Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition

Chapter 8. Windows on Macintosh

The very moment Apple announced in 2006 that all new Mac models would come with Intel chips inside, the geeks and the bloggers started going nuts. “Let’s see,” they thought. “Macs and PCs now use exactly the same memory, hard drives, monitors, mice, keyboards, networking protocols, and processors. By our calculations, the Mac should be able to run Windows!”

Now, some in the Cult of Macintosh were revolted by the very idea. Who on earth, they asked, wants to pollute the magnificence of the Mac with a headache like Windows?

Lots of people, as it turns out. Millions of switchers have been tempted by the Mac’s sleek looks, yet worried about leaving Windows behind entirely. Then there are the people who love Apple’s iLife programs, but have jobs that rely on Microsoft Access, Outlook, or some other piece of Windows corporateware. Even true-blue Mac fans occasionally look longingly at some of the Windows-only games, Web sites, palmtop sync software, or movie download services they thought they’d never be able to use.

Today, there are two ways to run Windows on a Mac with an Intel chip:

• Restart it in Boot Camp. Boot Camp lets you restart your Mac into Windows. At that point, it’s a full-blown Windows PC, with no trace of the Mac on the screen. It runs at 100 percent of the speed of a real PC, because it is one. Compatibility with Windows software is excellent. The only drag is that you have to restart the Mac again to return to the familiar world of Mac OS X ...