Hackintoshes, what are they and what does Apple think of them?

Apple has been making personal computers since 1984. Since the iMac G4 was produced, Apple has become the “standard” for video and photo editing. But for many users the powerful machines are too expensive for some. For example the Quad core Mac Pro starts from $2499. This is way too much for the performance that is offered. This is where “Hackintoshes” took their gap in the market. A PC that can run OS X at a fraction of the cost. Now to start with running OS X was a very difficult process on a PC , it was unstable and rather poor for any user. But over the year’s websites such as Tonymacx86, insanelymac, osx86 emerged to help users run OS X on their hacks more stable than ever before. Now thanks to these websites and the wisdom holding gurus that post on them you can build a PC that has the same or better performance than any Mac that Apple produces and at a much cheaper price.

So what does Apple think about these “hacks”. Well they don’t really see them as a threat. Tonymacx86 only helps with official OS X. His website refuses any posts about distros or other ways of getting OS X. So the majority of the users on there have built a hackintosh has bought Snow Leopard and Lion.  Also users have loved OS X so much they have bought a Macbook Pro or Macbook Air for when they can’t be at home. So Apple isn’t thrilled with these hacks but isn’t to fussed by them. In 10.5 Leopard, Apple’s EULA said that installation of OS X on non-apple hardware would brake the terms and conditions. But in 10.7 Lion this was dropped from the EULA. This shows that Apple knows that these hacks are around and very popular. Apple does not like companies building PCs installing OS X and selling them for profit. If seen, Apple will most likely shut you down and take you to court. So be careful.

Building a hackintosh is a very fun experience, and also very rewarding. Like with any custom built PC you have the ability to upgrade pretty much anything in your machine, but just be careful with what you buy incase it isn’t compatible.

Some people say that even now the software is like a Mac the case will always give it away. But many people have modded a G5 Case to house their PC parts and give it that “Apple” look. Companies like lian li make motherboard trays to make modding your G5 or Mac Pro case even easier.

So is building a hackintosh worth all the hassle that comes with it? In my opinion yes. Due to one big factor. You can upgrade your HDD, RAM, GPU, CPU at anytime you want. Apple can only offer slight upgrades such as RAM and HDD on their Mac Pro’s.

Hackintoshs also bring Apple sales that they previously wouldn’t have. Many people have fell in love with Mac OS X so much that they want it on the move while they are away from their computer at home. So they buy a Macbook Pro or Macbook Air. I personally did this, I bought the Macbook Pro 13”. I use it everyday and I absolutely love every minute working on it!

So would I buy an Apple desktop? NO WAY! When they are so expensive and you can build a better computer for less why would you? Kernel Panics and bricking your system with updates is just part of the learning experience!

 

If you want to build you own hackintosh or just take a look around head over to http://www.tonymacx86.com/ it is full of amazing users that are happy to help with any questions you have.