Why Microsoft should write their own BootCamp for Windows 8 on Macs

[TheSideshow]

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windows-8-on-a-mac-why-microsoft-should-write-its-own-boot-camp/3798

Summary: Apple designs some of the best PC hardware you can buy, and its designs use the same parts as a Windows PC. Yes, you can run Windows on a Mac, but the experience is substandard. For Windows 8, Microsoft needs to replace Apple’s Boot Camp software with its own.

Later this year, when Microsoft gets around to releasing a beta of Windows 8, a lot of tech reviewers are going to want to try the new OS on Apple-branded hardware. If Microsoft is smart, they’ll make that easy. How? By writing their own version of Boot Camp to optimize the Windows 8 experience for the underlying hardware.

What would a Microsoft Boot Camp include?
•It would boot natively from the Mac’s UEFI firmware. Windows 7 will not boot natively using UEFI on a current Macintosh, as dedicated Mac hackers have discovered. That can easily be fixed in Windows 8.
•It would offer a versatile disk management utility and its own boot loader so you can choose whether to install Windows 8 alongside OS X (a la Boot Camp) or to wipe OS X and use Windows as the exclusive operating system.
•It would install up-to-date drivers and utility software for the Apple hardware, including full Windows 8 gesture support for trackpads and other input devices.
•It would include the full collection of Windows Live apps that connect to complementary Windows Live services (SkyDrive, in particular) when you sign in with a Windows Live ID.

I think he makes some good points and agree that Microsoft would be wise to offer a "signature" image, optimized drivers, and a utility for installing and running purely Windows on a Mac. Mainly requred IMO are trackpad and power management focused drivers.

 

[velocityg4]

I don't see why Apple should be so special. The other hardware manufacturers have to create their own drivers for Windows. If they submit them to Microsoft they will add them to the next Windows release and Service Pack.

What MS should do however is improve their system for finding drivers automatically when you select the option to find drivers automatically. As those that don't show up during the initial install rarely show when you run Windows update or have it search for drivers through the Device Manager.

There isn't exactly any special hardware in the Mac's besides the keyboard and trackpad. Everything else should run off generic drivers from their manufacturers as they exist in other notebooks and desktops.

 

[snberk103]

I'm surprised that Microsoft hasn't done this already. A lot of new Apple users are people who've switched from Windows. But, by the same token there must be lots of Apple users, who've not experienced a modern version of Windows, and believe most of the hyperbole. If those users had a Windows experience that was as good as their OS X experience they may choose to make Windows their primary OS, instead of OS X.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that more people should switch to Windows from OS X.... just that I'm surprised that MS hasn't thought of this yet.

 

[roadbloc]

I don't think it is in Microsoft's interest to do this.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I don't see why Apple should be so special. The other hardware manufacturers have to create their own drivers for Windows. If they submit them to Microsoft they will add them to the next Windows release and Service Pack.

What MS should do however is improve their system for finding drivers automatically when you select the option to find drivers automatically. As those that don't show up during the initial install rarely show when you run Windows update or have it search for drivers through the Device Manager.

There isn't exactly any special hardware in the Mac's besides the keyboard and trackpad. Everything else should run off generic drivers from their manufacturers as they exist in other notebooks and desktops.

Problem is how could MS improve it. Current system is device makers send drivers to MS and then MS will update them.
Now Apple writes crappies drivers for windows. No getting around that fact.

 

[ZGXtreme]

I too actually see this as a sound idea. As a business they may as well try to close that gap with their own software. For me, I may actually use it as there are still some things I need Windows for. Plus I could run Win8 on my '10 MBP13 and use that as an excuse to get a newer model or MBA for use with OSX.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I don't see why Apple should be so special. The other hardware manufacturers have to create their own drivers for Windows. If they submit them to Microsoft they will add them to the next Windows release and Service Pack.

Apple needs special support, because unlike Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Gateway, Lenovo, and Falcon Northwest, Apple likes to pretend Microsoft doesn't exist, and doesn't exactly work with them - or any other developer for that matter.

I completely agree with ZDNet, Microsoft needs to take some special consideration into account when it comes to dealing with Windows on a mac.

 

[jjjjjj3867]

While I would love better drivers for the trackpad and power management - most of this article is obsolete. Mainly: (I can write this because this is what I have done with my macbook pro 15" mid2010 model running only Windows 7 (I did do dual OS for a while also))

1)Windows 7 does in fact boot natively from the Mac’s UEFI firmware (I've read conflicting things so maybe MS can fix this)
2)You can wipe the Mac OS when installing Windows 7 because the install process is just like any other PC (i.e. you don't need to boot into OSX first and run bootcamp) All you have to do after doing a clean install is install the bootcamp drivers from the Mac OSX disc (does not require OSX to be installed)
3)Best Disk management utility is pmagic anyways
4)Hold alt at start up if you want a boot loader
5)Also Apple Update manager does install up-to-date drivers and utility software for the Apple hardware, however does leave some stuff out like gestures, inertial scrolling, graphics switching (that's apple trying to be *******s - which is the one thing MS could fix by doing drivers)
6)And Windows 7 is already Windows 7 with "the full collection of Windows Live apps that connect to complementary Windows Live services (SkyDrive, in particular) when you sign in with a Windows Live ID."

 

[brdeveloper]

Problem is how could MS improve it. Current system is device makers send drivers to MS and then MS will update them.
Now Apple writes crappies drivers for windows. No getting around that fact.

At least concerning Magic Mouse and Wireless Keyboard, Windows drivers are pretty good. My mouse and keyboard batteries last longer than in OSX and I don't get "weak batteries" messages as frequently as in OSX.

 

[maflynn]

The biggest question is why doesn't MS (and intel) push the adoption of EFI, they co-developed it as a replacement for Bios years ago and so far they've not really embraced this themselves. By going to EFI route that should (I'm guessing) make life a lot easier for windows on Macs.

 

[KnightWRX]

The biggest question is why doesn't MS (and intel) push the adoption of EFI

Uh ?

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744321(WS.10).aspx

We have had proof of concept Windows Server running on top of HP Integrity boxes for about 2 years now.

 

[jav6454]

Uh ?

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744321(WS.10).aspx

We have had proof of concept Windows Server running on top of HP Integrity boxes for about 2 years now.

I think he meant for the consumer world.

 

[maflynn]

Uh ?

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744321(WS.10).aspx

We have had proof of concept Windows Server running on top of HP Integrity boxes for about 2 years now.

I didn't say none existed but rather microsoft has not embraced their own standard. They have begun a small push with servers and there are a few motherboards that use EFI over BIOS but the clear majority of workstations are BIOS only

 

[garybUK]

Huh? Apple make pretty cases with not so great hardware inside, case in point: Macbook Pro 13" with low res and poor graphics. Why would Microsoft spend this amount of time when there are much more higher volume manufacturers out there?

Why should Microsoft re-write something that is basically mainstream hardware to begin with???? i dont get it.....

The mac is just a Motherboard + intel chipset + intel graphics + broadcom wireless devices....

 

[Peace]

I may be wrong but I don't think Apple wants Microsoft to have access to write to Apple's EFI.

 

[chrono1081]

Huh? Apple make pretty cases with not so great hardware inside, case in point: Macbook Pro 13" with low res and poor graphics. Why would Microsoft spend this amount of time when there are much more higher volume manufacturers out there?

Why should Microsoft re-write something that is basically mainstream hardware to begin with???? i dont get it.....

The mac is just a Motherboard + intel chipset + intel graphics + broadcom wireless devices....

The MBP isn't low res and poor graphics compared to many Win machines at all. I just had a friend drop $1200 on a Dell fairly recently and to her shock the 15 inch screen was extremely low res compared to the Macs and Sony's out there. (I told her it was low but she didn't listen :/)

Anyway Microsoft can barely get Office working right on the Mac let alone writing Bootcamp, just like Apple doesn't make a good Windows version of iTunes.

 

[KnightWRX]

I think he meant for the consumer world.

They have begun a small push with servers

How is Windows 7 supporting EFI booting the server or the enterprise world exactly ?

I think the blame lies with hardware manufacturers more than Microsoft. Microsoft is and remains a software company, they have no real say (anymore thankfully) over what OEMs produce. For OEMs producing EFI enabled hardware like HP does with its integrity line-up of Itanium/Itanium 2 servers, Windows works.

But really, have we reached any limits to the BIOS that would prompt this push towards EFI ? This stagnation is more the result of "don't fix it if it works" than anything else.

 

[dXTC]

If this means that latency in Windows pro audio applications becomes tolerable without having to turn the Mac's WiFi off, then I'm all for this.

 

[garybUK]

The MBP isn't low res and poor graphics compared to many Win machines at all. I just had a friend drop $1200 on a Dell fairly recently and to her shock the 15 inch screen was extremely low res compared to the Macs and Sony's out there. (I told her it was low but she didn't listen :/)

Anyway Microsoft can barely get Office working right on the Mac let alone writing Bootcamp, just like Apple doesn't make a good Windows version of iTunes.

I'm sorry but Intel HD Graphics + 1280x800 resolution on the 13" is pretty poor, especially when the Sony SA's have 1600x900 with AMD Radeon 1gb Graphics. Not sure which dell you are on about.

 

[KnightWRX]

I'm sorry but Intel HD Graphics + 1280x800 resolution on the 13" is pretty poor, especially when the Sony SA's have 1600x900 with AMD Radeon 1gb Graphics. Not sure which dell you are on about.

The Inspiron 15z most probably. The base model comes with a 1366x768 screen. Wait no, that can't be it, it has nVidia graphics and has a 1920x1080 resolution when configured up to something around 1300$.

So it's the Inspiron 15R with the same resolution (no Full HD resolution here) but wait, that starts at 699$ with 8 GB RAM, a 750 GB HD... how can you even drive that up to 1300$ ?

Oh wait, he's just making stuff up. (That or his friend configured a 15z with the low-res screen and came out with a monster laptop with a low-res screen).

 

[chrono1081]

The Inspiron 15z most probably. The base model comes with a 1366x768 screen. Wait no, that can't be it, it has nVidia graphics and has a 1920x1080 resolution when configured up to something around 1300$.

So it's the Inspiron 15R with the same resolution (no Full HD resolution here) but wait, that starts at 699$ with 8 GB RAM, a 750 GB HD... how can you even drive that up to 1300$ ?

Oh wait, he's just making stuff up. (That or his friend configured a 15z with the low-res screen and came out with a monster laptop with a low-res screen).

This isn't current, she got it fairly recently. I want to say Feb or March. It definitely has a rotten display for the price paid.

 

[*LTD*]

There isn't enough demand for this sort of thing.

Running Windows (better than it's implemented currently via Boot Camp) is not one of the main reasons consumers are purchasing Macs.

 

[KnightWRX]

This isn't current, she got it fairly recently. I want to say Feb or March. It definitely has a rotten display for the price paid.

Not much has changed at Dell on that front for the Inspiron line-up. Again would help if you provided details. Of course you can configure any old laptop to cost 1300$ and still retain **** graphics and **** display if all you do is poor your upgrades into RAM/CPU/battery/accessories, but guess what, you still end up with monster specs then.

You're comparing 1 item of her laptop and declaring the whole package equivalent. Let's see some spec to spec comparison. Currently, looking at both the 15z and 15r offerings, it seems to disprove your assertion.

 

[dXTC]

Running Windows (better than it's implemented currently via Boot Camp) is not one of the main reasons consumers are purchasing Macs.

Agreed.

If Roland, the current owners of Cakewalk, produced a Mac version of Cakewalk SONAR, I'd ditch Boot Camp myself with a quickness. I don't see that happening though, as much of SONAR's built-in synths depend on DirectX and DXi.

 

[maflynn]

There isn't enough demand for this sort of thing.

Running Windows (better than it's implemented currently via Boot Camp) is not one of the main reasons consumers are purchasing Macs.

I think you hit the nail on the head. If there's no real market for such a thing, why invest $$