Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, El Capitan Edition

Chapter 8. Windows on the Mac

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

Now, some in the Cult of Macintosh were baffled 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. Think of all the potential switchers who are tempted by the Mac’s sleek looks, yet worry about leaving Windows behind entirely. Or the people who love Apple’s iMovie and GarageBand 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, websites, or movie-download services they thought they’d never be able to use.

Today, there are two ways to run Windows on a Mac:

• Restart it in Boot Camp. Boot Camp is a little Apple program that 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 downsides: Your laptop battery life isn’t as good, and you have to restart the Mac ...