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iPhone Not Running OS X

Posted by kdawson on from the but-but-steve-said-it-was dept.

rochlin writes "We know that Steve Jobs has said the iPhone won't accept third-party apps. The iPhone looks to be running on a Samsung provided ARM core processor. That means it's not running on an Intel (or PPC) core. That means it's not running OS X in any meaningful sense (Apple can brand toilet paper as running OS X if they like). Darwin, the BSD based operating system that underlies what Apple has previously been calling OS X, does not run on ARM processors. The Darwin / Apple Public Source licensing agreement says the source would have to be made available if it is modified and sold (paraphrased; read it yourself). A Cingular rep has said the iPhone version of the OS source will not be made available. It will be closed, like the iPod OS and not like Darwin. So if it ain't Darwin, it ain't OS X (in any meaningful way). An InfoWorld article on an FBR Research report breaks down iPhone component providers and lists Samsung as the chip maker for the main application / video cpu. So, that leaves the question... What OS is this phone really running? Not Linux or the source would need to be open."

6 of 476 comments (clear)

  1. Doesn't the UK version have a camera too? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Hasn't this been available for a year in the UK/EU?? With a camera too?? What gives, does Steve Jobs hate america?

  2. HA HA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    It is NOT a miniature Mac in your pocket. It does NOT run Mac software and it does NOT support 3rd party apps.


    It IS a miniature Mac in your pocket. It runs OSX and you have no fucking idea if it supports 3rd party apps or not since that hasn't actually been announced.


    PWNED

  3. Re:OSX != Mac OSX by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    I think you are confusing logic with MAC logic. Logic applies to the real world, while MAC logic is what apple sells to its loyal fans. Apple logic is a similar subset of logic that does not support 3rd party ideas.

  4. Regardless by vga_init · · Score: 0, Troll

    I, for one, welcome our new "not OS X" overlord.

    Regardless
  5. Netcraft confirms it: OSX dead! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Netcraft confirms it: OSX dead!

  6. Re:Optimised OS X sits on 'versatile' flash by Jozer99 · · Score: -1, Troll

    This OS X stuff is BS.  Think about it like this:

    1.  OS X is for x86 and PPC.  There are no low power x86 or PPC chips that will work in a cell phone (lowest power Core Solo is 5W, wheras a cellphone needs something more like 0.05W).  Therefore, the processor is probably an ARM (also could be MIPS or SH5).  Even if they were to recompile and rewrite the operating system so that it ran on ARM, there would be no point, as all OS X applications, even "Universal Binary" ones, will only run on x86 or PPC.

    2.  OS X is an operating system meant for a full sized, full function PC.  Why write an operating system that can do all sorts of stuff that you aren't going to do on a cell phone.  You probably won't be burning CDs or using photoshop on your cell phone, why use an operating system meant for those things?

    3.  OS X is power/graphics hungry.  ARM powered cell phones have very little processor power to deal with.  Using OS X would slow down your cell phone to a crawl.

    The iPhone "OS X" is in no way related to real OS X, and may not even be written by Apple.  Only time will tell.  It does piss me off that Steve-o is mis-advertising it.