Mac Os X 10.5 Likely To Have Virtualization, Windows Support
In a stunning move, BAPCo, the industry-standard Windows benchmarking consortium, announced that Apple Computer has joined up as a member. BAPCo is responsible for the SYSmark 2004SE and MobileMark benchmark suites we use at PC Magazine Labs for testing PCs.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple's BAPCo membership follows reports that Microsoft and Apple were working on Virtual PC's future and that Leopard might include VMWare-like virtualization. Those reports remain unconfirmed, but joining the consortium behind SYSmark and MobileMark puts Apple inside a Windows-PC benchmarking framework.
First-order effects
- Apple gains a seat in BAPCo, giving Mac OS X representation in the consortium responsible for the SYSmark 2004SE and MobileMark benchmark suites.
Second-order effects
- PC Magazine Labs, which already uses BAPCo's suites for PC testing, has a common measurement framework for evaluating any Apple move toward Windows compatibility.
Third-order effects
- If the reported Mac OS X 10.5 features ship, Apple would be competing more directly within a Windows-defined software-compatibility and performance ecosystem rather than solely as a separate Mac platform.
The trend: Apple's BAPCo entry is one signal of the Mac platform moving toward interoperability with Windows software and PC performance benchmarks.