This Tablet Was Built for Making a Hackintosh
Better than an iPad?
The tablet from Apple runs iOS, not Mac OS X. Before the iPad's debut on stage earlier this year, however, many speculated that the tablet would be running Mac OS X as a competitor against Windows-based tablet-PCs.
The iPad does not have the functionality or features of the true-multitasking Mac OS X, and for fans of the desktop or even laptop experience, the official tablet may not be enough.
Enter Axon with its upcoming Haptic tablet. It's essentially a touch screen tablet with hardware very similar to netbooks that were friendly to hacked installs of Mac OS X – or Hackintoshes.
The hardware consists of:
- Intel Atom N270 processor (1.6GHz)
- 10.1-inch LED-backlit resistive touchscreen (1024x600) with stylus
- 2GB RAM
- 320GB hard drive
- 1.3MP webcam
- 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
- 3G CDMA-VErizon SIM slot
- Built-in speaker
- Three USB ports
- Mic, Ethernet, VGA ports
- Memory card reader
- Bluetooth
- Removable battery
According to CrunchGear, Axon went with a resistive touch screen due to Mac OS X not working as well with capacitive touch – and we're sure that cost is a factor too for this $750 device.
To be clear, Axon advertises that its Haptic tablet will run Windows, Linux and Darwin operating systems. That very Darwin, of course, refers to Mac OS X.
Axon writes on its very Apple-looking website:
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
"We give you the choice of easily choosing which OS you want to boot up to. Whether you want Linux one day, or Windows the next, Of course, we suspect that you'll be using Darwin the most. We've installed Darwin (kernel and system specific kexts) on a hidden EFI partition. That means you can effortlessly install your favorite Darwin OS, such as Pure Darwin. Just plug in the DVD drive (or Flash Drive), Install, then reboot. You are now working with one of the most secure and stable operating systems in the world. That EFI partition also means painless updates. Apple Inc.'s Snow Leopard is a Darwin OS, however the EULA specifically prohibits installation on a 'non-Apple-branded' computers."
For those who have always dreamed of having a Mac OS X-powered tablet, keep your eye on this one. We don't doubt that Apple is doing the same.
-
apache_lives Meh keep your crapintosh atleast i can use windows and admit it has issues but it works.Reply -
gtvr Is this a "clone" that Apple would have grounds to sue, or just a device that's easy to hack os-x onto?Reply -
Computerrock1 Whether or not it can use mac os, I would use simply for its hardware specs, that thing is leaps and bounds more powerful than any current tablet...Reply -
kawininjazx I think a SSD is a must in a tablet, people like to abuse smaller computers and that drive spinning while someone whips it around spells HDD failure.Reply -
hoofhearted You know what would be great?Reply
If Microsoft or Google made it to where you can install their phone OS "over" the iPhone. I mean, that was the difference between Microsoft and Apple back in the day. Apple took the path of owning and marketing the hardware and Microsoft took the path of owning and marketing just the OS, but you could put it on hardware of your choosing.
Make it like the jailbreakme.com website, you just go to the OS website, pay for the OS, then is just does a live install over your iPhone OS.
-
irh_1974 Tablet for watching torrented TV showsReply
Tried it on a smartphone and even 4" is pathetically rubbish
I have a 10" digital photo frame that can play AVI's to test viewing and it seems to hit the sweetspot for me with viewing size, maybe an inch smaller I could get away with, same applies when viewing photos - being able to print is an absolute must. -
lamorpa In Appleland everything is a clone, wannabe, or attempt-at-killer of a present or future Apple product...Reply