New Mac Pro gives Windows 7 the heave-ho, won’t run in Boot Camp

By Mike Epstein March 18, 2014

new mac pro wont run windows 7 boot camp macpro 01260 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you were looking forward to dual-booting Windows 7 on the brand new Mac Pro, you’re out of luck. According to allegedly leaked support documents, Apple has dropped Boot Camp support for Windows 7, making Microsoft’s most popular desktop operating system incompatible with Cupertino’s cylindrical powerhouse.

The documents reveal that the Mac Pro, which will sport Boot Camp 5, will only support Windows 8. The Twocanoes blog published screenshots of the Boot Camp setup assistant for the new Mac Pro, indicating that the program only supports “Windows 8 or later.”

windows8orlater — Image Credit: Twocanoes Blog Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple is definitely forcing Windows-booting Mac Pro users to run Windows 8: The question is why? The public’s incredibly slow adoption rate of Windows 8 paired with the popularity of Windows 7 makes this a curious decision. The most recent stats from Net Marketshare indicate that Windows 7’s desktop OS share sits at roughly 47 percent, while Windows 8 and 8.1’s is roughly 10 percent. We wonder whether future MacBooks and iMacs released later this year and beyond will also refuse to support Windows 7 in Boot Camp.

Will the lack of Windows 7 support in the new Mac Pro prevent you from buying Apple’s newest workstation? Or are you willing to live with using Windows 8/8.1 alongside OS X? Let us know in the comments below.

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Michael is a New York-based tech and culture reporter, and a graduate of Northwestwern University’s Medill School of…

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