Jackass of the Week: USA Today Columnist Andrew Kantor

Andrew Kantor writes in USA Today that Boot Camp will start an “exodus to Windows” of Mac users:

But the notion put forward by some Mac folks — that Boot Camp will improve the Mac’s position in the business and gaming marketplace — is backward. Instead, it’s more likely to convince Mac users to switch to Windows once they’ve used it long enough to be deprogrammed.

Readers keep sending me links to ill-considered punditry such as this, and I love it, because in every case, the stuff I’ve already written about Boot Camp refutes every point they try to make. In a nut, though, the two most important points about Boot Camp are these:

  • You now get to choose between a computer that can only run Windows or a computer that can run both Windows and Mac OS X. And only Apple sells the latter.

  • Apple isn’t trying to get all PC users/owners to buy Macs. They’re just trying to get high-end users who are already tempted by the Mac to switch.

★ Friday, 14 April 2006