Apple Blocking Intel Netbook CPUs in Mac OS X?

Seems like a stupid move. You'd think they'd want more people using their OS.

It'd be a real shame if they're actively going to start stopping the hackintosh community. Stopping the low lives like Psystar trying to make a quick buck off Apple's and the open source hackintosh community's hard work is one thing but actively stopping the hackintosh community isn't so great. A lot of people that have hacked OS X onto their PCs in the past have gone on to buy genuine Apple hardware after all.

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.

Sad, just sad on Apple's part...

But it should be noted that Marcus posted a (possibly) negative article about Apple.

To me, at least, it simply seems like a horrible waste of their time, effort and resources. I can't see an even negligible amount of netbook users actually making the conscious decision to go though the trouble of changing OSes.

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.

for apple it's money! the hard way, you don't buy, you don't get it! they've been getting a little more competetive in terms of price recently, because people aren't willing to pay their ridiculous amounts of money their things cost, but still a long way to go. i'll never understand why they're doing such things which only ignite sparks of anger. it would benefit the company when more people are interested in os x. but you don't buy, you don't get it CASH CASH CASH! as said before, it's a sad story!

If they did nothing to prevent OSX from running on non-Apples, there would be absolutely no reason to buy an Apple.
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!

Boo@Apple.

Long live Psystar.

Well, Apple does make a majority of their money on hardware sales, not their operating system. As far as they're concerned, they consider their OS more of a feature of their computers rather than a public platform.

Why would anyone want OSX on a netbook in the first place?

This obviously has nothing to do with the fact that the vast majority of Hackintosh netbooks are using pirated copies of OS X Snow Leopard? Right? Right?

... atom CPU is a junk anyway...

Wow.. it's that true? how can be that possible, how are they going gain a bigger share of the market if they allow less users to run their stuff??

I don't think Apple did it just to block hacked netbooks. Rumor has it their tablet was originally going to run an Intel Atom, hence the support for the processor. If they aren't going to use Atom processors in any of their hardware, they have no reason to bloat the OS to support it at the software level.

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.

Fuck Apple's Big Brother approach at this! If they would just stop being dicks about this kind of stuff, they would sell more copies of their OS!

actually unlike windows with their 12 layer copy protection DRM passkey system that you must go through for every update, Apple doesn't have any of that for their OS. OSX is very easy to pirate because their license scheme almost has no DRM other than apple hardware. You could almost make an ISO of OS 10.6 and install it on any apple computer since Apple has nearly no OS license security.

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.

@kingssman updating is great on windows the only time you gota put in a cd key is at install and the only time you gota call windows is if you get a new motherboard and then you just tell em to move the cd key (iv done it many times)

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

@Kinssman

10.6 is $39.99 full retail.

and yet another apple item by marcus yam

ffs stop it already, toms has clearly stated that they are gonna do apple articles - whether we want it or not - and Marcus must just be the staff member most in the know on apple related issues (and lord knows they have lots of 'issues'). its not like he's sneaking into toms at night trying to infect toms with Apple propaganda! As the comment above said, this is hardly a positive article!

As for the article, just brining to light more of Apple's anti competitiveness, and while hackintoshing does encourage more people to use OSX it doesn't encourage people to buy it, even using a legal copy with other hardware is against the EULA, so whats the point, may as well pirate it.

I just love it:

Jobs: "we aren't going to make a netbook, we just don't see a market for these 'crap' computers."

"Oh really? it seems like there are lots of people running OSX on existing netbooks?"

"Hmm... Just a sec..."
*BLOCK*BLOCK*BLOCK*
"There... What people?? As I said, there is NO MARKET!!"

Negligible? I've seen a lot of portable computers at my college, and so far, 2 of those have been laptops. The rest have been netbooks.

Maybe it's different everywhere else, but I see netbooks on planes, trains, and yes, automobiles: Public buses.

As much as I loathe Apple and their practices, it's understandable (if you're a Mac fanboy) to limit their OS from untested platforms.

Their whole business model revolves around perception as in Macs are fast and they just 'work' (and thus needs the premium price). Can't have a cheap hardware platform harm their OS image... or worse yet, work exceptionally well!

This propaganda will continue as long as Apple are in business. I even have (otherwise smart) friends believing that their bootcamp installed Win7 will run faster than a comparable laptop. Completely neglecting that, that comparable laptop would cost hundreds less with a BETTER warranty. uggghhhhhhh

It just a hack away for a quick fix....

Guess that means the HP 2133 isn't such a bad netbook after all...

I think it's hilarious. Most software developers try to sell as many copies of their product as possible. Apple actively tries to PREVENT people from buying and installing theirs.

Hey, I'm a mac, and I hate the poor and middle class. Can't afford a $1,500 netbook? Too bad, you're not cool enough to be a mac."

Oh yeah? Well f&^k you Justin Long!

According to many hackintoshers, OSX runs just fine on netbooks and in some rare situations, puts the fruit company to shame...

ie: Air VS Dell Mini 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7hc6qZ_PGI

So much fail and idiocy in this post.

1. People running hackintosh netbooks didn't buy the OS. Don't kid yourself. The vast majority of OS X netbooks are running pirated versions of OS X Leopard or OS X Snow Leopard. Apple isn't going to lose any software sales by disabling Atom support but they will certainly reduce the number of pirated copied of their software being downloaded.

2. $1500? You can get a brand new Macbook for $999 or a refurbished Macbook with a full one year warranty for $749. $749 for a Macbook isn't unreasonable by any stretch of the imagination and just happens to be 1/2 of the $1500 that you just pulled out of your ass.

The entry level price just isn't absurd anymore. But keep pulling out that argument and then inflating the price $500 to make it worthwhile.

atom of course is slower than others and they are afraid the osx lightning image would get destroyed .