Be warned: There are some major concerns regarding performance, battery life and quite annoying usability quirks that Apple decided not to fix in their Boot Camp software.

But don't let that bog you down! In this three-part series, I'll discuss the ups and downs, the gotchas and benefits of running Windows 7 on a Mac --- and offer tips for making your Mac + Windows life easier.

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In this first article in the series, I explore two of the main criticisms when it comes to running Windows 7 on Apple hardware: Performance and battery life. Part 2 will discuss the usability quirks you can expect both on the hardware and software side. Part 3 will detail all the steps necessary for installing Windows 7, getting the latest BootCamp 4.0, running modified drivers, tweaking Windows to run better on Macs and what hacks and tools make your "Mac + Windows" life easier.