Can Apple's iMac or MacBook Run Windows Vista?

Answer:

In a word - Yes! This is now possible and a lot easier since Apple adopted Intel's cpu for its new line of iMac desktops and MacBook laptops.

Apple's free Bootcamp ver 1.1.2 (beta) lets you install Windows on your Mac and select the OS of choice by holding down the Option key at startup.

Commercial alternatives are available in the form of virtualization software like VMware's Fusion (Free - currently in beta) and Parallels' Desktop for Mac ($79.99). They offer more features like the capability to run in 64-bit, switching from Mac to Windows Vista without a reboot and running Windows Vista in a window within Mac's OS X.

However, it pays to know that Microsoft has built a wall around virtualization, supposedly for security reasons although many believe it to be a business decision instead. Lurking in the 14-page agreement of the virtualization software is a ban on using the least expensive versions of Vista, i.e. people wanting to put Vista in a virtualized program have to buy the $299 Business or the $399 Ultimate editions.

The license agreement also prohibits virtualization programs from using Windows Vista's BitLocker data-encryption service or from playing music, video or other content wrapped in Microsoft's copyright-protection technology.