toggle

AAPL Stock: 503.13 ( + 0.92 )

Macs running Windows inspire switch

updated 11:00 am EST, Tue March 7, 2006

Study finds Mac switchers


A new study from research analyst firm Needham and Co. suggests that Apple's move to Intel processors should finally enable the Mac to match the performance of Windows PCs, and found explosive results from Windows users when presented with the possibility of running Windows applications on a Mac. Macs should be able to run Windows applications as seamlessly and as fast as they run on current Windows PCs once a small number of technical problems are solved, according to the study, and an online survey of 255 college students revealed the possibility of a dramatic increase in users switching to Macs. When presented with the possibility of a Mac running Windows applications, the mean liklihood of purchasing a Mac rose almost 20 percent, while the percentage of Windows users who would definitely buy a Mac rocketed from 1.8 percent to 13.5 percent. The survey does state, however, that there is no precise way to scale the results to determine the possible increase in Apple's share of the home market.


by MacNN Staff

print
email
(15)

TAGS :

 Apple

Related Articles

Recent Articles

toggle

Comments

  1. siMac

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Aug 2004

    0
    03/07, 12:03pm | report spam | Reply |

    shullbit

    "Macs should be able to run Windows applications as seamlessly and as fast as they run on current Windows PCs once a small number of technical problems are solved"

    'Small technical problems'? What, like linked libraries and ActiveX? Next article please....

  1. fahlman

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2003

    0
    03/07, 12:11pm | report spam | Reply |

    College Students?

    Was this survey taken on a beach? Were the participants drunk? Maybe offered a free t-shirt for filling out the survey?

  1. jakengracey

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2006

    0
    03/07, 12:18pm | report spam | Reply |

    shullbit redux

    255 college students? Online? Relevance? So 34.42 college students would buy a mac if it could run windows software. I think it is pretty easy to determine the possible increase in Apple's share of the home market.

  1. Dean812@msn.com

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2006

    0
    03/07, 12:29pm | report spam | Reply |

    my, oh my

    Silly. That's all...just silly.



    Slow news day?

  1. vasic

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2005

    0
    03/07, 12:44pm | report spam | Reply |

    Not necessarilly silly...

    It is possible that, as small as it is, that this survey may indicate some opinion shifts. It doesn't take too much guessing to imagine that if one could run Windows apps inside a Mac, a lot of people would consider it. While a lot of people keep talking about dual booting, if one thinks just for a moment, one would realise that dual boot is not a solution. I want to use Mac OSX. If there is ever a single Win app that I need to access, I DON'T want to shut down all my Mac apps, reboot my computer into Win, use that single Win app, then close it, reboot back into Mac. Virtualisation is the only usable way to go. Something like VMWare, or Virtual PC would work just perfect. A sandbox (where Win can do no damage) consisting of a virtual disk image with Win OS, running in its own window (sized to my choosing), takes care of my Win needs without compromising my Mac experience. If this becomes reality (MS Virtual PC is probably the best candidate), the above survey might prove to be true.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    0
    03/07, 01:04pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: not necessaily

    It is possible that, as small as it is, that this survey may indicate some opinion shifts.

    I take these things with a grain of salt. I've heard lots of people say "Man, I'd love to get a mac" and still go out and buy PC after PC.

    And some may find virtualzation the way to go, but most 'normal' users don't want to be bothered trying to find out whether the apps they want to run will run under VMWare or has to reboot into windows. Nor do they want to deal with virtual disks or trying to figure out how to get that file from Apple mail into Word on the Windows side...

    Oh, and it won't help apple too much if users just buy the machines and boot them into windows all the time, either.

  1. bigmig

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2004

    0
    03/07, 01:19pm | report spam | Reply |

    uhh...

    "'Small technical problems'? What, like linked libraries and ActiveX? Next article please...."

    If you actually read the article, you will see that they are talking about virtualization and dual-boot solutions. So "Active X" (by which I think you mean Direct X) etc. will not be an issue, since an actual copy of Windows will be running.

    "Oh, and it won't help apple too much if users just buy the machines and boot them into windows all the time, either."

    ?!?!?!?

    Obviously if they don't want to run OS X, they probably wouldn't buy a Mac in the first place.

    And, even if they never booted OS X, it would still "help" Apple a lot because Apple earns most of its profits on the sale of hardware (Macs and iPods). Saying that the extra sales wouldn't help Apple is like saying that Dell makes no money on its own computer sales because uses are just running Windows on all those Dells. That's insane.

  1. zulfikarn

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0
    03/07, 01:20pm | report spam | Reply |

    Apple buyers

    Oh, and it won't help apple too much if users just buy the machines and boot them into windows all the time, either.

    Yes it will - it means they will sell more computers, probably they wouldn't care if you bought a computer and used it as an aquarium, it would still be a sale, and then what would be the best switcher enticement possible, if you had Windows sat right next to OSX so that you could do a side by side comparison...

  1. mike3k

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 1999

    0
    03/07, 01:20pm | report spam | Reply |

    WINE

    Check out WINE. A preliminary version is already working on Mac OS X for Intel. It lets you run Windows binaries directly in OS X using a simulated Windows environment with windows DLLs available. Right now it's very rough and only a few applications will run, but if the compatibility is improved and it's integrated better with the OS rather than using X11 it could be a great solution.

  1. e2Sync

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2005

    0
    03/07, 04:25pm | report spam | Reply |

    Similar response here

    My friend who speaks to and encourages youth, and is a 62 y/o and so mildly set in his ways, is now considering buying a Mac. In fact I have a Mac Mini Intel coming so we can do some tests before buying a MacBook Pro. Oh, though we couldn't do that anyway because they're not available!!! Apple!!! Get your sh_t together. Anyway, the reason he's now prepared to look so much at switching, is the possibility of running his Windows apps at full speed on the Mac. So I would not be so fast to discount this article. I have been trying to get this guy to switch for 3 years, and only now will he consider it.

Show More Comments

Login Here

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

10 Most Read

Recent Reviews

Powerbag Business Class Bag

Many companies currently offer battery packs and various accessories to keep smartphones and other gadgets charged when away from an o ...

Logitech Cube

The world of mice could often be described charitably as stagnant: it's an endless sea of ergonomic shapes that assume you're sitting ...

NewerTech and Targus USB Hubs For Gifts

A useful holiday present to resolve an ongoing frustration is a multi-port hub. Whether as a stocking stuffer, Chanukah present, or an ...

toggle

Most Commented

10 Most Discussed

 

Popular News