Apple Support: Boot Camp Beta expires as soon as Leopard's released.

[WICKEDfour]

When does Boot Camp Beta expire?

Boot Camp Beta 1.3, 1.4 expiration

The license to use Boot Camp Beta expires when Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is available to the public. To continue using Boot Camp at that time, upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

Here's hoping Apple allows Tiger users to simply purchase Boot Camp 2.0. There's no mention of any such upgrade, but that just means we'll have to play the waiting game. People have already speculated that Apple will do this, a la iChat AV for Jaguar. Heh, if Apple didn't let Tiger users continue to boot their Macs in alternate OS's, there might be a bigger uprising of angry people than iPhone 1.1.1 produced!

 

[yippy]

It is a misconception that BootCamp is running when you boot into Windows. Bootcamp is nothing more than a utility to help you install Windows initially on your Mac (including providing some drivers and partitioning your hard drive).

When BootCamp beta runs out. It WILL NOT affect existing installs. It simply will no longer let you make new Windows installs.

 

[Fuchal]

It is a misconception that BootCamp is running when you boot into Windows. Bootcamp is nothing more than a utility to help you install Windows initially on your Mac (including providing some drivers and partitioning your hard drive).

When BootCamp beta runs out. It WILL NOT affect existing installs. It simply will no longer let you make new Windows installs.

And of course you can always jsut partition your drive yourself and install Windows without boot camp. Even easier if you burn a driver disc ahead of time.

 

[Bill Gates]

It is a misconception that BootCamp is running when you boot into Windows. Bootcamp is nothing more than a utility to help you install Windows initially on your Mac (including providing some drivers and partitioning your hard drive).

When BootCamp beta runs out. It WILL NOT affect existing installs. It simply will no longer let you make new Windows installs.

We don't even know that. My guess is that it will continue to function as it always has, it's just that the license will prohibit its continued use.

 

[iJawn108]

if apple killed off booting into windows just right off the bat like that there would be a hell of a lot of unhappy customers with intel macs. Like to the point where it got news coverage. My guess is that there just wont be any new drivers or utilities and you will be stuck using 1.4s.

 

[Queso]

We don't even know that. My guess is that it will continue to function as it always has, it's just that the license will prohibit its continued use.

Up until the Leopard 1.1.1 update anyway

 

[Sbrocket]

Considering that the technology that does the BIOS-emulation and lets you boot into Windows is built into the firmware on Intel macs now, there's no way Apple could simply disable Windows booting short of a firmware update that you could just not install until you decided to get Leopard. But even that doesn't make sense. No, this likely just means "The license ends, you shouldn't be using it without Leopard, but there really isn't much we can do to stop you using it. You just won't get any new driver updates."

 

[chem]

Well, a good way to test this theory would be for someone that was running boot camp 1.2 (which just expired) to chime in on what happened, or for someone to try and install BC 1.2.

 

[Mac-Addict]

Well for me its a good thing, a reminder I need to buy leopard xD and then I will want a exnternal hard drive for time machine.. and I wanted to save for a 360 God damnit

 

[JFreak]

Relax. It only means that Apple will not continue supporting beta software because the beta program naturally ends when the product is released. If you want to have Boot Camp support in the future, you need to be using the Leopard version, which is final.

In theory, Apple will just assume that no beta software is installed once Leopard is out.

 

[VideoFreek]

Well, a good way to test this theory would be for someone that was running boot camp 1.2 (which just expired) to chime in on what happened, or for someone to try and install BC 1.2.

According to ARS Technica, the Boot Camp Assistant will no longer open in version 1.2. What will happen when 1.3 and 1.4 expire is unclear, but I'd expect the same.

 

[Bill Gates]

According to ARS Technica, the Boot Camp Assistant will no longer open in version 1.2. What will happen when 1.3 and 1.4 expire is unclear, but I'd expect the same.

I'd be interested in seeing if changing the date on the computer has any effect on either 1.2 or 1.4.

 

[daveschroeder]

It's probably worth mentioning that an already-installed Boot Camp installation won't just "stop working"; it's just the assistant that will no longer launch after the beta expiration. Leopard, which will include a final Boot Camp, will also ship before the current Boot Camp beta expires. Apple may also decide to offer the "final" Boot Camp for Tiger for a small fee, as was the case with iChat AV; however, it may be that it's officially only available with Leopard. But ALL already-installed Boot Camp setups will continue working indefinitely.

In any event, Boot Camp has always clearly been marked as at-your-own-risk beta software, so regardless of how long it's been around or how many people are using it, there shouldn't be any real complaints about this in my view.

 

[mmzplanet]

I'd be interested in seeing if changing the date on the computer has any effect on either 1.2 or 1.4.

If that worked... just download the latest Boot Camp and roll date forward one day at at time. When the Boot Camp utility doesn't open "BOOM"... release date for Leopard

(I'm sure that would never work)

 

[sprime1]

I've got BC 1.2 installed on my MBP. Still works fine. I haven't been on my Mac OS side in a while, so who knows what will happen if I boot into Mac OS.

 

[sprime1]

You think I'd be safe if i installed version 1.4 before it expired? Think it will still run after Leopard is released?

 

[akac]

When does Boot Camp Beta expire?


Here's hoping Apple allows Tiger users to simply purchase Boot Camp 2.0. There's no mention of any such upgrade, but that just means we'll have to play the waiting game. People have already speculated that Apple will do this, a la iChat AV for Jaguar. Heh, if Apple didn't let Tiger users continue to boot their Macs in alternate OS's, there might be a bigger uprising of angry people than iPhone 1.1.1 produced!

Bootcamp is beta. Its a Leopard feature. Apple will not be making it a feature for non-Leopard users. The drivers for BC 2.0 are on the Leopard CD, not with BC. This has been known from the very beginning.

 

[hayesk]

if apple killed off booting into windows just right off the bat like that there would be a hell of a lot of unhappy customers with intel macs. Like to the point where it got news coverage.

Yes, just like the ridiculous whining about the iPhone price drop and update. Nevermind that Boot Camp always had a beta moniker and said right from the start that it would expire.

When did people decide they didn't need to be responsible for their own actions?

 

[BTW]

if apple killed off booting into windows just right off the bat like that there would be a hell of a lot of unhappy customers with intel macs. Like to the point where it got news coverage. My guess is that there just wont be any new drivers or utilities and you will be stuck using 1.4s.

Yep, I don't understand Apple stance on this. They should reward the Tiger beta users with a release version of bootcamp that just isn't supported anymore. Instead they make veiled threats that "Oh that was just a beta and not a Tiger feature to begin with."

They purposely shrink their user base with each OS release. The new Core APIs and XCode are other examples. Microsoft makes their tools and APIs mostly backward compatible so why doesn't Apple at least make an attempt to do the same making easier on 3rd party developers.

 

[WolfgangK]

so why doesn't Apple at least make an attempt to do the same making easier on 3rd party developers.

It seems, lately, that Apple is less and less inclusive when it comes to 3rd parties...if they could buy Adobe I believe they'd possibly close the entire platform! Very weird climate right now with Apple and 3rd party developers, or maybe it's just looks worse than it is in reality. I don't know anymore.

 

[junker]

Yes, just like the ridiculous whining about the iPhone price drop and update. Nevermind that Boot Camp always had a beta moniker and said right from the start that it would expire.

When did people decide they didn't need to be responsible for their own actions?

....when George Bush got (re) elected.

 

[0racle]

If that worked... just download the latest Boot Camp and roll date forward one day at at time. When the Boot Camp utility doesn't open "BOOM"... release date for Leopard

(I'm sure that would never work)

If 1.3 and 1.4 had the release date for Leopard, we'd already know what it was. If making the assistant non-functional is Apples intention the update to make that happen will be included in 10.4.11 after Leopard is announced or it already points at some date in the future like next April.

Yes I know you were making a silly joke.

 

[crossifixio]

I use bootcamp at the moment only for games that is and i cant wait for leopard to come out and then I will be updating straight away but i dont see why people wont still be able to use bootcamp if they dont update

 

[daveschroeder]

You think I'd be safe if i installed version 1.4 before it expired? Think it will still run after Leopard is released?

Yes. See my above post.

Boot Camp installations will NOT "stop working" when the Boot Camp beta expires. The ONLY thing that will happen is:

- The Boot Camp Assistant will no longer launch, which you will never need again anyway assuming you have everything with Boot Camp set up as desired.

- You may not have an easy way to get updated Windows drivers for Apple hardware (without perhaps "pirating" them from Leopard).

But yes, from a technical standpoint and ignoring any beta or licensing issues, you can absolutely set up Boot Camp right now with the latest installer, and your Windows installation and Boot Camp setup will keep working indefinitely.

 

[crees!]

....when George Bush got (re) elected.

Thank God for that. (sarcasm... nope.)