OS X on your WinBox!!!

I have heard a fair amount of speculation in the past months on what Apple is doing and where Apple is going. On a recent edition of the Apple Phone Show Scott Bourne and Andy Ihnatko talked about how Apple keeps claiming to be a software company. Which really confuses a lot of people since Apple makes some really fantastic hardware. [Really the new iMacs rock!] I mean who doesn’t know what an iPhone or iPod are, not to mention that Apple Retail Stores are popping up in every major city in the US and Internationally [true – they are not as pervasive as McDonald’s].

So, I have been thinking about this and pondering what Apple may be doing in the next 3 to 5 years. I mean we have iTunes and Quicktime for Windows; and earlier this year they released Safari for Windows [much to the chagrin of the Firefox community – speaking of the keynote]. I think that we are going to see three things happen, all of the ⁽¹⁾iLife and ⁽²⁾iWork Suites will be released for 79$ to Windows users. Then finally Apple will release ⁽³⁾OX for beige box hardware. Now you are thinking what’s the catch? Well, the way I see it, they would provide a list of hardware that they have written drivers for or they will form partnerships and “encourage” the vendors to write drivers according to their specs.

Okay, breathe now, get out your paper bag. If they are a software company as Steve & Co. claim it would only make sense to offer their software to every computer user no matter what hardware they are using. I will have to admit that would really change the dynamics of the “PC” market. Just think HP, Dell, Alienware, all offering Windows, Linux, and OS X! Really think about it, cheaper pc hardware and one of the safest operating systems in the world for 129$.

Think of the OS X on x86 team, proving that Tiger for Intel can run on a WinBox pc. Yes, it totally voids the warranty and is totally illegal according to Apple Legal. However, it is being done. Now Apple just has to make it official. I would love to get a cheap Dell laptop for 1000$ and be able to run OS X on it; however, it is more likely that I will be getting a cheap Dell with XP and then dual boot Ubuntu [fav Linux distro]. After, I have saved up enough $$ for that fully loaded 17″ MacBook Pro [can you say triple boot!!!] I will be happy to purchase my dream laptop, but for now . . ..

I don’t know if these ideas are out of the question, yet it seems to be a logical progression to me. It could very well never happen or it could happen in a year from now. We don’t really know what Apple Computer Inc. is doing until leaks find their way out of Apple’s InfoDam.

Personally, I am excited to see what they are up to, their products turn heads. Their hardware is cutting edge design, and they prove time and time again that Apple knows how to create a product frenzy [can you say iPod or iPhone?].

iron wil

Notes:

1) Ars Technica, Ars Technica Article on OX on Intel/AMD.