Virtual Windows or Virutal Mac?
The MacNN news website posted an article last week detailing virtualization technology that will be incorporated into Intel’s Pentium 4 line, and it will be showing up about the same time the Mac-to-Intel switch will be occurring. This technology will allow for one operating system or its applications to be run on another, using CPU rather than software to perform the translation. Today, a company named Codeweaver that specializes in technology that allows Windows applications to run on Linux announced it would be porting its tools for OS X. This is another step in enabling Windows applications to run on OS X without having to run Windows itself. Together, these technologies are sure to be getting the attention of folks at Redmond; if they enable the running of Windows applications at almost full speed, folks will be able to switch over to OS X with little or no fear of losing any functionality.
It’s not only the folks at Redmond that need to be worrying about this; however, the folks at Culpertino need to be as well. More and more, it appears there is solid movement toward making the need for developing for OS X disappear. Apple may win the battle by expanding its hardware market share but lose the war because no software developer will spend any time developing for them. If that happens, OS X sales could collapse under their own weight, hardware or no.
One hope for Apple is that even with all this virtualization technology the performance lags of native Windows applications will be enough to entice users to ask for native OS X versions of their favorite applications. Another hope for Apple’s future expansion may also lie with Linux. If these virtualization technologies allow OS X applications to be run on Linux, then the market for OS X applications might expand faster than the rate of OS X adoption alone. And that would be good for Apple.
Of course, what’s good for the goose may be good for the gander. If the virtualization technology also allows folks with PC’s and Windows to run Final Cut Pro, then Apple could find itself feeding its pro apps and its Leopard to the Microsoft Lion. In that case, instead of taking computing back from Gates, Jobs will only have robbed himself.
It’s not only the folks at Redmond that need to be worrying about this; however, the folks at Culpertino need to be as well. More and more, it appears there is solid movement toward making the need for developing for OS X disappear. Apple may win the battle by expanding its hardware market share but lose the war because no software developer will spend any time developing for them. If that happens, OS X sales could collapse under their own weight, hardware or no.
One hope for Apple is that even with all this virtualization technology the performance lags of native Windows applications will be enough to entice users to ask for native OS X versions of their favorite applications. Another hope for Apple’s future expansion may also lie with Linux. If these virtualization technologies allow OS X applications to be run on Linux, then the market for OS X applications might expand faster than the rate of OS X adoption alone. And that would be good for Apple.
Of course, what’s good for the goose may be good for the gander. If the virtualization technology also allows folks with PC’s and Windows to run Final Cut Pro, then Apple could find itself feeding its pro apps and its Leopard to the Microsoft Lion. In that case, instead of taking computing back from Gates, Jobs will only have robbed himself.
posted by Andy Foster at
8:33 PM
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