Today Apple has released a public beta of Boot Camp–software which enables you to install and dual boot Windows XP on an Intel Mac. Apple says that the feature will become standard in the next release of OS X. As you might expect this is a hot topic on Memeorandum.
I just read through the Setup and Installation guide. It appears that this Apple solution is similar to the community efforts announced a couple weeks ago. The difference? There are video drivers provided and everything is wrapped up into a nice wizard. Well done Apple.
You’ll need your own copy of Windows XP SP2. Older versions won’t work because you won’t be able to swap in the requested original XP disc–according to the documentation. Does this mean you can install Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 on an iMac? This is something I’ve got to try out.
Update: Apple’s site says that Media Center won’t work, so it’s doubtful that the full Tablet OS will either. If you’re a developer, however, you can install the Tablet SDK onto Windows XP Pro. The Tablet Input Panel (TIP) will be missing though.
I’m following this thread on onMac.net to see what issues people are running into when trying out the Boot Camp beta. From one enthusiastic Apple owner:
“Guys,
I have completed reinstall of OSX and WinXP using Bootcamp. Everything runs VERY VERY well. No install/missing file errors during win install. No errors in Windows, all drivers COMPLETELY work. 3d works, the eject key works, SPEAKERS work,bluetooth and wireless.
Thanks Apple!”