Editorial

Posted on 25 Oct 2004 at 15:53

 

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Virtual PC 7 is here at last, but Nik Rawlinson isn't quite so sure why.

Virtual PC. We waited so long, and then... disappointment. First there were the problems it had with the steel-shelled Power Macs, but they were overcome. Now it's memory that trips it up: if your G5 has 2GB or more it's at risk of freezing when running VPC 7. Microsoft's suggested remedy is far from ideal: take out some RAM until a fix is in place.

It's ironic, isn't it, that a company as big as Microsoft, one of the largest software developers in the world, can't get it right when it comes to a platform as tight, stable and integrated as the Mac. Apple, on the other hand, has no problems porting iTunes to Windows, or building iPods, screens and wireless networking products for the PC-using masses.

However, perhaps that's because Apple needs to impress, and with a stable 90%+ of the market for desktop computing under its control, Microsoft doesn't. It has a loyal fan base - just as Apple does - and it doesn't need to mount a passive switcher campaign by inventing insanely great products like the iPod. If Apple was in the same position, I dare say its outlook might be similar. The iPod mini could have been an ugly flash player with a 1in screen and a 1GB drive. The iMac might still be a big beige box.

So perhaps we should applaud Microsoft for soldiering on with Virtual PC 7, when it could so easily have bought it from Connectix for the sole purpose of bringing about a swift and painless death. 'We're protecting our market share,' the board would have explained, and the shareholders would have nodded approval. Apple pretty much did the same thing with Logic. It bought it two years ago from German developer eMagic, and promptly discontinued the PC line. The rest, as they say, is history. There was a PowerBook on Top of the Pops last week. Or so I'm told.

Which brings us back to Virtual PC and the question, why? I'm stumped. Don't get me wrong: I'm glad it's there. It puts off a little longer the next time I'll have to spend money on a real Windows machine, and for web developers it's a widely-touted Godsend. But for Microsoft? I'm not so sure.

Author: Nik Rawlinson