Macbook using XP as primary OS - Bad Idea?

My intention is to get a 13in macbook and install xp on it. I dont really have much interest in the mac OS, as my primary reasons for getting a macbook would be for the excellent battery life and the looks.

Am I making a mistake? Does XP run well enough for me to use it as my primary OS?

It will be more than sufficient running XP, but you will be missing out on the BEST part of owning a Mac in my opinion. I never boot into Windows anymore.

You can certainly do that. But there are definitely much less expensive options if all you're going to be doing is running Windows. Depends on how much you really like the look, I guess. But yes, you can install windows via Boot Camp, make that your default OS for booting up, and keep OSX in a minimally-sized partition. Although that seems like a lot of trouble (including paying for a copy of Windows) given your intended purpose.

I run Windows and Linux in virtual machines on my MacBook and have never looked back, for what it's worth.

Cheers

It will certainly run Windows just as well as any Windows-based laptop of equivalent specification. But personally, I wouldn't do this. Apple's hardware is pretty, but is sorely lacking in certain functional areas (lack of an HDD activity, lack of a card reader, etc). Seems to be a heck of a compromise in terms of functionality and price for a pretty machine. Especially when companies like Sony that make lookalikes for less money.

You may also find difficulty in installing SP3 for Win XP. But make sure you do get all the updates you can, otherwise you might not be able to connect wirelessly to the Internet.
Cheers LL

well I thought this would be an expensive route as well, however upon checking my local craigslist Ive found several black intel based macbooks selling as low as 500! Many between 500-700. Considering a macbook would also be much more compact than my current laptop (15in hp), which requires a very bulky 12cell to get 4 hours out of the laptop, it just seems like a smart thing to do (Im a student). You never know, I might warm up to osx too. My current laptop is up for sale on ebay so hopefully Ill pick up my macbook by the end of the end of the week!

I planned on doing the same thing. I really loved the looks of the macbook air so I went out and picked one up when the good old student loan checks came in. I was going to get an air and install XP on it, until I thought to my self "hmm, maybe there is something to all this hype" and tried getting used to the mac OS, it was really hard and frustrating at first, because I was trying to find something for 10 minutes than I could find in 1.5 seconds in XP. But after that initial switching shock I think you will warm up to OSX, not only warm up, you will probably never use windows again. I had to use my friends Vista laptop to do an Access project for a college course, and it was terrible. I found my self going to the wrong side of the menu bar to minimize/close a program. It felt like using a mac OS did for the first time after using windows for 10+ years. Enjoy your mac, at the very least give osx a shot, (I did about a week ago, and i'd never go back once you get used to it in a few days of playing around) Install windows Xp using bootcamp to use some of your microsoft essential programs, LIKE ACCESS. And thats about all i've ran into so far that I can't get for a mac. I'm trying to use bootcamp to install windows on a 6gb partition but it keeps erroring out and going nuts (that is the first thing thats went wrong with the mac, installing a MS product...)

It can run windows as good or better than most windows pcs, no kidding. But what a shame it would be to never learn OSX.

Wouldn't you enjoy safe internet use where you don't have to worry about malware or spyware?

Wouldn't you enjoy booting up and shutting down in a fraction of the time it takes windows?

Look, do this. Force yourself to use OSX for a week or two. At first you are going to be aggravated. But you will come to love it, odds are. You are going to have some un-learning to do. But in the end, macs are better than windows machines for everything but gaming, and running windows-only apps.

Life is boring without change and risk. Try something new, you probably won't regret it. If you do, well you still have windows right there.

Well, for some professional application (as ProE, Catia ....), i must use window for my work. But it's only for this case. Mac OS is very much better than Microsoft OS which has many ....many stupid errors -,-.