While his application might have been abandoned, that doesn't negate it as prior art.
Perhaps, but isn't his claim weakened by the fact that he waited so long to file suit?
IANAL. Could someone who is tell us what the legal principle is in this case? Specifically, if you wait too long to claim harm, then your claim of harm is invalidated?
And besides, what does prior art do for him? Wouldn't prior art just invalidate (some of) Apple's patents, and allow any other manufacturer to make a device that would otherwise infringe on those patents?
Statute of Limitations and Laches are the two legal doctrines in play here. (Laches is a "Doctrine" that rests in the Roman "Equity" (fairness) form of Jurisprudence, "Statute of Limitations" is generally written into Statutes (Laws).
Both will get your case thrown out, regardless of the merits.
You and the moron with the mod-point should actually take some time to read up on it. The 'rounded-corners' bit was part of a long list of cosmetic, as opposed to utilitarian, details that Samsung copied very closely.
"Copied very closely"? LOL!
People have been rounding off corners for thousands of years. If you think that Samsung had to sit down and carefully study Apples ingenious new design for corners then you're one of the smallest thinkers on the planet.
So, look at those two pictures and tell me seriously that the only thing similar between the first gen. iPhone and that Samsung POS is Rounded Corners. I dare you.
Apple busted samsung for making something that bore some similarity to their phone. If you cant see the irony in them getting sued by this whackado then you're the moe-ron.
Been there, done that. In a previous life I repaired arcade games, including CRT monitors, and I even resurrected some of the shitty cheap-ass switching power supplies they used in them, I know all about how cheap-ass some 'manufacturers' can get. That was all back in the day but it was all a great supplement to my education.
LOL! The way I got my real start in electronics and computers was repairing arcade equipment, lo many years ago,
When I was doing that, there weren't any SMPSes in arcade equip. Everything was analog 3-terminal regulators, like the LM309K. But you'll appreciate the fact that in one video game chock FULL of power-hungry 7400 TTL logic, they needed SOOOO much 5V that they actually "cheated" the LM309K by " bypassing" it with a 10W resistor(!!!!) Massively "bad engineering", but I guess it worked...
So between that, and another brief life as a stereo and musical-equipment bench tech, mine eyes have seen the (non)-glory of "cost reduction" elevated to a true guerrilla art form, LOL!!!
My wife likes her iPod and iPad mini; but in both cases we're hitting issues not generally hardware issues but software issues - they can't get upgraded beyond certain versions, and apps, etc are starting to not be available on them so they're coming to be SOL despite being perfectly usable.
Name ANY tech device for which that ISN'T the case. "Support" and "Upgrades" have a lifespan. Apple is almost always near, or at, the top as far as that goes. Time does move on. but it doesn't mean the device, the OS, or the Apps on it magically stop working, does it?, next!
Apple refuses to replace the glass
You mean "under warranty"? Or do you mean "They want to replace the entire Digitizer, when YOU think its just the "glass" that is broken"? Or do you mean "They refuse to even repair it at all at any price"?
If you get an apple device repaired at a third party that is not an AASP and you then take it into apple and they see it has third party parts in it, they will refuse to even look at it. In most cases. Mostly for idevices, but can extend to computers.
1.10.6 Disclosure of Unauthorized Modifications. During the service ordering process, you must notify Apple of any unauthorized modifications, or any repairs or replacements not performed by Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”), that have been made to your product. Apple will not be responsible for any damage to the product that occurs during the repair process that is a result of any unauthorized modifications or repairs or replacements not performed by Apple or an AASP. If damage results, Apple will seek your authorization for any additional costs for completing service even if the product is covered by warranty or an AppleCare service plan. If you decline authorization, Apple may return your product unrepaired in the damaged condition without any responsibility.
That's a Warranty condition. Doesn't mean that Apple won't repair as NON-Warranty.
How the fuck did you avoid all the defective capacitor motherboards and (insert class action lawsuit) over the years?
Reliable my fucking ass. I think you just bought Apple care and conveniently forget what pieces of shit they have been.
Never bought Apple Care in my life, although I was tempted for my MacBook Pro, just because it's a laptop, ya know...
For whatever reason (careful sourcing of components, instead of "this week's cheapest" I would imagine), Apple didn't suffer the infamous bootleg-electrolyte-formula capacitor debacle of the first part of this century on any of its own motherboards that I know of, that had plagued so many Wintel machines. I do think it did have an issue with that in some of the first generation Airport Base Stations, though. I have one I bought cheap offa eBay that I was able to replace the bad cap. in and give it to my sister.
Why is this informative? It straight up doesn't answer the question since it doesn't roll out OS X to ANY Dell OptiPlex computers. Or am I missing a joke? It's really hard to tell unbridled fanboy idiocy from sarcasm nowadays.
It IS informative and is NOT a joke; because it adroitly sidesteps the weak sarcasm in the original "request" by actually outlining the top-level steps necessary to switch from being a Windows-based office to a Mac-based one.
Which would be nice if only Apple would offer authorization for third parties, but no longer offer that certification. So if you didn't have a third party authorization before a few years back, tough luck.
As a former repair-tech (non-Apple) myself, I would opine that managing a network of third-party repair centers when you already have a Retail presence in all, or nearly all, states in the U.S. that includes repair services, makes absolutely zero sense, economically.
Unfortunately, so many "warranty" decisions are discretionary, and there are lenient techs (and tech-managers!) and dickish ones. Apple's U.S. hardware warranty for MacBook Pros implicitly ALLOWS for things like a swapped-hard drive WITHOUT voiding the warranty, if the "repair" did not cause any damage.
This issue came up when the first Mac minis came out, and people wondered whether they could upgrade the RAM in them without voiding the warranty, because there was no obvious way to open the case (Paint-Scrapers, FTW!). Apple was more or less "forced" to actually release a statement that said, in effect "As long as you don't mess anything up while you're doing it, you won't void your warranty."
So, if you got a Warranty Claim denied just because a User-Replaceable HD was replaced, and you did so using Apple's Instructions (like the ones provided on page 37 of this MacBook Pro manual), and the replacement part and procedure didn't cause any ancillary damage, then you needed to escalate that warranty claim up the food-chain. Because that does NOT appear to be actual "Policy".
But people are people, and some people are just dicks...
Depends on the environment a bit too. High heat seems to kill electrolytics no matter how good they are. I see this frequently in mobos where the caps next to the GPU or underneath the shroud off of the CPU are always the first to blow. Every time I see it I say to myself "I sure am glad the manufacturer saved $0.05 per cap on this, it is definitely making my life better..."
Replace them with 125 degree rated ones. It helps a lot. Oh, and if they are through-hole, you can sometimes lay them over on their sides to get them away a bit from a heat source like that. Just don't go crazy and put them on wires 6 inches long or anything!
Yeah, I know, they usually cut the maximum voltage and temperature down to the bare minimum to save money. When I replace them I use better parts, especially if they're high voltage.
Plus, some of the REALLY cheap shit doesn't even use caps that are rated for SMPS use (generally the brown-covered ones), let alone being 125 degree C rated. They die a miserable death in relatively short order.
Your newer Apple stuff is Wintel crap. Has been for years. I have 3 SE/30s and a Mac SE that all still work fine. The Powerbook 165c wa acting funny last time I tried to boot it, though.
I only have one Intel-based Mac (my 2013 MBP). It has been working flawlessly so far.
Although I still love the raw, industrial-design tankish-ness of my Quad-Core 2.7GHz, liquid-cooled G5 tower, my Intel MacBook Pro will run circles around it. And it is a HELLUVA lot more portable!
Progress and all, ya know...
And remember, it was IBM's fault for not bothering to give Apple what they needed, i.e. a 3 GHz G5, and a "mobile" G5. They were too busy chasing the "Cell" Processor business for the likes of Microsoft and Sony at the time to mess with a G5 die-shrink. And so, Apple was stuck between falling farther and farther behind in the GHz-wars, while simultaneously not being able to offer a laptop with decent battery life and a G5;.and making the jump to the only viable choice: Intel.
Fortunately, NeXTStep/OS X was designed to be processor-agnostic; so, the rest is history.
And quite frankly, it was the single smartest move they ever made.
Anyone have any advice on the best way to rollout OS X to 1,500 Dell OptiPlex computers?
Quite simple, actually.
1. Fill out Purchase Requisition for 1,500 Mac mini computers. You should be able to use the bottom of the line version, but I would suggest the BTO RAM upgrade option to 8 GB, just because. Other than that, if these are being used for typical front-office applications, you should be absolutely fine. Contact Apple for a Governmental and Large-Purchase Discount.
2. Fill out Purchase Requisition for a volume license for Microsoft Office for Mac. Again, Microsoft is likely to give you a large-purchase Discount. And you will likely be able to install Office from a single Server-based copy.
3. When the hardware and software comes in, take the Dell computers' Hard Drives out and recycle the now-useless carcasses of the Optiplex computers. But don't forget to retain the Monitors, Mice (ewww! Dell mice!) and Keyboards (ewww! Dell keyboards!) for use with the newly-purchased Mac Minis.
4. Unbox and setup the Mac minis, using the existing Monitors, mice and keyboards; setup to join your Domain, then install MS Office. ProTip: If your setups are similar, you can even set your Macs up to NetBoot from a single image. But most non-educational users find that approach a little too restrictive for individual users.
With 1500 machines, I would DEFINITELY put in a Requisition for a copy of the most-excellent Apple Remote Desktop's Admin Console (the "server" side is built into OS X/macOS). It is QUITE nice for managing a googolplex of Macs (and it reportedly can do limited Windows and Linux admin. tasks, too).
Yes, when it was first designed, it was a school hobby project by a kernel hacker. But that was over 20 years ago. And assuredly you're not going to say that anything that begun as a hobby must be a toy for its entire lifespan?
No. With well over a hundred different Distros and more petty squabbling and "religious-war" infighting than the U.S. Republican Party, "Linux" is doing a fine job of that all on its own...
Yeah, I do this too, also because I spent so many years repairing electronics that I know what the life expectancy of your typical electrolytic capacitor is and want to check on them for any swelling. I've saved my TiVo Series 3 HD from a premature death this way, replacing all the electrolytics in it when it needed it.
Life expectancy of your typical under-spec'ed electrolytic, you mean. Properly spec'ed, electrolytics (even those in SMPS and Motor Drive applications) last a very, very long time.
Kind of...however, there's also been a very big attempt at designing things to fail just outside the warranty period - e.g. make sure it's good enough to get past the warranty then fail so that you have to buy another.
Really? My "computer museum"/Junk Room is the final resting place of nearly a dozen Apple computers from my Apple ][+ on up, and I think only one of them are in a non-working state, despite most of them being over two decades old. I also have a 2005 G5 tower and 2013 MacBook Pro that are in 24/7/365 use. In fact, the 2013 MacBook Pro is my newest Mac. Oh, and my iPad 2 is also well over that year-long warranty, and it gets HEAVILY used every day.
So, speak for your Wintel crap. Apple stuff is made to last...
Of course, NO ONE will honor a Warranty Claim from a non-Authorized Repair facility. That's like "Warranty Repair 101" logic. Otherwise, why have Authorized Repair Centers (which, BTW, ARE generally "Third Party").
Windows 7 is still no panacea either. I've kept 10 off my home box, but a simple LAN card swap (to play nice with a hackintosh install) triggered the whole authentication process with piracy accusations, and that is not resolving through the automated process. I'm using my home PC so little that I am getting close to just shelving it and being done with Windows at home entirely. I swear that I spend almost as much time waiting for updates to install as I do using it anyway.
Grumble...
If you have a Hackintosh working, you already have the permanent solution in hand. Just get rid of that nasty Bootcamp Partition and be gloriously Microsoft-Free!
Wired Ethernet, alas, isn't ever going to be a thing on ultrathin laptops. The connector is too thick. I suppose it could be done with one of those pop-out connectors like some computers used to have for modems, but they were rather fragile.
I remember those! They would stick them on PCMCIA MODEMS and Ethernet cards. They always looked like an accident BEGGING to happen. Glad no one remembered them when it came time to decide on whether to include Terrestrial Ethernet in skinny laptops...
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While his application might have been abandoned, that doesn't negate it as prior art.
Perhaps, but isn't his claim weakened by the fact that he waited so long to file suit?
IANAL. Could someone who is tell us what the legal principle is in this case? Specifically, if you wait too long to claim harm, then your claim of harm is invalidated?
And besides, what does prior art do for him? Wouldn't prior art just invalidate (some of) Apple's patents, and allow any other manufacturer to make a device that would otherwise infringe on those patents?
Statute of Limitations and Laches are the two legal doctrines in play here. (Laches is a "Doctrine" that rests in the Roman "Equity" (fairness) form of Jurisprudence, "Statute of Limitations" is generally written into Statutes (Laws).
Both will get your case thrown out, regardless of the merits.
You and the moron with the mod-point should actually take some time to read up on it. The 'rounded-corners' bit was part of a long list of cosmetic, as opposed to utilitarian, details that Samsung copied very closely.
"Copied very closely"? LOL!
People have been rounding off corners for thousands of years. If you think that Samsung had to sit down and carefully study Apples ingenious new design for corners then you're one of the smallest thinkers on the planet.
Yes. Copied very closely indeed!
So, look at those two pictures and tell me seriously that the only thing similar between the first gen. iPhone and that Samsung POS is Rounded Corners. I dare you.
Apple busted samsung for making something that bore some similarity to their phone. If you cant see the irony in them getting sued by this whackado then you're the moe-ron.
Samsung's phone was a direct-as-possible copy of the iPhone, and there are internal Samsung memos to prove it.
Anyone participating in the "Serves Apple Right" or "Rounded Corners FTW"-type memes are either Shills, or complete and total idiots (or both).
Which are you?
it's just shit awful design.
We're talking about Windows, right? So isn't that redundant?
The pentalobe screws are your warranty sticker.
Right. Because you can only get Pentalobe Drivers and Pentalobe Screws from about 10 sources on Amazon, and also from iFixit, and on eBay, and...
You aren't doing right if that wire isn't bare and dangerously close to touching a lead on an unrelated circuit.
POP!!!
Been there, done that. In a previous life I repaired arcade games, including CRT monitors, and I even resurrected some of the shitty cheap-ass switching power supplies they used in them, I know all about how cheap-ass some 'manufacturers' can get. That was all back in the day but it was all a great supplement to my education.
LOL! The way I got my real start in electronics and computers was repairing arcade equipment, lo many years ago,
When I was doing that, there weren't any SMPSes in arcade equip. Everything was analog 3-terminal regulators, like the LM309K. But you'll appreciate the fact that in one video game chock FULL of power-hungry 7400 TTL logic, they needed SOOOO much 5V that they actually "cheated" the LM309K by " bypassing" it with a 10W resistor(!!!!) Massively "bad engineering", but I guess it worked...
So between that, and another brief life as a stereo and musical-equipment bench tech, mine eyes have seen the (non)-glory of "cost reduction" elevated to a true guerrilla art form, LOL!!!
Tell that to all the people who bought laptops just a few years ago which customers had to win a class action lawsuit...
The failure rate was high enough to justify a victorious class-action lawsuit. How's that for reliability?
Citation, please?
My wife likes her iPod and iPad mini; but in both cases we're hitting issues not generally hardware issues but software issues - they can't get upgraded beyond certain versions, and apps, etc are starting to not be available on them so they're coming to be SOL despite being perfectly usable.
Name ANY tech device for which that ISN'T the case. "Support" and "Upgrades" have a lifespan. Apple is almost always near, or at, the top as far as that goes. Time does move on. but it doesn't mean the device, the OS, or the Apps on it magically stop working, does it?, next!
Apple refuses to replace the glass
You mean "under warranty"? Or do you mean "They want to replace the entire Digitizer, when YOU think its just the "glass" that is broken"? Or do you mean "They refuse to even repair it at all at any price"?
And of course, your statement "it's difficult to find a third-party vendor to do it" exposes you for being either a bald-faced liar (more likely) or a complete idiot. Heck, if you're not a complete klutz, you can even do it yourself (which I think was the whole point of TFA) iFixit even has some nice step-by-step guides, what more could you want?
The rest of your "comment" doesn't even bear scrutiny.
If you get an apple device repaired at a third party that is not an AASP and you then take it into apple and they see it has third party parts in it, they will refuse to even look at it. In most cases. Mostly for idevices, but can extend to computers.
1.10.6 Disclosure of Unauthorized Modifications. During the service ordering process, you must notify Apple of any unauthorized modifications, or any repairs or replacements not performed by Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”), that have been made to your product. Apple will not be responsible for any damage to the product that occurs during the repair process that is a result of any unauthorized modifications or repairs or replacements not performed by Apple or an AASP. If damage results, Apple will seek your authorization for any additional costs for completing service even if the product is covered by warranty or an AppleCare service plan. If you decline authorization, Apple may return your product unrepaired in the damaged condition without any responsibility.
That's a Warranty condition. Doesn't mean that Apple won't repair as NON-Warranty.
How the fuck did you avoid all the defective capacitor motherboards and (insert class action lawsuit) over the years?
Reliable my fucking ass. I think you just bought Apple care and conveniently forget what pieces of shit they have been.
Never bought Apple Care in my life, although I was tempted for my MacBook Pro, just because it's a laptop, ya know...
For whatever reason (careful sourcing of components, instead of "this week's cheapest" I would imagine), Apple didn't suffer the infamous bootleg-electrolyte-formula capacitor debacle of the first part of this century on any of its own motherboards that I know of, that had plagued so many Wintel machines. I do think it did have an issue with that in some of the first generation Airport Base Stations, though. I have one I bought cheap offa eBay that I was able to replace the bad cap. in and give it to my sister.
Why is this informative? It straight up doesn't answer the question since it doesn't roll out OS X to ANY Dell OptiPlex computers. Or am I missing a joke? It's really hard to tell unbridled fanboy idiocy from sarcasm nowadays.
It IS informative and is NOT a joke; because it adroitly sidesteps the weak sarcasm in the original "request" by actually outlining the top-level steps necessary to switch from being a Windows-based office to a Mac-based one.
Which would be nice if only Apple would offer authorization for third parties, but no longer offer that certification. So if you didn't have a third party authorization before a few years back, tough luck.
As a former repair-tech (non-Apple) myself, I would opine that managing a network of third-party repair centers when you already have a Retail presence in all, or nearly all, states in the U.S. that includes repair services, makes absolutely zero sense, economically.
.
Unfortunately, so many "warranty" decisions are discretionary, and there are lenient techs (and tech-managers!) and dickish ones. Apple's U.S. hardware warranty for MacBook Pros implicitly ALLOWS for things like a swapped-hard drive WITHOUT voiding the warranty, if the "repair" did not cause any damage
This issue came up when the first Mac minis came out, and people wondered whether they could upgrade the RAM in them without voiding the warranty, because there was no obvious way to open the case (Paint-Scrapers, FTW!). Apple was more or less "forced" to actually release a statement that said, in effect "As long as you don't mess anything up while you're doing it, you won't void your warranty."
So, if you got a Warranty Claim denied just because a User-Replaceable HD was replaced, and you did so using Apple's Instructions (like the ones provided on page 37 of this MacBook Pro manual), and the replacement part and procedure didn't cause any ancillary damage, then you needed to escalate that warranty claim up the food-chain. Because that does NOT appear to be actual "Policy".
But people are people, and some people are just dicks...
Depends on the environment a bit too. High heat seems to kill electrolytics no matter how good they are. I see this frequently in mobos where the caps next to the GPU or underneath the shroud off of the CPU are always the first to blow. Every time I see it I say to myself "I sure am glad the manufacturer saved $0.05 per cap on this, it is definitely making my life better..."
Replace them with 125 degree rated ones. It helps a lot. Oh, and if they are through-hole, you can sometimes lay them over on their sides to get them away a bit from a heat source like that. Just don't go crazy and put them on wires 6 inches long or anything!
Yeah, I know, they usually cut the maximum voltage and temperature down to the bare minimum to save money. When I replace them I use better parts, especially if they're high voltage.
Plus, some of the REALLY cheap shit doesn't even use caps that are rated for SMPS use (generally the brown-covered ones), let alone being 125 degree C rated. They die a miserable death in relatively short order.
Your newer Apple stuff is Wintel crap. Has been for years. I have 3 SE/30s and a Mac SE that all still work fine. The Powerbook 165c wa acting funny last time I tried to boot it, though.
I only have one Intel-based Mac (my 2013 MBP). It has been working flawlessly so far.
.and making the jump to the only viable choice: Intel.
Although I still love the raw, industrial-design tankish-ness of my Quad-Core 2.7GHz, liquid-cooled G5 tower, my Intel MacBook Pro will run circles around it. And it is a HELLUVA lot more portable!
Progress and all, ya know...
And remember, it was IBM's fault for not bothering to give Apple what they needed, i.e. a 3 GHz G5, and a "mobile" G5. They were too busy chasing the "Cell" Processor business for the likes of Microsoft and Sony at the time to mess with a G5 die-shrink. And so, Apple was stuck between falling farther and farther behind in the GHz-wars, while simultaneously not being able to offer a laptop with decent battery life and a G5;
Fortunately, NeXTStep/OS X was designed to be processor-agnostic; so, the rest is history.
And quite frankly, it was the single smartest move they ever made.
At work I'm transitioning to a FreeNAS based file server
Genuinely curious. How does FreeNAS work with OS X? Have you tried it yet?
Anyone have any advice on the best way to rollout OS X to 1,500 Dell OptiPlex computers?
Quite simple, actually.
1. Fill out Purchase Requisition for 1,500 Mac mini computers. You should be able to use the bottom of the line version, but I would suggest the BTO RAM upgrade option to 8 GB, just because. Other than that, if these are being used for typical front-office applications, you should be absolutely fine. Contact Apple for a Governmental and Large-Purchase Discount.
2. Fill out Purchase Requisition for a volume license for Microsoft Office for Mac. Again, Microsoft is likely to give you a large-purchase Discount. And you will likely be able to install Office from a single Server-based copy.
3. When the hardware and software comes in, take the Dell computers' Hard Drives out and recycle the now-useless carcasses of the Optiplex computers. But don't forget to retain the Monitors, Mice (ewww! Dell mice!) and Keyboards (ewww! Dell keyboards!) for use with the newly-purchased Mac Minis.
4. Unbox and setup the Mac minis, using the existing Monitors, mice and keyboards; setup to join your Domain, then install MS Office. ProTip: If your setups are similar, you can even set your Macs up to NetBoot from a single image. But most non-educational users find that approach a little too restrictive for individual users.
With 1500 machines, I would DEFINITELY put in a Requisition for a copy of the most-excellent Apple Remote Desktop's Admin Console (the "server" side is built into OS X/macOS). It is QUITE nice for managing a googolplex of Macs (and it reportedly can do limited Windows and Linux admin. tasks, too).
5. You're done.
Yes, when it was first designed, it was a school hobby project by a kernel hacker. But that was over 20 years ago. And assuredly you're not going to say that anything that begun as a hobby must be a toy for its entire lifespan?
No. With well over a hundred different Distros and more petty squabbling and "religious-war" infighting than the U.S. Republican Party, "Linux" is doing a fine job of that all on its own...
Yeah, I do this too, also because I spent so many years repairing electronics that I know what the life expectancy of your typical electrolytic capacitor is and want to check on them for any swelling. I've saved my TiVo Series 3 HD from a premature death this way, replacing all the electrolytics in it when it needed it.
Life expectancy of your typical under-spec'ed electrolytic, you mean. Properly spec'ed, electrolytics (even those in SMPS and Motor Drive applications) last a very, very long time.
Well I know first hand that if you open a xbox one microsoft will refuse to repair it at any price.
We're talking Microsoft here. Would you expect any different?
Kind of...however, there's also been a very big attempt at designing things to fail just outside the warranty period - e.g. make sure it's good enough to get past the warranty then fail so that you have to buy another.
Really? My "computer museum"/Junk Room is the final resting place of nearly a dozen Apple computers from my Apple ][+ on up, and I think only one of them are in a non-working state, despite most of them being over two decades old. I also have a 2005 G5 tower and 2013 MacBook Pro that are in 24/7/365 use. In fact, the 2013 MacBook Pro is my newest Mac. Oh, and my iPad 2 is also well over that year-long warranty, and it gets HEAVILY used every day.
So, speak for your Wintel crap. Apple stuff is made to last...
Been using Apple products since 1976. NEVER seen a "Warranty Void" sticker on ANY Apple Product.
And just looking at the MacBook Pro Warranty for the U.S.A., I see NOTHING about "No third-party repairs" or "Void if opened" bullshit.
Of course, NO ONE will honor a Warranty Claim from a non-Authorized Repair facility. That's like "Warranty Repair 101" logic. Otherwise, why have Authorized Repair Centers (which, BTW, ARE generally "Third Party").
Windows 7 is still no panacea either. I've kept 10 off my home box, but a simple LAN card swap (to play nice with a hackintosh install) triggered the whole authentication process with piracy accusations, and that is not resolving through the automated process. I'm using my home PC so little that I am getting close to just shelving it and being done with Windows at home entirely. I swear that I spend almost as much time waiting for updates to install as I do using it anyway.
Grumble...
If you have a Hackintosh working, you already have the permanent solution in hand. Just get rid of that nasty Bootcamp Partition and be gloriously Microsoft-Free!
Wired Ethernet, alas, isn't ever going to be a thing on ultrathin laptops. The connector is too thick. I suppose it could be done with one of those pop-out connectors like some computers used to have for modems, but they were rather fragile.
I remember those! They would stick them on PCMCIA MODEMS and Ethernet cards. They always looked like an accident BEGGING to happen. Glad no one remembered them when it came time to decide on whether to include Terrestrial Ethernet in skinny laptops...