Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) -- strange bedfellows or enemies? The iPod and the Zune, the Mac OS and Windows. Is Microsoft really helping Apple selling Macs?
Well, not entirely. According to The Wall Street Journal, the ability of the new Intel Corp.- (NASDAQ:INTC) powered Macs to run Windows is winning fans [subscription required] with consumers, schools and small businesses. As the paper writes, "support for Windows on Apple hardware looks to be playing a key role in persuading some users to switch to Macs."
Apple really doesn't need the help. In the latest reported quarter, Mac sales rose 40% to $2.4 billion. Sales of portable Macs rose 79% to $1.455 billion.
The knock against the Mac at most companies is that its OS does not play nicely with Windows. No longer. Now, Apple computers run the stuff. Apple's marketing strength, however, remains directed at the consumer, due, in part, to the success of the iPod and the upcoming launch of the iPhone.
Perhaps Apple will actually put some sales effort against enterprise sales of the Mac. That could make things interesting for companies like Hewlett-Packard Co.(NYSE:HPQ).
Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.
Today, Apple (NAS: 
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