Apple stops Boot Camp downloads

Computerworld - Apple Inc. has pulled the beta of Boot Camp, the application that lets Mac users run Windows XP or Vista on their Intel-powered machines, from its servers in preparation for Friday's launch of Leopard.

Although a Boot Camp 1.4 beta page remains live, clicking on the download link brings up an error message that reads: "The page you tried was not found." A graphic of the Mac OS X 10.5 packaging appears in the background.

Earlier this month, Apple reminded users that the license to Boot Camp would expire when Leopard shipped. The application's beta has been available free of charge for Mac owners running Mac OS X 10.4, commonly known as Tiger.

While licenses will expire when Leopard launches, Apple has confirmed that Windows partitions created with Boot Camp will continue to work. However, the Boot Camp Assistant, software that sets up and manages Windows partitions, will not. Apple also has said that it will stop delivering driver updates to beta users.

Most analysts believe that Apple will not sell a separate Tiger-only version of Boot Camp, but will instead use the dual-boot software to entice users to upgrade. Leopard, which is priced at $129 for a single-user license and $199 for a five-license family pack, goes on sale Friday.

Beginning Oct. 26, Computerworld will offer extensive coverage of the launch of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard with a series of in-depth stories about the new operating system and the many features it offers.