Apple warns Boot Camp in Leopard could result to fewer Mac Apps
While Apple knew that the Boot Camp utility could help increase Intel-based Macs sales, the company has warned that its presence could cause some developers to discontinue writing application for the Mac OS X.
Apple said in a report to its investors that Boot Camp “may deter developers from creating software applications for Mac OS X if such applications are already available for the Windows platform.”
Leopard is officially known as Mac OS X 10.5.
Boot Camp lets users run Microsoft’s 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and XP on Intel-based Macs, allowing them to run applications and games that are specifically developed for Windows system.
Apple fears that some developers will no longer be interested to rewrite their Windows apps for the Mac OS as their existing apps are accessible to Mac users via Boot Camp.
If the Apple’s fears hold true, a large number of Mac users could be left with fewer Mac OS X applications.
At present, users of Intel-based Macs comprise half of the total Mac market. The other half run PowerPC chips, which are not Boot Camp compatible.
Apple further stated in its report: “The company believes decisions by customers to purchase the company’s hardware products are often based on the availability of third-party application software.”
Apple should come up with good strategy to encourage Mac OS X application development, as Boot Camp complement OS X, not replace it.
This may also be a good time for Apple to look at how Microsoft encourages Windows application development, or perhaps it should look at what Google did to encourage Android mobile application development.
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