In an attempt to make Macs more appealing, Apple Computer, which claimed that Microsoft was making hard attempts to copy features of its latest Mac OS X “Tiger” operating system (OS) into Windows Vista OS, said today it would enable its customers to use Windows XP on the Macintosh computers which are based on Intel processors. Still, the company said it would neither support, nor sell the OS from its long-time competitor Microsoft.

“Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple’s superior hardware now that we use Intel processors. We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing.

Earlier Apple said that the company’s Mac OS system was much better than the competing offerings from Microsoft Corp. Recently both companies decided that Microsoft will not develop a special version of its next-gen Office suite for Mac OS X, which means that those, who are used to the Macs, will have to install Windows XP or Vista on their computers to use the MS Office.

Available as a download beginning today, Boot Camp allows users with a Microsoft Windows XP installation disc to install Windows XP on an Intel-based Mac, and once installation is complete, users can restart their computer to run either Mac OS X or Windows XP. Boot Camp will be a feature in “Leopard,” Apple’s next major release of Mac OS X, that will be previewed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in August.

Boot Camp simplifies Windows installation on an Intel-based Mac by providing a simple graphical step-by-step assistant application to dynamically create a second partition on the hard drive for Windows, to burn a CD with all the necessary Windows drivers, and to install Windows from a Windows XP installation CD.

The public beta of Boot Camp is available immediately as a download at Apple’s web-site, and is preview software licensed for use on a trial basis for a limited time. The final version of Boot Camp will be available as a feature in the upcoming Mac OS X version 10.5 “Leopard.”

Boot Camp requires an Intel-based Mac with a USB keyboard and mouse, or a built-in keyboard and TrackPad; Mac OS X version 10.4.6 or later; the latest firmware update; at least 10GB of free space on the startup disk; a blank recordable CD or DVD; and single-disc version of Windows XP Home Edition or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later.