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Impact of Apple software test seen as limited

The release of a test version of new software allowing Apple Computer Inc's Macintosh computers to run Microsoft Corp's Windows XP is not expected to have a huge impact on local consumers, analysts said yesterday.

"This is a positive move for Apple, but we doubt if this will boost its local user base to a very large extent," Amy Teng (鄧雅君), an analyst at Gartner Inc's Taiwan office, said in a telephone interview.

Teng said that although Apple's iPod digital music players are popular here, consumers are lukewarm toward its computer products, which are mid and high-end machines targeted at professional markets such as publishing houses.

Apple's total computer shipments reported 34.1 percent growth in Taiwan last year, amounting to nearly 29,000 units, according to the statistics from International Data Corp Taiwan.

Though the expansion rate was impressive, Apple's shipments translated to a mere 1 percent share in a market dominated by domestic brands Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦) and Acer Inc.

"This inclusion of Windows operating system under Macintosh umbrella will be able to attract a small percentage of Windows users, who were hesitant to adopt Macs in the past due to unfamiliarity. But the impact for Apple will be small," Teng said.

On Wednesday, Apple unveiled a test version of its new "Boot Camp" software that will allow its first slew of Intel-based Macs -- iMac desktops and MacBook Pro notebooks -- to run Microsoft's Windows XP operating system.

This synergy with Microsoft will help Apple increase its share in the global operating system and subsystem market, which was valued at US$21 billion last year, said Simon Yang (楊勝帆), an analyst with the Taipei-based Topology Research Institute (拓墣產業研究所).

"Microsoft has long been trying to get rid of its `monopoly' image. It is willing to lose a very marginal share in this field to Apple, as it still has Vista -- a new killer operating system to be introduced next January," he said.

He said there may be some performance issues.

"Local users still prefer to use pirated software copies for their Windows-based computers. But as pirated Macintosh software is hard to come by, this will make users think twice about future investment costs if they want to go for `Boot Camp,'" Teng said.

also see story:
Apple releases test software to allow new Mac owners to use Windows XP

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