MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - iPod + OS x86 = Microsoft's worst nightmare?

Brian · 08-26-2005, 11:24 PM

In technology pundit Robert X. Cringely's latest column, Bob throws out a pretty wild but plausible Apple strategy to disrupt Microsoft's domination of the desktop OS: Use the iPod as a bootable device to run OS X on PCs.

"Every one of those iPods is a bootable drive. What if Apple introduces OS 10.5, its next super-duper operating system release, and at the same time starts loading FOR FREE the current operating system version -- OS 10.4 -- on every new iPod in a version that runs on generic Intel boxes? What if they also make 10.4 a free download through the iTunes Music Store?"

While iPods are bootable drives for Macs thanks to Open Firmware, things are a bit different for PCs. The "host" computer would need a BIOS that supports booting from a USB device, or Apple would have to furnish a Knoppix-like bootable CD or DVD that would then run OS X from the iPod. Similar to IBM's SoulPad research project, your entire computing environment including your OS, applications, files, and so on would be available anywhere using your iPod and a suitable "host" computer.

Apple has stated that they are a hardware company, not a software company. This strategy wouldn't undermine their hardware sales as it would drive iPod sales and give the "iPod Halo Effect" a whole new meaning.

08-26-2005, 11:24 PM	#1
Brian MobileRead Editor Posts: 447 Karma: 84 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Massachusetts Device: Treo 700p, Zodiac2	iPod + OS x86 = Microsoft's worst nightmare? In technology pundit Robert X. Cringely's latest column, Bob throws out a pretty wild but plausible Apple strategy to disrupt Microsoft's domination of the desktop OS: Use the iPod as a bootable device to run OS X on PCs. "Every one of those iPods is a bootable drive. What if Apple introduces OS 10.5, its next super-duper operating system release, and at the same time starts loading FOR FREE the current operating system version -- OS 10.4 -- on every new iPod in a version that runs on generic Intel boxes? What if they also make 10.4 a free download through the iTunes Music Store?" While iPods are bootable drives for Macs thanks to Open Firmware, things are a bit different for PCs. The "host" computer would need a BIOS that supports booting from a USB device, or Apple would have to furnish a Knoppix-like bootable CD or DVD that would then run OS X from the iPod. Similar to IBM's SoulPad research project, your entire computing environment including your OS, applications, files, and so on would be available anywhere using your iPod and a suitable "host" computer. Apple has stated that they are a hardware company, not a software company. This strategy wouldn't undermine their hardware sales as it would drive iPod sales and give the "iPod Halo Effect" a whole new meaning.