Apple has decided to join the Windows 7 club, or at least let users of Mac hardware to become members. It has released an updated version of Boot Camp that will let you install Windows 7 on intel-based Macs. Hooray?
Boot Camp version 3.1 will let you install either the 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Home, Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. Jason Mick, at DailyTech, says the 32-bit version requires 380.7 MB of disk space, while the 64-bit version checks in at a much slimmer 274.6MB. Mick reports installation is painless, and corrects most all of the deficiencies of running Windows 7 on a Mac prior to this release, including correcting trackpad issues and fixing incompatibilities with Apple’s Magic Mouse and bluetooth keyboard.
There are some caveats, though. MacPro and iMac users will want to upgrade their graphics firmware. iMac users will want to install a set of late-2009 Windows 7 drivers. And installation of Windows 7, according to the Boot Camp web site, is limited to upgrades from XP or Vista. But, Mick says he performed a clean install of 7 with no problem.
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