Apple Boot Camp Beta Allows WinXP SP2 on Intel Macs

In a surprise, non-April Fool's announcement today, Apple Computer has
released a public beta of Boot Camp, a utility that enables dual booting
Mac OS X and Windows XP on Intel Mac computers.

The utility first creates a special install CD that contains Mac drivers
for Windows as well as a startup disk control panel for XP.

Then, the utility facilitates partitioning and installation of XP SP2.

Says Apple: "Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology
called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming
Vista, are stuck in the 1980w with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot
Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries."

A glance at the Boot Camp page, http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp
hints that this is a new angle to the Switch campaign, inviting XP users
right to Apple's doorstep and encouraging them to step through with the
assurance that their familiar environs will be close by.