“Apple on x86 is a tempest in a teapot. People are way overblowing the impact of the beta release on not-even-close-to-final hardware, and the tin foil hat crowd is having a heyday. Everything from how to pirate it and to conspiracy theories running rampant,” Charlie Demerjian writes for The Inquirer. “Then some pictures arrived in my inbox, along with a little explanation that made me sit up and take notice.”
“First, this is not the VMWare hack, it was installed on the notebook, so presumably the source has access to a legit copy of the OS. Next, it supposedly installed without a hitch, and everything down to the wireless card worked like a charm. Lastly, it was an AMD64 model, from the look of it, and it is most likely this one. Hmmm, that is interesting,” Demerjian writes.
Full article with photos here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Cracking Apple’s Mac OS X for Intel doesn’t mean much now, Apple may have the last word – August 19, 2005
Report: Mac OS X for Intel hacked to run on non-apple x86 PCs – August 11, 2005
Dvorak: Steve Jobs eventually intends for Apple’s Mac OS X to run on any x86 PC – August 09, 2005
DRM chip in Intel-based developer Macs prevents Mac OS X from running on non-Apple PCs – August 05, 2005
Report: Apple’s Mac OS X Intel kernel employs DRM to prevent OS from working unless authorized – August 01, 2005
Apple Intel-based Macs for developers runs Mac OS X and Windows XP – June 23, 2005
Apple’s ‘Mac OS X for Intel’ developer build reportedly running on Tablet PC – June 16, 2005
Video of Mac OS X 10.4.1 for Intel running on Dell laptop posted online – June 13, 2005
Report: Apple Mac OS X 10.4.1 for Intel hits piracy sites – June 11, 2005
I don’ t know what’s so interesting about it. It’s just another x86 CPU.
yeah… I highly doubt OS X is going to be licensed anytime (if ever) in te future….
As someone who stupidly invested in an HP laptop before I got my first Mac,(ignorance was bliss), I would love to try this out on my HP.
I know it’s not the real thing and all, and by the time the Intel switchout happens I will be able to get a new Powerbook, but I would still love to try it.
I tried to get the files from a torrent and it turned out to be a hoax. Guess I will have to wait like everyone else.
Just a thought here. But one of the big shots against the Mac in Enterprise is that they are locked into one Manufacturer.
What if there was more than one source for the hardware? Great. Let’s just buy from the best hardware manufacturer. What? It’s Apple? ok, that’s fine, but we have a second source incase we don’t like dealing with them in the future.
Terrific. AMD wipes the floor with Intel.
Yeah, The only reason Apple went with InHell was becasue of the marketing dollars. Intel is full of stool pidgeons.
So this is just confirmation that the switch to Intel was really just a switch away from a PPC-only OS. The full version of Leopard will be able to run on any hardware that Apple chooses: Intel, AMD, or PPC.
What this means for Apple hardware is really the only interesting question to me. I hope that Apple maintains its position at the top of the design curve, because that (along with OS X, and the reliability of the hardware-software integration) is why i buy their computers.
macnut222 & MacMDStudent,
There are some nerds/hackers/hobbyists who want to do something that hasn’t been done before. Just look at the efforts to run linux on any device w/ suffcient computing ability. There have been efforts for years to run OS X on a PC (PearPC/CherryOS) but it was a long, annoying battle. Now that Apple has released x86 compatible binaries, hacking/cracking OS X to work on generic x86 hardware seems like a obtainable goal.
I’m sure Apple will implement some interesting protections against hacks. But, there will always someone who wants to try anyway. A few people will work really hard just to prove it can be done, and they will share their end result with the world via the internet.
Since there is a lot of x86 hardware out there, a version of x86 compatible OS X in the wild would be welcomed by many people. These are the people without the $ to buy a mac or those who simply won’t buy one.
(sorry for my spelling/grammar)
and someones going to say Apple didn’t know this…..maybe its someone from Apple
Microshaft must be sh*tting their pants that Apple has resorted to drug dealer tactics. Give them a free taste, but hook them for life.
Have to admit, using Mac OS X is a pleasure compared to Windows, it must be a b*tch going back.
Notice Apple put out the “try the Mini for free” tactic now?
Apparantly everything doesn’t work on the pirate copies.
lets see…..
OSX runs on any x86, lets give the older 10.2/10.3 versions away for free, resorting to
“…..drug dealer tactics. Give them a free taste, but hook them for life (care of MacDude)
and any version from 10.5 on, has features that only run on Mac hardware
hmmmmmmmmmm
I got OS X running on a calculator, dude. Groovy
up in the sky; its a bird, its a plane, its satellite communications
featuring the new iPod satellite…i know, get Sirius
AMD and OS X are a natural pair. The worlds best OS and the worlds best CPU. It will be a while before Intel has anthing that can touch the Athlon 64 X2 or even the FX-57. The best should be paired with the best. Picking Intel just because of their market share dosen’t make anymore sense than picking Windows just because of it’s market share.
But I think what really burns the Mac faithful, (read zelots), is not the soiling of their sanctified OS on non-blessed hardware, but that it runs better on the x86 platform than on the PPC.
there will 2 Apple computer lines
MacTel: crap for corporate
Macintosh PPC: for the innovative, video and graphics industries
MS, watch your corporate ass, Apples coming
I would really like to see Mac OS X sold OTC and running on AMD or Intel chips.
I’d still buy Apple computers, but I’d LOVE to see Apple stick it to Microsoft in a big way.
But it’s just a dream…Apple will take precautions to make sure OS X runs on the machines they want.
inaminit
I think its just the Intel name, its associated with MS that pissing some off. When you get past that, its the software that counts.
I wonder to what lengths AMD would go to get Apples business. It certainly would be a plus for them.
MacDoctor
The fact that OSX is running on x86 machines, and that they seem to be illegally proliferating, so it may be more than a dream.
Say that again next year. Say that about laptops.
AMD is fine, but Intel is the right place to start.
hanginround:
Yeah, can’t blame anyone for that, I really hate having to run Windows on my homemade. When the kids are gone, and I don’t have to worry about games, I’ll stick Linux on all my non-Macs. But I can’t wait for the day Apple finds their real strength and puts OS X head to head with Windows on all x86 platforms. With Windows out of the way Apple will make enough money to indulge themselves in any kind of proprietary hardware and still stay solvent. Now thats the stuff of Bill Gates’s nightmares!
Now Apple can test OSX security on x86 machines by waiting for the hackers to load it onto existing Intel and AMD hardware and just wait to hear if any viruses, ?ware, worms, whatever bring it down.
I’m sure that MS may not want it spread around that a hacked Apple OS can run more securely on windows machines than its own OS.
Aint that a bummer
Seems like Apple allowed the Intel/AMD hacks to happen so that OSX can tested with their current hardware without using any Apple resources.
Smart move, watch out Bill, MacDoctor said it: theres an OTC OSX coming your way
I think Intel should change its name to, whatelse, MacIntel. This will give Billy G an idea as to where things are going
The more CPUs the merrier. Choice is good. I think this is great!
lookingahead,
Look back, it’s called Linux…(re: “I’m sure that MS may not want it spread around that a hacked Apple OS can run more securely on windows machines than its own OS.”). M$ has been aware of Linux for years and Solaris x86 before that.
zupchuck:
OS X is perfect for people that like to raise the hood and tinker or for the newbie who just wants to get work done. Linux’s problem is that it’s just not that easy for the newbie. Else MS would be so busy fighting off the penguin right now they’d never see Apple coming in for the kill.
OH Yeahhhhh.
screw Intel. AMD is teh shizNat as far as peecee cpus.
dual AMD opterons for me, pleez.
zupchuck
I agree to some degree, but it seems that its Apple that gives Billy hives, he doesn’t seem too worried about Linix or Solaris. And the more hives the better.
With new chips coming out, new hardware, new technologies, and new alliances, this should be an interesting year for everybody.
Right now I am not considering this a move “away” from PPC, but simply a move to a broader range of processors. It’s becoming obvious that OS X can be run on ANY of the major chips without much difficulty. That gives Apple tremendous leverage and flexibilty down the road.
I have a feeling we haven’t seen anything yet. The next year will be interesting to say the least.
inaminit,
Give Bill Gates more credit than that. Your description of OS X for tinkerers is exactly what gave Linux steam. Besides, I’m not quibbling about OS X on x86. I just think that folks are giving Bill short shrift on his ability to see threats down the road. He got where he is by being smarter and better as a business man than the vast majority of folks (and better than Steve Jobs for the most part).
Bill still holds a key piece to the entry of the enterprise – Office. People can argue there are alternatives. But seriously, there aren’t right now. Maybe Apple will develop an XML-based Office replacement that is compatible with the next generation of Office, but that’s a ways off at best.
That said, Apple is his most cohesive threat by far. And yes, I think OS X (particularly on generic x86 platforms) gives him more hives than any other.
I agree with “lookingahead”, this should be an interesting year to come!
Zupchuck, you’re a little off the mark concerning Uncle Bill. Agreed, a good businessman, a great marketing man, but he but he was blind to the impact of the internet, and missed the boat on digital music. He did see the benefit of a GUI on business computers, even offered to sell the idea to big business for Apple. But Scully and crew declined, (Jobs was gone from Apple by that point).
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