Windows XP can partially run on Vision Pro hardware in emulation

AppleInsider

An emulator company has shown a first look at running Windows XP on the Apple Vision Pro, for some reason.

You can uncross those fingers: Windows XP will run on Vision Pro

While it is at least many months before the Vision Pro is released, developers are working with Apple's visionOS development kit and using it for purposes Apple probably didn't consider. Such as installing and running Windows on it.

Specifically, Turing Software, maker of UTM Virtual Machines for Mac, has installed Windows XP. That would be the same Windows XP that Microsoft ceased supporting in 2014.

UTM is now running on Vision Pro (simulator)! Still need to implement input devices but here's a sneak peek. pic.twitter.com/xYnSgTdXpi

-- UTM (@UTMapp)

August 8, 2023

The demo shows Windows XP booting up to its desktop and so far not running any Windows apps. UTM notes that it doesn't yet connect to keyboards or other input devices, so it's not a practical system yet.

UTM Virtual Machines for Mac is intended for Apple users to be able to install many different versions of Windows, or Linux, and so have access to the massive array of apps written for those platforms.

"UTM employs Apple's Hypervisor virtualization framework to run ARM64 operating systems on Apple Silicon at near native speeds," says the company on its website. "In addition, lower performance emulation is available to run x86/x64 on Apple Silicon as well as ARM64 on Intel."

One casualty of Apple's move from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon was that Mac dropped its Boot Camp feature. This was the ability to reboot a Mac and have it running Windows natively.

In February 2023, the Parallels company managed to get its Desktop app running Windows 11 on Apple Silicon.

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williamh

For some reason?  Because it's funny and cool!  Obviously running Windows XP on a $3500 headset isn't something many people are aching to do but it's a very cool proof of concept.  Back in ye olde day, some folks got MAME running on a digital camera.  Why?  Because how cool is that?!

darkvader

Well, I suppose that immediately solves the problem of running Doom on it.

prairiewalker

Windows 11 as a VM runs superbly on Parallels in my M1 iMac.

dewme

prairiewalker said:

Windows 11 as a VM runs superbly on Parallels in my M1 iMac.

Ditto for Windows 11 ARM on VMWare Fusion Player 13. 

But it’s still impressive to see what some very clever programmers can do to shoehorn a big OS on to very limited platforms, like Windows 10 on Raspberry Pi. 

I think all programmers would learn a little something by seeing how these clever folks pulled it off. Unless you’ve done embedded software yourself you kind of lose touch with dealing with serious platform constraints. The penalties for being sloppy are drowned out by the immense resources of newer desktop platforms. 

edited August 2023

williamlondon

About as useful as turning an Apple Watch into a mechanical one, clever feat more for attention and initial adulation than actual practical usage.

mknelson

prairiewalker said:

Windows 11 as a VM runs superbly on Parallels in my M1 iMac.

It does indeed.

The impressive thing here is Parallels uses Microsoft's translation technology to run Intel apps, but not Intel OSes. UTM running an Intel OS on Apple Silicon is pretty special.

mayfly

I'm sure they'll sell millions of them…bleah

eriamjh

If it leads to playing games, then good.

danox

A complete waste of time just shows but does show desperation like when Apple first introduced Apple Silicon, and a whole bunch of tech people were saying that Apple was still doomed because Windows doesn’t run on Apple Silicon hint: Apple was wasting their time replacing Intel cpu’s.

jsnively

Now do BeOS 

chasm

Well, at least we know how the Apple Vision Pro will be infested with viruses now ….

marvin

jSnively said:

Now do BeOS 

Looks like it can run BeOS, or a modern variant anyway:



and Mac OS 9 for the classic look:



UTM works as both emulator and virtualization like Parallels/VMWare. The emulated OSes will run about 1/10th the speed of native but the native ARM Aarch64 systems run very fast. Ubuntu Linux ARM64 is here:

https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/jammy/daily-live/current/

Haiku/BeOS native Aarch64 port is in an early stage:

https://www.haiku-os.org/guides/building/compiling-arm64/

beowulfschmidt

williamlondon said:

About as useful as turning an Apple Watch into a mechanical one, clever feat more for attention and initial adulation than actual practical usage.

Because no one should ever do something they enjoy doing just for the joy of doing it.  /s

freeassociate2

beowulfschmidt said:

williamlondon said:

About as useful as turning an Apple Watch into a mechanical one, clever feat more for attention and initial adulation than actual practical usage.

Because no one should ever do something they enjoy doing just for the joy of doing it.  /s

You mean like serial killers?

Doing impractical, worthless, or outright stupid things may define a lot of human behavior — that doesn’t make it an inherent good, buddy. 

edited August 2023

freeassociate2

Btw, how stupid is UTM’s “Securely run operating systems on your Mac” advertising in light of the fact that they advocate jail-breaking your phone?

good grief

entropys

That Mac OS 9 install video….an urge to install and run marathon and descent!

beowulfschmidt

freeassociate2 said:

beowulfschmidt said:

williamlondon said:

About as useful as turning an Apple Watch into a mechanical one, clever feat more for attention and initial adulation than actual practical usage.

Because no one should ever do something they enjoy doing just for the joy of doing it.  /s

You mean like serial killers?

Doing impractical, worthless, or outright stupid things may define a lot of human behavior — that doesn’t make it an inherent good, buddy. 

Nor does it make it an inherent bad...buddy.