of my collegues that would get an apple if its able to run Windows.

As a switcher, I find this unbelievable. I am simply sick of Windows which is why I am selling my PC and purchasing a Macbook. Do people realise that they only need to be to open and edit the same file formats etc or run a mac version of the software they already use?

Cut the cord!

 

[dubnluvn]

Why would you want to run windows on a mac? Isnt that the whole point of switching? To get away from windows. People are totally missing the point of owning a mac in the first place. 🙄

I've been an Apple/Mac user since I was 6 (Man did I love Questron II on my IIgs). I've owned many many Macs. This last year, due to my job (which pays me money so I can buy Apple stuff like a shuffle for my daughter, 7, a nano for my wife, a 5G iPod for myself and so on) I HAD to buy a PC laptop. Believe me I was not happy about this prospect. I tried VPC which was frustratingly sluggish, and all I have to do is use some internet app that requires IE 5.5 with the Alternatiff plugin (unavailable for firefox, which I found that could bypass the IE requirement by using the user agent switcher). So roll your eyes, but when your passion and love for the Macintosh gets T-boned by the fact that your source of income dictates that must dirty your hands on the darkside, you will be looking for a solution to end the ennui you have found yourself in too!
Dual booting is not the most attractive solution but you can bet that as soon as it can be done, I'll be doing it and tossing the PC. I'm hoping WINE will be the way to go, running windows apps natively on the mac with no Windoze.

 

[dubnluvn]

It's NOT!
There aren't going to be masses of people buying Intel macs just because you can install both OS X and Windows on them. For one thing, they are very very expensive.

Since when is $1299 expensive for a computer let alone a Mac?

 

[pimentoLoaf]

VirtualPC ran slower on my 500mhz iBook a couple of years ago than an old DOS 386 system ran Windows 3.1; when I loaded it onto my 2003 17" pB it ran only a bit faster.

VPC on an IntelMac should obviously go like gangbusters, and may even survive the "acid test" = Unreal Tournament 2003/4 PC (or similiar) with no noticeable lag compared to actual PC's.

IF Microsoft can accomplish that, I could retire two machines, provided Apple brings out a 17" (or perhaps 20" ??) mBP.

 

[Fukui]

If OSX could run windows apps then companies would give up writing software for native OSX. We've seen this before with IBM OS2 - don't let history repeat itself.

Perhaps, but not necessarily.

Windows and OS/2 looked so similar that things like buttons, title bars, even fonts looks similar, so a windows app on OS/2 didn't make much difference. Contrast Windows with Aqua, and you see it becomes harder to sell windows apps to mac users in all but the most corporate/desparate markets...

Besides, even if true, isn't that what "dharma" is for?

 

[shen]

Yeah, but how many college students honesty can either afford a Mac let alone a brand new Intel Mac?

I bet if you asked, 99% would say they want a ferrari, doesn't mean much.

more than half the students in my philosophy classes use Macs. most of them bought new 12 and 15 inch powerbooks at the beginning of the year. or rather their parents bought them. don't underestimate the buying power of a student who can make a case for needing something for their education.....

 

[jaydub]

more than half the students in my philosophy classes use Macs. most of them bought new 12 and 15 inch powerbooks at the beginning of the year. or rather their parents bought them. don't underestimate the buying power of a student who can make a case for needing something for their education.....

precisely! I'm rather jealous of this guy in my Accounting class who comes with his 12" powerbook. 🙁

 

[JLatte]

I love mac, and I love OSX. Unfortunately, I'm a college student that is majoring in computer science. The only reason I need a PC is for running any .net framework such as C++, C# or Java. While it is somewhat possible to run C programs, and Java in XCode, I'm required to use .net. I *tried* running the editor in VPC, and that was absolutely horrendous with a 1GHZ G4 Powerbook with 1.25 ram. The day Microsoft creates a .net framework compatible with OSX (haha) is the day I can completely 100% use Mac only. Unfortunately it looks like I'll be looking at using dual boot when Vista comes out for my programming purposes. Absolutely everything else is Mac though.

 

[reyesmac]

Windows for Macbooks is good.

Apple would have a possible convert from it and they can still charge the same price as any other Macbook. Of course, it would not come with Windows or be supported by Apple if it ran windows. I see nothing at all wrong with this. If Apple wants to make money off hardware, this is a way to do it. More people would try the Mac this way than ever would any other way.

 

[lord patton]

I bet right now, in Cupertino, there exists a program that will run Windows apps on Intel Macs very, very, well.

and I bet Apple will release it as soon as Adobe CS and MS Office are Universal Binaries.

 

[iQuit]

Having Windows support wouldn't be a good idea for the Mac, think of the viruses and all the problems that would lie ahead. To make money and to not piss of Mac people they should have it as an option pre-loaded with a dual-boot OS.

 

[atomwork]

I recently received my macbook from apple ( 2 days ago ) I used it for 30 minutes and it got so hot that it's not even useable. Maybe people that live in Canada ( Where it is cold ) won't notice it, but I live in Florida. I am also scared that my kids can get burned if they touch it.
The bottom is super hot, as is the left front where you would rest your hand while typing. I called Apple to return it and they told me that I selected the faster hardrive, in being so they wont return it.

I know other people are saying the same thing about the heat issue. Apple does not disclose this on the website in any obvious place. In my users manual that came with the MBP, it says the machine may get "Warm" with extended use. That is a total understatement! My MBP get's "Hot" almost right away. Also, I am a registered Apple Developer and work as a Linux Sys Admin. I am well aware of how much heat is acceptable. I have a feeling that Apple is going to have major problems with this in the near future..

Listed below is all my Apple hardware, so please don't think I don't know my Mac's. I am a mac lover! However, the macbook pro is unacceptable.

I have give Apple a formal request for a return/refund. If they don't I am wiling to investigate a Class Action Lawsuit, since I am not the only one complaining about this.

MBPRO 15/2.0 CTO
2.0GHz Intel Core Duo/256MB
1GB 667 DDR2- 1 SO-DIMM
100GB Serial ATA Drive@7200rpm
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
BkLit Keyboard/Mac OS
Airport Extreme Card&BT

Also,
I have a PowerMac G5 dual 2.0, 2GB ram
Mac Mini 1.5 PPC running OpenBSD
PowerBook 12"

Not even closely true. I cannot confirm this. There is a clear difference between getting warm and hot! I live in Florida with a kid too.

Seems you MBP is damaged or you have a unique sense of heat feeling.

BTW: i would be more afraid of having my daughter break the book😉

Dave

 

[Eric5h5]

VPC on an IntelMac should obviously go like gangbusters, and may even survive the "acid test" = Unreal Tournament 2003/4 PC (or similiar) with no noticeable lag compared to actual PC's.

That would only work if VPC gets 3D hardware acceleration, which is unlikely. Even VPC on Windows doesn't have 3D acceleration. It's not a trivial feature to implement, for reasons discussed in other topics; you can probably search for it if you're interested.

--Eric

 

[Cheese]

SOOOO, Everyone seems to think that the MBP is going to be the cure for all that ails them? Once you truly go Mac, you should never look back. There is nothing more gratifying than to know that the rest of the world is languishing in the muck of Micro$uck and all of it's widely felt shortcomings, while you can easily answer them with, "I have not needed any 3rd party apps, my computer does NOT lock up, get viruses, worms, or seem to be affected by malware. What I like best is that it just works, which makes it much easier for me to do my work. I would rather have 5 apps that work properly, predictably, and reliably, than 15 million that do not work at all". Does anyone know of one Windoze machine zealot? Brand loyalty that rivals and perhaps surpasses even Harley-Davidson should mean a lot. (I have an Apple sticker on my motorcycle helmet!) Have you ever seen anyone sporting a Dell tattoo? Dell Schmell. Their customer base is losing ground faster than Apple is growing. And it is growing. I don't care about market share, except that I hope it grows at a pace fast enough to keep the R&D folks busily whipping up the latest and greatest that Cupertino has to offer. It doesn't bother me at all to know that a simple choice I made 7 years ago is keeping some people from sleeping at night. When the switches are made to all those MBP's, there will be a lot of great computers in the hands of desperate people, who just want a computer that works. Unfortunately, many of them will think that they cannot break free from the grip of Microwuss. That is part of Bill's trap. Get the MBP, take OSX out for a test drive. It has a smoother ride, uses less gas, cranks right up every time, won't leave you stranded, and is the best looking one on the block everytime you go out.
Remember, I once thought I disliked Mac's. After 15 seconds of thinking different my life has never been the same. Honestly.

 

[crispoe]

VMWare on Mac OS X

This is why VMWare is not working on VMWare for OS X. I believe they are expecting you to be able to boot windows natively in Leopard (which may make the product sort of useless for non-it and non-devolpers/testers), So they dont need to write any code. You can just run the Windows Version of vmware if you need the technical benefits of vmware.

I hope Dvorak is wrong. I would settle for a 50/50 split as long as I still have OS X as my host OS.

 

[barstard]

Cool

This is great. If Apple has pent up demand that means that stock levels are basically non-existant. this is great for the company, though not necessarily for the consumer, as this means waiting for your MBP.

Now, there is no doubt that the MBP/iMac/mini would be much better sellers if they could run windows. At the moment the problem is related to Microsoft, not Apple. The only way we'll get a nice easy way to boot or virtually run windows is if Apple work with Microsoft to do it, and this is not going to happen. Microsoft will bring virtual PC to the intel macs but don't expect it to happen soon; or be quick. People might say that Microsoft still sell a license, but actually dual-booting will also make people (who didn't before) realise how much better Mac OS X is than XP or even Vista beta, so Microsoft would be wary, as now with VPC running virtually they have an excuse for the slow performance, but if was supposed to be native and still sucked relatively then Apple's reputation goes up.

barstard.

 

[demallien]

...
Where Apple is caught in the same position as OS/2 is this: By making your operating system a superset of another (what IBM tried with OS/2 vis-a-vie DOS/Windows), then yes you do get the benefit of running the other guy's applications PLUS your own applications. However, you get caught in two traps:

I've heard this comment about OS/2 sooooo many times now, and yet there is a very important difference between what happened with OS/2 and a Windows-capable Mac. WIth OS/2, you could run Windows apps "out-of-the-box". No installing of a VM, no installing of Windows, it was just compatible, that's all.

The Mac will never offer this. If you want to run Windows on a Mac, you have to pay for a Windows license, you have to either set-up dual-booting or buy a VM, and then you have to install Windows. For the vast majority of users, this is too much of a hassle. They'll just run MacOSX, UNTIL they absolutely MUST have a specific Windows app. And then the option will be there for them.

If you think at the number of people that use IE despite it's numerous, well-publicised security flaws, you'll understand the power of default software. As long as the Mac can't "do" Windows out of the box, it won't suffer the fate of OS/2