When Apple Inc. emerged out of California in 1977, originally called Apple Computer, Inc., few could have known how the vision of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs would change the face of the computer industry and even the face of advertising.
From the release of the Macintosh and the well known 1984 Super Bowl commercial to the advanced iPhones, iPods, and iPads, the company has been setting themselves successfully against the giants of the computer industry. But, what are the giants of the computer industry if not Apple Inc., themselves?
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Big Blue or the Other Guys
Though they have faced trouble and on more than one occasion appeared that their demise was eminent, Apple Inc. now has a strong command of the consumer market as one of the leading companies in America in terms of revenue, and also, despite a recent decline in the market, ranks among the top five computer companies in terms of sales.
One must then wonder why, when Apple Inc. is one of the largest companies in America, its perpetual image seems to be that of the underdog to companies like IBM and Microsoft? Many Apple users resent the notion that in the mid 1990’s Microsoft had to ‘bail out’ Apple at the time of the return of Steve Jobs as CEO. Also, there lingers a mentality that IBM users see themselves as superior to Mac users or are ‘sell outs’ to ‘big industry.’
It is most likely that there are IBM or PC users who see themselves as superior just as it is likely that there are those who do not. Also, is it not in a sense a superior mentality in and of itself that leads Apple users to view PC users the way that they do? Regardless, it seems that whether it is an Apple or a PC, both machines work for the tasks they are created for and work for the users who prefer them. So why is there such a rift between the two systems and their users?
Apple or the Other Guys
The answer, it would seem, lies purely in the way that Apple has advertised themselves as the underdog company in a culture that cannot get enough of underdog companies. From their above mentioned 1984 advertisement to the recent ad campaigns showing Apple as the alternative to the complex, dog-eat-dog, world of big business.
Argue as they may about operating systems, ease of use, and cool design, in the end Apple computers are incredible machines, PCs are incredible machines, computers in general are incredible machines and it all comes down to preference. No one can deny the ingenuity of Steve Jobs and those at Apple Inc., however, rival companies remain at the forefront of the technological wave for a reason.
Run Windows on Your Mac
How about an Intel Mac? One of the features of Apples new Intel Mac is the ability to run Windows on a Macintosh machine. No longer do you have to decide whether a PC or Mac is better for your lifestyle. You can have both right at your fingertips. How is this possible?
Dual Booting
Old time Mac users will remember the first version of OSX that allowed users to boot their system up in OS9 or OSX. You pre-select which system you would like for your computer to boot up in, and you essentially are running two different computer one with OS 9, the other with OS X. The new Intel Macs will allow you the option of installing Windows onto your computer and booting the system up in the OS of your choosing. Is it a Mac day, or a PC day? You decide. Apple offers software on their website that will allow you to install windows just as you would another Mac OS.
Boot Camp
Boot camp is Apple’s answer to running Windows on a mac machine. They don’t give you a copy of windows with the program(obviously), but they do give your computer the tools to operate with both operating systems effectively. To run Boot camp you need:
- Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.6
- The latest Firmware update
- 10GB free hard disk space
- An Intel-based Mac
- A blank recordable CD
- A printer for the instructions (You’ll want to print them before installing Windows, really.)
The downside of this is that you can’t transfer files between the two different systems. Or can you?
Running Windows As a Virtual Machine
While running OS X, you can set your computer up to run Windows as a virtual machine. Virtual machine? Why would you want to do that? The answer is simple. By running it as a virtual machine you will be able to transfer files back and forth, and essentially use your computer as one computer rather than two separate ones. Right now Apple hasn’t put out a program that would effectively run Windows as a virtual machine, so you’re relying on non-mac software developers.
