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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday June 27 2020, @01:17PM   Printer-friendly
from the you-say-that-like-it's-a-bad-thing dept.

Apple's New ARM-Based Macs Won't Support Windows Through Boot Camp:

Apple will start switching its Macs to its own ARM-based processors later this year, but you won't be able to run Windows in Boot Camp mode on them. Microsoft only licenses Windows 10 on ARM to PC makers to preinstall on new hardware, and the company hasn't made copies of the operating system available for anyone to license or freely install.

"Microsoft only licenses Windows 10 on ARM to OEMs," says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. We asked Microsoft if it plans to change this policy to allow Windows 10 on ARM-based Macs, and the company says "we have nothing further to share at this time."

[...] Apple later confirmed it's not planning to support Boot Camp on ARM-based Macs in a Daring Fireball podcast. "We're not direct booting an alternate operating system," says Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering. "Purely virtualization is the route. These hypervisors can be very efficient, so the need to direct boot shouldn't really be the concern."

Previously: Apple Announces 2-Year Transition to ARM SoCs in Mac Desktops and Laptops


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  • (Score: 2) by theluggage on Saturday June 27 2020, @07:32PM (2 children)

    by theluggage (1797) on Saturday June 27 2020, @07:32PM (#1013340)

    That's my understanding too, but what do I know. Maybe the new Mac will send Windows applications off to a server in the cloud running Win 10 or Win XP (64 and 32 bit respectively)?

    Aside from the fact that TFA was talking about Windows on ARM which should virtualise perfectly well on ARM if/when Microsoft deigns to license it... yes, remote desktop to a Windows x86 instance in the cloud* is probably the way to go

    This is 2020 and live game streaming services are a thing... the interwebs should cope running that one, obstinate, 10-year-old business application that is keeping you stuck to having an Intel space-heater melting the keyboard in your Macbook... and if you're running anything more demanding on Windows, then why did you pay a 50%+ premium to get a computer who's only USP these days is that it can run MacOS?

    Meanwhile, PCs may outnumber Macs 10:1, but Surface Pro Xs and the other handful of Windows ARM machines...? Not so much. Macs are still about the #4 bestselling brand of personal computer and have disproportionate media presence, so if ARM Macs are even moderately successful c.f. current Macs, Microsoft might want to jump on that boat at some stage...

    * ...or even in the basement of your secret volcano base under a tinfoil cover if you're working on the recipe for KFC-flavoured Coca Cola.

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  • (Score: 2) by Pino P on Sunday June 28 2020, @06:13PM (1 child)

    by Pino P (4721) on Sunday June 28 2020, @06:13PM (#1013761) Journal

    yes, remote desktop to a Windows x86 instance in the cloud* is probably the way to go

    How much do you expect it to cost per user per month to lease 1. such a Windows x86-64 VPS, and 2. a cellular Internet connection through which to run Remote Desktop to a Windows x86-64 VPS while out of Wi-Fi range?

    • (Score: 2) by theluggage on Wednesday July 01 2020, @01:10PM

      by theluggage (1797) on Wednesday July 01 2020, @01:10PM (#1014997)

      1. such a Windows x86-64 VPS

      Ans: "as much or as little as the market will bear" because the cost of providing one more container instance (for someone already in that business) is pretty small, while software licenses have zero marginal cost (Microsoft could easily bundle Windows up with the Office subscription that the majority of customers will need anyway). This isn't bleeding edge new technology - it's 90% packaging and marketing.

      Going rate for game streaming services - which are probably more technically demanding - seems to be $10/month, so $20/mo for this would probably be a nice little earner for Microsoft (who did you think was going to be running this?)

      If you need this for work then it will be a business expense (and easier to claim than trying to argue that some fraction of your personal Mac was for work) and the accountant will be delighted to file this under "cost of doing business" and get the tax back immediately rather than faffing about with the capital expenditure rules. Actually, a year or three down the line, don't be surprised if your employer requires this method of working "because data protection" and the VPS is provided for all employees (far more accountable keeping your data on MS Azure's check-box compliant service than scattered around individual laptops).

      a cellular Internet connection through which to run Remote Desktop to a Windows x86-64 VPS while out of Wi-Fi range?

      $0 because it's 2023 (or will be by the time Intel Macs vanish) and the typical person needing to run Windows will already need it.

      Or, Apple can keep the Mac tethered to Intel for the foreseeable future for the sake of a niche of users who (even given 2-3 years notice) can't give up x86 - and the ability to move forwards without being held back by the corporate computing drag-anchor is Apple's main USP over PC.