Psystar Working on OS X Hackintosh Netbook?

By Jane McEntegart
published

Mac clone maker Psystar is said to be working on a netbook running OS X.

For the last year, Apple has been saying it will not be producing an Apple branded netbook. Whether it was Steve Jobs saying the company “didn’t know how to make a sub-$500 computer that wasn’t a piece of junk” or Tim Cook calling netbooks junky trinkets that “didn’t deserve the Apple brand,” the message was loud and clear: No Apple netbook.

Now Apple rival, Psystar, is set to fill the void OS X fans are feeling -- maybe. Macrumors reports that with all the recent attention on the netbook market, one of its reader asked Psystar if they had plans to introduce a Mac OS X "netbook" in the future. Psystar's response confirmed that did have a mobile Mac computer in development.

We know most of you are anti-Apple but how do you feel about netbooks running the Mac OS X? Psystar is currently locked in a legal battle with Apple. Apple claims Psystar is in breach of its EULA by offering OS X on non Apple-brand machines. The fact that Psystar didn’t immediately fold when Apple brought them to court last year has led a lot of folk to believe a larger company is behind Psystar and funding its legal team.

Jane McEntegart
37 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mforce2
    Well first of all I must admit to not being an Apple fan at all. I'm just a geeky Windows and Linux user and Apple doesn't really have producets that appeal to me.
    That being said I think that the smaller screen notebooks Apple does have come close enough to a netbook. I'm also sure Apple will launch some sort of tablet or mobile touch screen something to cover the gap between the iPhone and the Macbooks. Which they will call a revolutionary thing as always, never done before and so on ...
    You could also install OS X on a netbook if you really wanted to and I know it's being done. This mean there's nothing new in OS X running on a netbook. Still many people will find it more confortable if it's preinstalled, maybe comes with some form of support ....
    Personally I'm more interested in the new arm netbooks and what will be running on them from the Linux camp ( Moblin , Ubuntu ) but that's just me.
    Reply
  • DeadlyPredator
    Very good job Psystar... it's Apple who is violating anti-trust laws by forcing user to buy mac hardware which is more expensive to run OSX when it could run flawlessly on any x86 machine if there drivers avalaible and apple locks removed.
    Reply
  • norbs
    falchardI think they will realize why they don't make a mac netbook when the OS is too bloated to run on netbook hardware.Guessing this is based on 100% facts. I mean who else would post and not know what they are talking about.
    Reply
  • mforce2
    Oh and I think the last thing MS want to see if OS X running on all the PCs. Just remember MS wants Windows on as many PCs as possible. They like having Macs where they are now , expensive , niche products with a limited market share.
    Reply
  • norbs
    hellwigAgreed. Has anyone tried hacking OSX onto a Atom CPU? I bet it can't be done. And how will their fancy interface work with a crappy Intel GPU? I think in the end, everything that makes people wnat to use a mac will simply vanish when there's no hardware to support it, and people got upset when Microsoft released Vista with such high system specs.norbsGuessing this is based on 100% facts. I mean who else would post and not know what they are talking about.hellwigAgreed. Has anyone tried hacking OSX onto a Atom CPU? I bet it can't be done. And how will their fancy interface work with a crappy Intel GPU? I think in the end, everything that makes people wnat to use a mac will simply vanish when there's no hardware to support it, and people got upset when Microsoft released Vista with such high system specs.
    I know huh OS X on the atom thats rediculous... oh wait whats this?

    http://i.gizmodo.com/5156903/how-to-hackintosh-a-dell-mini-9-into-the-ultimate-os-x-netbook

    oh and this?

    http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/12/17/osx-netbook-compatib.html

    Hmmm...
    Reply
  • hellwig
    norbsI know huh OS X on the atom thats rediculous... oh wait whats this?http://i.gizmodo.com/5156903/how-t -x-netbookoh and this? http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008 patib.htmlHmmm...Color me impressed. But it sounds like it barely fit on his 16GB SSD (looking at the Dell mini).

    Also, I guess I'm not really sure what people do with Macs, but it doesn't sound any more capable than a netbook running XP, and thus would suffer from all the same complaints that XP netbooks do. If all you do is IM or browse the web, does it really even matter if its running OSX, XP, or Linux? My thinking still is that Mac users will be even less accepting of the reduced performance of a netbook, which is probably why Apple isn't getting into the market.
    Reply
  • norbs
    Oh ok, So when you said it probably won't work on an atom you really meant it won't work on an atom because of the size of the ssd... ok you sould of been more clear...
    Reply
  • hellwig
    norbsOh ok, So when you said it probably won't work on an atom you really meant it won't work on an atom because of the size of the ssd... ok you sould of been more clear...No no, I stand corrected on the Atom issue, I shouldn't have said it couldn't run on an Atom.

    However, I wonder how well Apple's motto of "It just works" stays with the reduced graphics and cpu power. I'm just saying the real reason Apple isn't releasing a netbook may be the reduced performance and not just because they like their high profit margins. Sort of like how Microsoft doesn't promote Vista on many netbooks, cause they know it won't run as well.

    I still stick by my original point which was "I think in the end, everything that makes people want to use a mac will simply vanish when there's no hardware to support it..."
    Reply
  • norbs
    ok right right, again all based on facts.

    Please post a link or something, stop talking out of your ass. It's kinda obvious you have no experience about the things you talk about.
    Reply
  • cadder
    Apple makes smaller machines, but they are expensive, and HEAVY. (except for the MacAir(head) which is double-expensive).

    I have read about people putting OSX on netbooks, mostly it seems that they have been using the Dell Mini's. But so far they haven't gotten enough drivers to make everything work right.
    Reply