Someone's finally got hold of an iMac Dual Core and tried to boot it into Windows XP and a variety of other PC operating systems. The results aren't promising for anyone wanting to set up a dual- or triple-boot machine, since the install disks of neither Windows XP SP2 nor SuSE Linux were recognised by the iMac as viable booting options.
The exact reason for this issue isn't clear: either Apple has deliberately included software that precludes the possibility of running different operating systems (unlikely since Apple has already issued a statement saying they wouldn't) or it might not have included the BIOS-compatibility layers necessary for its EFI firmware to work with operating systems that don't have native EFI support.
This makes an Intel-native Virtual PC for OS X that much more necessary. Worryingly for those who need to run Windows apps on their Macs, MacBU's Roz Ho has been quoted as saying Microsoft is only looking into producing a version of the software for Mactels, but has held back from a firm commitment.
I think that's entirely understandable, though. Clearly, migrating Virtual PC from PowerPC to Intel chips is far more complicated than ripping out the code for translating Intel instructions to PowerPC instructions or porting Virtual PC for Windows to OS X. If Mactels were simply able to boot Windows straight from the standard installer disks and then run it natively once installed, where would the incentive be for anyone to buy Virtual PC? Virtual PC offers other features that make it more desirable than just simple Windows emulation (think of the roll-back options, the ability to archive just a single file when you want to backup a whole PC, the ability to share files between OS X and Windows and so on), but for most people those features probably wouldn't be enough to justify the purchase. So I think Microsoft could be forgiven for deciding that creating a Mactel-friendly Virtual PC really wouldn't be worth the investment if that were the case.
With direct booting off the menu, though, that puts the MacBU in a far better position. The investment necessary for the port will probably be quite high - remember how long it took to get a G5-compatible version of Virtual PC up and running then imagine how much extra work a complete change in processor architecture brings to the table. But without instruction translation required any longer, Virtual PC's emulation could potentially run at near-native levels.
That would give the software real selling points: buy Virtual PC and you get easy, drag and drop Windows XP installation, Windows running identically to on a PC but in its own little sandbox so it can't do any damage if it gets infected with viruses, and you'll have complete access to all your OS X files and programs at the same time.
If anyone can get Windows to run natively on a Mac, it's Microsoft. If they can't do it because Apple hasn't included BIOS emulation in its firmware (or for some other reason I can't think of right now), then probably nobody can without doing some hefty boot driver programming work. That would certainly put native Windows out of reach of ordinary Mac users and make Virtual PC for Mactels the only real solution for a dual boot machine.
So think of any future MacBU announcements about Virtual PC as a litmus test. If they say it'll be discontinued, then in all probability, it's because running Windows natively on a Mactel is possible. After all, Virtual PC is a profitable product so they'd have no reason to discontinue it otherwise.
But, if the MacBU announces Virtual PC for Mactel will be forthcoming then that'll be almost certain confirmation that native Windows on Mactels is impossible.
To be honest, I'd really rather have that than native Windows anyway so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
UPDATE: I should probably have mentioned that Windows Vista includes EFI support. Since that'll be out at the start of 2007 (on the current schedule) and it'll probably be the best part of a year before a Virtual PC for Mactels could be produced, whether Vista will work on a Mactel will be a big factor in determining Virtual PC's future. As of yet, no one has tried installing Vista on a Mactel and reported the results publicly.
Technorati Tags: macs, mactels, macworld, virtual pc
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
Leave a comment