Sunday, December 23, 2007

Netflix Watch Now on my Mac

I can watch Netflix movies online with my new Mac Mini, because it has an Intel processor. Using a program called Boot Camp Beta, I installed Windows XP on a small part of the hard drive. By default, my computer starts in Mac OS 10.4, but on those days I want to Watch Instantly, I hold down the Option key while starting up, and choose Windows XP.

I have installed Firefox on the Windows XP partition, as well as Windows Defender and AVG freeware for anti-virus. When I am in Windows, I have to remember to take precautions while on the Web.

It's an expensive workaround for those of us who prefer the Mac platform, while we wait for Netflix to make Watch Now available for Macs. I paid $500 (refurbished) for the Mac Mini, and $179 for a legal copy of Windows XP. I didn't want to try Windows Vista, because of all the bad things I've heard about it.

I saw an ad on Apple.com which claims Vista runs better on a Mac than a PC. Too late. I don't want to spend any more money on Microsoft.

I have the best of both worlds: I get to keep using a Mac computer, and I get to watch Netflix movies instantly online!