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New Mac is no `virtual PC`: The Hindu
Bangalore Aug 31: Sorry folks, the world`s
Bangalore Aug 31: Sorry folks, the world`s "most powerful" PC can`t emulate the world`s most widely-used software environment — at least not now.
Ten days after the India launch of the Apple Power Mac G5 — the first general-use desktop computer with a 64-bit chip under the hood — Mac users are discovering that the popular application "Virtual PC", which allowed them to emulate Microsoft`s Windows environment on earlier Apple machines, does not work with the new model.
The vast majority of the world`s PC owners — over 95 percent — work with what are known as "Wintel" (Windows software and Intel chip) personal computers.
While Apple has its own tools and applications running into hundreds, users have to live in a real world where Windows is the dominant computing environment. Many Apple-Mac users, therefore, installed the Virtual PC software which ensures that over 80 percent of made-for-Windows applications can be run on their machines. The company that created Virtual PC — Connectix Corporation — was acquired by Microsoft in February this year and indeed supported the product right up to August 15. A few weeks ago Microsoft released a new update of the product: "Virtual PC for Mac Version 6.1".
After thousands of Mac users reported a lot of problems when they put it on the new G5-based machines, Microsoft has come out with an official clarification last week that G5 users will only get an error message if they try to turn their "fastest, most powerful" machines into virtual Windows PCs. MacCentral, the popular resource for Apple users, reports that while Microsoft says the problem will be sorted out with the next version of Virtual PC — it has set no date for this. Meanwhile, customers who spent money on Virtual PC, then upgraded to the PowerMacG5 have to just lump it — and wait.
Apple may not be directly responsible for the non-functioning of Virtual PC on their new models.
But the fact remains that the company has not been averse to plugging the fact that you could own a Mac and still run Windows applications.
The Apple website provides links to the Virtual PC site (though the system requirement has now been modified to state that it will work only with G3- or G4-based Macs).
Microsoft`s tardiness in upgrading Virtual PC is less easy to understand. It is already committed to come out with a version of its market-leading `Office` suite specially for Apple PCs — and bridging the gap between the Windows and Mac environments would appear to be in its interest — and that of all PC users. Lay users are discovering that both companies have been less than candid about the anticipated shortcomings of the `crossover` product in recent weeks — and have left customers to find out for themselves, the hard way.
The vast majority of the world`s PC owners — over 95 percent — work with what are known as "Wintel" (Windows software and Intel chip) personal computers.
While Apple has its own tools and applications running into hundreds, users have to live in a real world where Windows is the dominant computing environment. Many Apple-Mac users, therefore, installed the Virtual PC software which ensures that over 80 percent of made-for-Windows applications can be run on their machines. The company that created Virtual PC — Connectix Corporation — was acquired by Microsoft in February this year and indeed supported the product right up to August 15. A few weeks ago Microsoft released a new update of the product: "Virtual PC for Mac Version 6.1".
After thousands of Mac users reported a lot of problems when they put it on the new G5-based machines, Microsoft has come out with an official clarification last week that G5 users will only get an error message if they try to turn their "fastest, most powerful" machines into virtual Windows PCs. MacCentral, the popular resource for Apple users, reports that while Microsoft says the problem will be sorted out with the next version of Virtual PC — it has set no date for this. Meanwhile, customers who spent money on Virtual PC, then upgraded to the PowerMacG5 have to just lump it — and wait.
Apple may not be directly responsible for the non-functioning of Virtual PC on their new models.
But the fact remains that the company has not been averse to plugging the fact that you could own a Mac and still run Windows applications.
The Apple website provides links to the Virtual PC site (though the system requirement has now been modified to state that it will work only with G3- or G4-based Macs).
Microsoft`s tardiness in upgrading Virtual PC is less easy to understand. It is already committed to come out with a version of its market-leading `Office` suite specially for Apple PCs — and bridging the gap between the Windows and Mac environments would appear to be in its interest — and that of all PC users. Lay users are discovering that both companies have been less than candid about the anticipated shortcomings of the `crossover` product in recent weeks — and have left customers to find out for themselves, the hard way.