OS X On the MSI Wind

Ruler of Planets writes "PlanetX64 has just published an article on loading OS X on an MSI Wind, effectively creating a machine that is smaller and lighter than a Macbook Air. The exercise was done solely for academic purposes and doing so voids all kinds of warranties, but hey, now you can slip a Mac into a lab coat pocket!"

Comments

Done in August with Video

[BoldAC]

I read and saw the videos about triple booting with MSI wind back in August. He's got a video there and a bunch of hard to grab OS X drivers. If you are going to purchase a MSI wind, please note the issues with the non synaptics trackpads in some circumstances.

You will need an extra stick of RAM, DVD drive, and WLAN card as well. This hack will get you up to OS X 10.5.4. The hackint0sh community is usually a point release or two behind.

The planetx64 version also has problems with the internal mic, the microphone port and the headset port.

Every time I read an article like this

[jacquesm]

I wonder what the world would look like if Apple would sell software as well. I know they'd get a worse reputation because people would blame the OS for hardware / driver issues but it would certainly be neat to use OS/X on hardware other than that sold by Apple.

They would not have the margins they currently do, but it is very well possible that they'd take huge marketshare from microsoft.

And it would mean an instant end to the microsoft tax on new hardware.

Re:Every time I read an article like this

[davester666]

Yes, the percentage margin could be higher, particularly if they go more direct (as in, online download & activation).

But there is no real way Apple could reinvent themselves as a software-only company [as they tried the sell-hardware & license OS to competitors before and got their asses handed to them before they stopped it].

Problems include:
-price for both OEM and retail set by Microsoft. America is cheap. See Walmart & Dell (well, Dell in the past, now they are kinda bloated). If customers Apple is going after won't spend the extra couple hundred bucks to go from the advertised 'cheap' model to Apple's baseline, they aren't going to drop an extra couple hundred bucks just to use MacOS X over Vista. And since Apple doesn't have an existing install-base created by being a monopolist, trying to sell MacOS X at MS price levels would give them nowhere near the amount of profit that they need for advancing the OS. Apple makes between say 150 - over 1000 PROFIT on each machine they sell. To make the same amount of money from retail and OEM sales, their market share would have go from 5% to 25% (or higher), overnight, just to stay even.
-supporting MacOS X on all kinds of machines becomes a much more significant drain on tech support. Again, people are cheap, and expect cheap tech support. And it has to be cheap and/or require NO support for the general public to pay for MacOS X instead of Vista. Particularly if they pay more for MacOS X over Vista, people will expect it to work better and with fewer problems than Vista. That certainly is an impossible goal for Apple. Just look at Microsoft with Vista. They have boatloads of experience supporting all the wacky hardware out there, loads of influence with ALL vendors to get everyone to create new drivers on a dime, and still MS has loads of driver problems. Apple will have more..
-speaking of drivers, again, Apple has no chance. There are a crazy amount of configurations out there, plenty of which have choices that aren't even listed in spec lists. So, customers can't just buy a machine, then load MacOS X on it and expect it to work (well, they would expect it to work, but it probably wouldn't). So, it would become more like how Linux is being installed now by the major vendors (more or less). Specific configurations are listed as being sold either with Linux or Vista, but the majority is sold only with Vista (or XP). And people expect all their devices to work (both the ones they own and new ones). But most manufacturers aren't willing (or can't afford) to fund a second or third (if they are doing linux) parallel development streams until they see significant penetration of MacOS X (so it's a chicken & egg thing, just look at how long it's taken Linux to start bootstrapping it's drivers).
-Apple's shareholders would raze Apple's campus. It's been said, the fastest way to change Apple from being a billion-dollar company to a million-dollar company is for it to switch to being software only (even keeping iPods, etc, only dropping computer hardware). Sure, Apple's got billion's in the bank, so they would still be able to keep funding everything for years, but you can kiss the stock price goodbye.

It winds up just being "customers pick from a more limited selection of models if they want MacOS X (because these models have been tested to work properly with MacOS X and have drivers for all their components), and the machines costs more (because Apple needs to charge more than MS for the OS license)". Customer's would be able to buy slightly cheaper systems than they do now from Apple, and have a wider variety of systems than they do now from Apple, but have more problems than they do now from Apple.

And finally, consider Microsoft as well. Apple's business plan would be change from successfully competing in the computer systems market by clearly differentiating themselves from everybody else, to competing head-on with Microsoft, for Microsoft's existing customers (namely OEM sales). The day after Apple

Re:Every time I read an article like this

[PopeRatzo]

revenue would take a big hit if people switches from Apple branded hw to others

Why do you have so little confidence in Apple's hardware?

If, as we are often told, Apple's hardware is so much better, then there should not be a "big hit" from people switching.

I actually think it may be the other way 'round. Most of the people I see using "Macs in public" would still buy the Apple product even if it came with Windows only.

Re:Every time I read an article like this

[Uberbah]

Good luck competing against Windows if you can't run on the same hardware. Not to mention the time wasted and customer dissatisfaction when a customer buy's OS X for their new Vaio only to find out it isn't supported.

Re:Every time I read an article like this

[KGIII]

I dunno. I bought a Macbook Air just for the hardware alone. It boots to Windows. I don't use their OS but I really REALLY like the laptop. I'd have considered a netbook but I really wanted something with a full size keyboard and screen as well as plenty of power.

Re:Every time I read an article like this

[SaDan]

Honestly, Apple doesn't have a "high-end" system either. I am typing this on a MacPro (work machine), and I can tell you, this system isn't fast, and it doesn't handle a lot of applications at once either.

I don't know what keeps Apple alive, to be honest.

Re:Looks like the site is being hosted on an MSI W

[BoldAC]

I've got some of the pages in cache.

      1. Connect your external USB dvd drive to the MSI wind while the computer is off.
      2. Turn on the dvd drive and eject the tray. Place the MSI Leopard disk in the drive and close the tray.
      3. Turn on the MSI wind. After the MSI logo screen, you will be prompted for 5 seconds at the darwin screen. Just tap the space bar within the 5 seconds provided in order to boot from the disk. You will see the installation commence.
      4. The process will take around 5 minutes before you get to the main OSX installation GUI screen. On your way there, you will see a blue screen with the spinning multicolored beach ball as your mouse representation.
      5. Shortly thereafter you will arrive at the language selection screen. Select English and click next.
      6. You will arrive at the Welcome screen for the install. At this point you need to stop and blow away your drive partitions to start fresh. Drag your mouse to the top edge of the screen, and click on âoeUtilitiesâ.
      7. Then go down and select âoeDisk Utilityâ.
      8. Click on your main drive in the left side.
      9. Select âoePartitionâ on the right side.
    10. In âoeVolume Schemeâ, select âoe1 partitionâ.
    11. Assign your disk a name. Then Click on âoeApplyâ. It will take a few seconds to process the disk.
    12. Click on âoeQuit Disk Utilityâ from the menu.
    13. It will take you back to the main installer âoeWelcomeâ page. Click on âoeContinueâ.
    14. Click to accept the licensing agreement.
    15. Select your drive destination which you just partitioned.
    16. Very Important to STOP on the next screen titled âoeInstall Summaryâ. In the lower left hand corner there is a âoeCustomizeâ button. Click it.
    17. Go into Patches, then Kernel, and Uncheck it.
    18. Click on done, and you will be taken back to the âoeInstall Summaryâ page and click on âoeInstallâ.
    19. Sit back and have a cup of coffee while the machine goes thru the whole install process. Don't be alarmed if it loooks like no activity is going on. If you don't see the dvd drive light going, you will notice the HD light on the MSI blinking while installation happens in the background.
    20. Once it is finished and reboots, unplug the dvd usb cable.
    21. This time when the âoeDarwinâ boot screen comes up, don't click space bar. The grey Apple logo screen should come up upon booting. If all went well, core animation and sound were installed, and you should see the welcome intro movie playing smoothly. That's it, you are home free.

Any chance?

[MrZaius]

Any chance that this could spur something on Apple's end? The Air is a joke of a machine, with its sole (count 'em - one) expansion port, just begging for failure. It'd sure be nice to have something more Mac Mini & Eee inspired, or the holy of holies - A Fujitsu Lifebook P8240 or Gigabyte M912-inspired Mac.

On a related note, any sign of new Mac Minis?

Re:Any chance?

[Ilgaz]

Macbook Air is a concept machine designed to fit a specific lifestyle and usage style.

If you have a "Mac Pro" or high end iMac running on top of line ISP line with 811.11N network installed at home and live in industrial city with top of line 3G coverage, you will buy and like Macbook Air.

See the Apple Japan store top 10 sellers if you don't believe me.

While speaking about Japan, Casio watches now even come with "atomic time sync" and they are cheaper than $200. Does it make Rolex a failure as it can only display time and date for $3000?

Re:Any chance?

[qubex]

I'm an Apple pundit, but I jump at the opportunity to vent my hatred of the MacBookAir.

You're right: it's a disaster waiting to happen. A friend of mine has one and wrecked the USB port (the manner of failure being essentially irrelevant). Once the port died, the only way of getting information in or out of the machine was the wireless network interface. Digicams and DVDs became off-limits, as did 3G cellphone coverage. In short, it became a stylish paperweight.

Suddenly, my friend understood the concept of "robustness under single failure".

Re:Any chance?

[mabinogi]

That entirely depends on whether or not the Rolex buyers buy Rolex because the appreciate the style and quality of the watch, or if they buy it so they can conspicuously look at the time in from of people that don't have a Rolex.

Buying something expensive doesn't make you pretentious, being pretentious makes you pretentious.

Apple will be as displeased as usual

[David Gerard]

I can't see Apple being well pleased with this. They have a reputation to sustain!

In any case, OS X on netbooks is old hat. You can put it on an original Eee, for instance.

OS X really does work fine on general hardware. If your hardware is something Apple has a driver for. So, a bit like Linux without anything like as broad a support base, then.

(I personally prefer FreeBSD, but Linux supports my laptop immaculately.)

The point?

[Ilgaz]

Yes, as OS X Intel runs on same x86 CPU, it can work. No need to run a lab for that.

When will people understand that OS X and hardware in total gives "Apple experience" and FreeBSD 6 with WindowMaker/WINE is a way better choice for such portable?

OS X is not only a X86 OS. It becomes meaningful when hardware matches too.

I bet Sony Vaio can run OS X too but I would run Windows or Linux on that machine. It will work way better than a hacked OS.

Therotically as it runs same CPU and most of mobile chip manufacturers are common, my Nokia and Sony Ericsson smart phones can run iPhone OS rather than Symbian they come with. If someone spent needless time for such a hardcore hack and shipped, would I install? Hell no. iPhone experience is broken right when hardware part is gone and smallest hack has to be applied.

Can't they work on meaningful things such as enhancing the linux/bsd support and performance rather than making people joke with MSI?

Re:The point?

[marcuz]

i dont care about apple experience. i agree that running osx on some ee pc is ridiculous but for example using it installed on some generic desktop computer does perfectly makes sense. i wouldn't trade my perfectly tuned rig for any crappy mac hw. my rig is way cheaper, more silent, easily upgradable etc... i really love my osx and i really hate apple's marketing (necessary evil).

MAC OS for Virtualization?

[Average]

My thought is that, just maybe, Apple should consider a license of Mac OS for Virtualizations. Pick one platform... VMWare, xVM, whatever.

This would solve the "but there are a billion network cards and a billion video cards out there" argument. Inside the VM, there is only the one configuration.

Sure, it wouldn't be the world's speediest thing. But, it would get a lot of people thinking about Mac OS part-time. Some of us Linux people who have a Windows window in the corner (when absolutely necessary) would ditch it most of the time for a legit copy of Mac. If I had to run a shrink-wrap app, I'd buy the Mac version if it ran well. I'd also be more willing to develop and test for Mac.

Too cannibalistic of their hardware sales, though?

Re:Another Vibrant site

[aussie_a]

I view ads (and sometimes even click them) to support the websites I view and enjoy. Its called paying for what you use (in this case paying with your attention, however brief).

Re:Well, they do sell it.

[cp.tar]

You can buy a boxed version of Leopard anywhere. Sure, their EULA forbids one from installing in anything that is not Apple hardware.

Wasn't that "Apple-branded hardware"?

And they do give you those quaint stickers you can use to brand any piece of hardware...