Resistance is futile

Apple surprised everyone this week by telling users that it would allow the old enemy - the Windows operating system - to run on its computers.

But the revelation should not have been such a surprise, since two hackers managed to get Microsoft's Windows XP to boot on a new Intel-based Mac only days before.

For Apple diehards, however, the Boot Camp beta software was another stab in the back following the recent addition of Intel chips into the computers.

"I don't know if this week has been a happy week for Mac purists," said Michael Silver, research vice president at Gartner.

"But they don't have to run Windows if they don't want to; it doesn't really affect them and it's not targeted towards them."

However, once the realisation dawned that Macs could function as a PC, there was praise for Apple's decision from most quarters.

"If anything, it makes it better for Apple users because it gets more people into the Apple fold," said Silver.

Most analysts agreed that this was a chance for Apple to pull in users who had previously been worried about buying a non-Windows system.

"This is actually a huge opportunity for Apple," said Malte Nuhn, an analyst at Millward Brown Optimor. "The affect on Microsoft isn't nearly as clear cut. On balance, it looks like Apple stands to benefit significantly more than Microsoft."

David Bradshaw, principal analyst at Ovum, added: "This is a smart move from Apple. We would expect to see an uplift in Apple's market share, persuading some formerly reluctant switchers to buy Macs instead of PCs."

Frost & Sullivan research analyst Zippy Aima said: "Windows has been dominating the market, but now there is a good chance for the consumers to shift towards Mac due to the ability of supporting two OS at the same time."

Nuhn felt that, as users become more PC savvy, they may buy an Apple machine and find that they use the Apple OS without bothering to boot Windows.

"One of the problems Apple had in the past is that people had their PC at work and then it's very easy to replicate what they know on their home computer that is also running Windows," he said.

"But as people are becoming more comfortable using personal computers and they use so many platforms and applications, the switch to a different system is not as dramatic as it used to be."

Bradshaw added: "Just how large an uplift Apple gets in its market share depends on how well the dual-boot Macs run PC software, especially games, and that in turn depends on the graphics capabilities of Macs when running Windows.

"Hardcore PC gamers can spend as much on their graphics cards as the rest of us spend on the whole PC."

Gaming is a huge market but there is not a lot on offer in the gaming segment for the Mac, according to Nuhn.

"But now people will be able to buy the Mac and when they use their games they simply switch to the Windows platform," he said.

However, Bradshaw suggested that games were not the only category where wider choice will be welcomed, and that business applications would also help push Apple sales.

"Business users will appreciate a wider range of choices for the software they run, although the need to reboot to access the software may be a barrier for them," he said.

Silver agreed that the need to shut down and restart would stop users making a lot of switches between the different operating systems.

"You're going to pick one operating system and run that most of the time. I would expect it to be Mac OS and you would boot into Windows once in a while," he said.

"You have to stop running all your programs, shut down your OS and reboot the machine. It's not a trivial thing and it's not some side-by-side functionality.

"Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good thing for Apple and for users, but it's not the non-intrusive, seamless step some people think it is."

However, the market for people who want the style of a Mac but use it as a standard Windows PC is expected to be extremely small.

"There may be some people who want to buy a Mac for the style and then run Windows, but you're talking about paying a decent premium over a Windows machine," said Silver.

"Then you have to buy a full Windows licence and those aren't inexpensive. You can't use an upgrade licence and you can't use one from an existing PC, so the retail price in the US is between $200 and $300, depending on whether you want XP Home or Pro."

Nuhn agreed. "Are you going to have a group of people who buy the Apple for the shell or the box and use it to run Windows? That's actually quite unlikely, " he said.

However, Nunh maintained that the introduction of Windows to Apple Macs would not affect Microsoft's standing at the top of the list of the most powerful company brands.

"Buying an operating system isn't a hugely brand-driven decision. Users don't go into a computer store and say 'I'll buy Windows because Microsoft is such a fabulous brand,'" he explained.

"For some people that might play a role, but most people buy Microsoft because that's simply what they get when they buy the computer."