Apple Blocking Intel Netbook CPUs in Mac OS X?
Intel Atom systems crippled after Snow Leopard 10.6.2 update.
Mac OS X is designed and supported to only run on Apple's machines, but a notable percentage of the netbook community has shoehorned the operating system into their modest portables.
Thanks the Apple's use of Intel hardware, certain models of netbooks – such as Dell's Mini 9 and 10v – are fairly comfortable running Mac OS X. But Apple doesn't seem to be impressed, if signs from an early Snow Leopard beta update are to be believed.
According to this post on InsanelyMac forums, a developer build of Snow Leopard 10.6.2 is incompatible with netbooks running the Intel Atom.
Melkort, a programmer known for his works on the Dell Mini netbooks, wrote in the MyDellMini forum, "It does turn out that the 10.6.2 kernel reboots before it's finished loading (before the bsd subsystem is initialized I believe). Might be a chameleon thing, might be an atom thing (as I haven't tested it on any other machines). I'm looking into it, but the 10.6.0 / 10.6.1 kernel works fine with 10.6.2."
Apple has a history of blocking out unauthorized uses of its software (just see what the company has done to lock out Palm Pre and iTunes syncing), so it's not surprising if Hackintosh netbooks were targeted for termination in the upcoming update.
Those running Hackintoshes with Intel Atom CPUs should beware of the 10.6.2 update.

But it should be noted that Marcus posted a (possibly) negative article about Apple.
I'm hoping that this is just a case of something breaking while they've updated other things. The rumors were that they originally wanted to use the Intel Atom platform but decided they didn't like the performance and so bought out PA Semi to make their own chips. If that's true then the initial support for Intel Atom likely wouldn't get updated and so could break with an update of something else. That's what I hope's the case anyway.
But it should be noted that Marcus posted a (possibly) negative article about Apple.
Seems like they could be using those resources on better things, like how to make *yet* more things out of aluminum that really don't need to be.
Ah yes, but then you wouldn't be *elite.* In Apple's eyes it's like putting an Aston Martin DB9 V12 in a Chevy Monte Carlo. The only difference is that Aston would probably just write the Monte Carlo off as 'cute' and move on instead of trying to find ways to make the motor mounts somehow impossible to install in any other car than an Aston. The only problem is, and Apple has yet to learn this yet, that there will always be a way as long as there are people around who care to find a way.
They make a FORTUNE selling overpriced hardware, the only appeal is OSX.
If OSX could run on a cheap netbook, now why would anyone pay for the overpriced Apple? Ofcourse they are going to try to stop hackintosh!
Everyone running OSX on a hacked netbook should go back to 10.5 Leopard to be safe. You wouldn't want to accidentally download the 10.6.2 update.
I think Apple is just trying to cut down on their pirated OSX since a majority of the hackintosh users are not using store bought OSX.
You're confused. You don't need software support for the processor, it runs x86 code. I can run Windows 2000 on it, and I'm pretty sure Microsoft didn't have software support for the Atom designed into it, since it predated it by more than half a decade.
It should work out of the box. Maybe it's deliberate (most likely), or maybe Apple just never bothered to test with it (unlikely, but possible). Either way, it's Apple's OS, and they can do what they want with it. I don't understand why people think somehow they have a right to tell Apple what they should do with something they created. They own it, the public doesn't.
Whether or not it's good for them in the long run though, is another question. Normally, when companies try this type of thing, it backfires and ends up being short-sighted. Not always, but most of the time.
I know! but i've taken hard drives out of Powermac G5's running OSX 10.4 and placed them into G4s and vice versa and never ran into a "license" issue at all. I've even "cheated" and put a box copy of 10.5 on both desktop and laptop using the same disk and install key. OSX license security is very relaxed because they use the "mac hardware only" rule as their method of DRM. That's also why OSX is only $69.00 and windows 7 is $194.99