If you’re using an Apple Mac, iMac or MacBook that runs on Mac OS X operating system, you will be unable to run majority of software programs and applications that are written only for Microsoft Windows operating system. What if you still need to run some Windows applications or games that are not available for Mac OS X platform? Apple does provide Mac users with a few choices. Mac users can download and install Apple Boot Camp where Windows and Mac OS X coexist and the Mac machine becomes dual boot. Other options are Microsoft Virtual PC that creates a virtual machine (VM) emulating a Pentium-based Windows machine and Parallels Desktop for Mac. Both install Windows as guest operating system in a logical partition of Mac OS X, and runs Windows alongside with Mac OS X by emulation or virtualization.
Now you have another option to run Windows programs and apps on Apple Mac OS X, but without the need to install Apple Boot Camp dual-boot utility, or any virtual PC and virtual machine virtualization software. CodeWeavers CrossOver Mac is a program that allows users to install and run many Windows-based programs, applications and games in Mac OS X operating system on MacIntel computers. CrossOver Mac is based on open source Wine project, which is not an emulator but uses re-implementation of Win32 API to run Windows apps natively on target OS. So x86-compatible processor (e.g. Intel or AMD processors) is needed to run an x86 Windows application, and this explains why CrossOver Mac only supports Intel Macintosh computers, but with advantage that apps, games and programs will run natively at full speed.
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