Let us start with the basics, you’ve heard the word Hackintosh and are not quite sure what it means. That’s fine; information technology advances so quickly it really is hard to keep up. If you are guessing its something to do with hacking you would be spot on!
The definition of Hackintosh would best be described as running your Mac OS X as a non-Apple brand computer by hacking into the driver base to make the changes. How legal is this process? Definitely illegal because installing MAC OS X on a computer that does not bear the Apple brand is an illegal act.
Yes, its easy to guess what readers are thinking – how is it legal for Apple owners to install a Windows program on a Mac and not the other way around! Sorry, but that’s the way it is; MAC OS X does not have a license to run on any computer other than Apple.
Having read through the above, it is time to introduce you to the Hackintosh netbook. What it is really all boils down to is the use of any netbook form Dell, HP, Acer or any other netbook with Mac OS X, Apple Computers operating software, for which it does not have a license.
It is easy to understand that not everyone can afford an Apple branded computer, they can be really expensive. People desperate enough to want to own an Apple computer, will probably resort to the Hackintosh method, since it is being openly talked about online. What might be a better thing to do is to try out the Mac OS X first before deciding to switch – you may be surprised to find you are happy with what you have.
There are several websites and online publication sites like Gizmodo and InfoWorld that have published step by step installation guides. With the help of these guides it is alleged that you can turn your existing netbook into a Hackintosh netbook. Gizmodo’s step by step guide details the installation of Mac OS Leopard on a Dell Mini 9, but other guides exist as well for use with other brand computers.
Here’s some information about the possible problems with a Hackintosh netbook. To begin with you have compatibility problems with the hardware. Problems with display, sound, network and other capabilities are bound to arise. The Wireless network card will give you problems but there are some “kexts” as they are called, available to help with driver incompatibility.
Even with the use of the online step by step guides, converting to a Hackintosh netbook is not going to be an easy ride. If the problems are not enough, the knowledge that you are violating the Mac OS X end user license agreement should. Assuming you plan to turn your dell netbook into a Hackintosh netbook, you are throwing your Dell warranty out the window! That’s a big problem just waiting to happen!
One final point that may just convince you not to make the conversion to Hackintosh netbook may be the rather large expenditure outlay involved.
Ultimately the choice is yours, but at the end of the day you have to do what’s right!
Umm, you definitely have some of your facts wrong.
First, it is not illegal. Illegality refers to criminality. What it is is a breach of contract (i.e., the license terms). Odds are apple isn’t going to waste the money to sue you over breach of contract if you are a personal user. It would cost them more to file the suit than what they hope to recover. Besides, it would open their contract up to challenges as a contract of adhesion and questions of whether it is really enforceable.
Second, if you haven’t changed any of the hardware or broken any seals on your Dell hardware, installing Mac OS X is pretty unlikely to void your Dell warranty. Unless it says something specifically about certain software that could void the warranty, it should be treated no differently than any other software that you might want to install on the machine.
i have given it a shot and the hassle to get it running is not worth the end result hours of work to get everything working just to have it break from an update. save yourself the time just switch to Linux