From Hackintosh to Macintosh

Just to make this clear: I do dislike Jobs, but I don't ever wish Apple any problems. I hope they rise to a super power and you can get them in almost every store and make Windows shake with fear. I just don't see the need to over charge.

I have read some of your comments. How you compare things and I read this article.

I can´t say either you are right or wrong. Much because I don´t believe in such a thing in life as right or wrong. Or black or white.

there´s always a shade of something else to it.

I would say that through history the buyers of Macintosh computers have been people who were in the business of design or media, music etc etc, in general. Now with the new i lineup we´ve seen students and consumers getting into Macs. Macs are no longer a prosumer or a pro computer.

The iPod created a halo effect that many Mac writers and analysts keep talking about. Sure it did, why not buy the motor when you got the car, or vice versa. Maybe a bad comparision. But what is really the motor in an Apple system?

Is it the OS or the Hardware? I must say both are. The OS is nice, and the hardware is nice. Is it expensive? If you look at the Macbook it´s not really that expensive compared to a dell. Sure you have to pay 1000$ for a laptop without a DVD burner. But how many PCs ship with a Bluetooth that actually WORKS? and with a Webcam built in? Not too many, the Apple computers offer a VERY solid package of both applications that enable you to be creative and keep your media experiences organized. And it also provides you the hardware tools inside the box so you can communicate with your cellphone, bluetooth/wifi camera, printer etc etc.

In my experience I found these small things to work alot better with macs. Wether or not you NEED these apps and features is another thing.

Do we REALLY need photobooth, garageband or ilife at all? maybe not. But if you don´t need nor want these features, I might not be in the marked for a mac. You don´t HAVE to use a Mac to make music, you don´t HAVE to use a mac to edit video. But in general it just works better through a mac.

And I think it´s because the hardware and software is carefully put together, + the advantage of not having to customize the software for 10000000 other hardware clones. I even think that Macs are the best computers in XP besides Vaios

Yes a Mac can be expensive, but I don´t see this as an obstacle. Yeah, maybe they should offer a Core 2 Duo Mac Pro, to fill in the gap between macmini and Mac Pro. Not all of you/us want the power of quads, nor do we need it. The 2.5" drive and the slow gfx in the mac mini is also another problem.

That being said, and keeping your comments in mind when some of you say that you can get the same apple hardware for half the price. THAT IS UNTRUE!!! QUALITY machinery such as macs come with a price tag, Look at Sony´s VAIO series. it SURE is NOT cheap!!!

You are not going to get all the tiny features that make the huge difference in the long run inside a PC box. I have 15 years of experience as a Tech, salesman and overclocker of PCs. And I have never been as satisfied a computer user as when I switched. Simply because it IS simpler and LESS to think about. Maybe OSX is a bit more limited. But who cares. I for one don´t, as long as it works. Another thing to drop into the box of consideration is that the PC makers don´t really offer the latest and greatest in the price range of the lows. a 600 dollar Dell is NOT gonna have a core 2 duo. let alone a Core Duo.

I also suggest you take your price comparisions to another level. Try setting up that PC dream of yours with an Asus or Intel motherboard, use a quality soundchip. Not talking soundblaster. But dig into the REAL features of the card that matter. Look into if the soundcard supports digital and analogue sound through the SAME port. Does it have built in microphone if it´s a laptop, what about that webcam?

Does it offer REAL firewire? Does it REALLY have a Core 2 Duo? and at what speed?

my conclusion is

MAC:

Pros: The features, the software bundle, stability, ergonomics, durability, quality, design, firewire! easy of use? OSX

Cons: No multicard reader, expensive, low end models too stripped down, expensive and expensive. OSX

PC:

Pros: can be customized to price or performance, better raid performance on desktops, better for gaming. price

Cons: no OSX, compatibility issues with components

yea i agree with teddy on this one becuase my english teacher asked me to make her a video for her but i told her i couldnt becuase i had finals and instead i taught her how to use imovie hd and she made the whole thing. she is about as computer illeterate as possible. it was funny becuase she came to school one day with an ibook and she was proud of it until i told her that it was the old model. doesnt make much of a difference to her but i thought it was funny

one more thing i kinda get what teddy is saying about real firewire becuase i thought mine had one until i foiund out it was the mini-firewire, never heard of a company cheating out its customers of a falsely advertised processor though.

I'm sorry, but VAIO's suck just as much as any other PC...no offense...i love PC's and Mac's...but to say that Sony VAIO is the best for XP seems slightly retarded to me. My sister has a sony VAIO and she paid much more for her {censored} machine than i did for my dell inspiron which is twice as fast. My cousin has had his dell for over a year and his has never ever crashed. But to be honest, i hate dell...i hate dell, gateway, compaq, hp, etc. etc...and i especially hate VAIO because they are extremely overpriced, even more so than Mac's in my opinion. I personally prefer to build my own computer because when i'm done, i'll know that it works and it will work much better than what these {censored} companies put out. If i could, i'd build my own laptop...suxx...everyone buy the Wii cause its cool!!

Hello Spammer-Dan from Asia. Go take your spam somewhere else.

I think you're a robot, but I'm telling you off anyway.

Great article, and presumably a big lesson for you. Now you know why journalists are so thick-skinned - you can't win, and anything you say will be taken down and used as evidence against you.

Your experience almost exactly parallels mine, except for an interim step. I grew tired of half-working hardware and jumping through hoops every upgrade so I bought a cheap Mac.

I started with a blue-and-white G3 for $25. Then a G4 Sawtooth, a Quicksilver and a 1 gig G4 flat panel (still on my coffee table and everyone loves it... ).

Playing with these allowed me to understand the operating system as well as explore the hardware. By this time I was so disenamoured with Windows and had enough confidence in Mac to transition my entire business over onto McIntels.

We use boot camp and parallels to run the necessary Windows apps, including Solidworks, AutoCAD and PADs. We regularly run FEAs and pcb autorouting which are very CPU intensive and they run faster than our previous generation PCs.

Hackintosh x86 is a lot of fun and you will learn a lot. If you want to learn OSX, buy a cheap Mac on eBay. If you want the best OS with ultimate CPU power but are too cheap to pay for it, then continue whining on this forum.

Personally, I would choose a real Mac over a hackintosh because it's all built to work together. My Hackintosh works well, but I'm missing some of the software (iLife etc) and some of my hardware doesn't work (my built-in Nvidia network card). A real Mac will work out of the box.

I spend all day at work on PCs and the last thing I want to do is come home and futz around getting my home computer working too.

I will be buying a 20" iMac at the earliest possible convenience (although definitely after Macworld Expo where they might announce some new models)

If I would want a machine that will work right out the box, has the greatest choice of software, achieves the best performance, has great games and so on, I'll certainly choose a PC with Windows XP. It certainly leaves the Mac/OSX behind by miles for half the price.

But being built upon a BSD base, OSX is certainly much more of a dream for someone that likes to hack a little, like me.

I was pondering buying a Mini but the price is absurd: 600 Euro for the base model and 800 for a more acceptable machine is way too much. For about 600 euro I built a PC out of mostly second hand components and that price included a new LG Flatron L1919S monitor (which you have to buy separately for a Mini). I plan to buy a Mac if I find one second hand for a reasonable price for the hardware they are - say a Mini is worth 150 euro tops.

Yeah the 600 euro mm is too handicapped, you want a dvd burner and 1gb mem, etc. That cost so much that for almost the same mony you can buy the complete 900 euro model. Then you still got the slow harddisk, my biggest complaint.

For 500 euro it would be an nice toy to play with. but not for 900. But my computer also run osx withhout a problem so i dont care. leopard nice but tiger is good enough for me to run my few mac programs.

Imac is better, i really liked that one. But is has no portrait mode. So i have to keep the pc with osx for now.

Well now I own an iBook, but I did stick to my guns. I would NOT pay $1200 for a macbook when my iBook is very powerful and can do all I need. Looking back in July of last year, I did have some reservations on Intel macs, but now the line is better, it is not so bad. For what you pay for, baring the Macbook and Macbook Pro lines, it is a good deal. But it took Apple a while to get the Intel line up to Core 2 Duo, then up the iMacs to 1 gig ram, etc etc. When it all started, it was still to much. Now, the Mac mini is killer with a Core Duo in it. The laptops are still way to much and I don't know WHY. When I get a replacement for my desktop it will be a Mini or more likely an iMac but I just wish Apple's laptops weren't so damn high.

AS a new OSX86 user and a long time PC user. The only good thing about a Mac is the OS. The computers are pretty and well built but they DO use the same components that PCs do. Maybe the PCB is custom built but chipsets CPU video HD etc. etc are same as in PC. If one was to buy quality components and build a PC close to same specs a real Mac, it would be significantly cheaper. I was very tempted to buy an iMac but all of its components are laptop parts with exception of screen. It is limited to 3 gig RAM. WTF??? Laptop RAM no less. Cant change anything in it. The Mac Pro on the other hand is sweet but way too expensive and overkill for me. Why not a box simular to the pro with a Core 2 Duo, unbuffered DDR2 RAM and the ability to have more than 3 gigs RAM and have the ability to upgrade video cards etc.. So if in a year a great new video card comes out, Apple can start using them in new systems and you can just upgrade. Also there are reasons to have expantion, say TV tuners/recorders, RAID controllers, etc... Maybe in the $1500 to $2000 range sans monitor. Come on Apple. Build this machine and my money might end up in your books.

My first real experience with a Mac came about two years ago, with an old iMac G3 running OSX. It was a bad experience. The iMac ran so slowly it was a pain to use it. But I used for some time and got kinda used to it (it wasn't at home, it was in an office in college were my girlfriend spent most of her time). Even the keyboard had an awful feeling to it, but, in the end, it was good looking.

However, I wasn't really interested in Macs. I can't really blame that old iMac though. Most people who used it were, well, rather unadequate users, and I knew it. So I didn't get away from Windows or Ubuntu for some time, until some kind of nostalgic feeling made me do some research on it, and I found the osx86 project. I installed OSX on my computer and had such a different experience!

I can't spend a lot of money, so I'm not waiting to get a Macbook, but I'd really like to get an iBook, just to have the real thing and see what I can do with it (as I really like to play with computers ).

There's no way I'm saying goodbye to Linux, and I'll probably always need Windows for my gaming needs and some other stuff, but I'd like to get a real Mac (and not a crappy one like that old, ugly iMac G3) to play with it, see how Ubuntu works on PPC and all.

Be interesting to see how many users have switched from PC to OS X specifically because of these forums... someone start a nice poll.

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My Story

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I first wanted to try OS X from knowing a mac only buff, for many years i saw teasers and the odd glimse of it. I mainly heard of its audio power and superiority over windows and off course the wonderful apps and simpleness of getting great results with little effort. I now know OS X is even far greater than i could have ever imagined, all the little things make a very big difference compared to the Windows eXPerience...

I tried OS X first using Pear PC, Very slow and not nice to use.. Then while searching one day i came across this site and Maxxuss, Begin the Cleansing. I got hot on the heels of the .ISO and got it installed QuckTime from 10.4.1 to Current 10.4.8 I have learned a lot about the OS and the apps, a great experience and a big help in understanding the underpinnings of the OS..

I saved and saved and sold my Dual Core Desktop setup to get some funds, I sent somone New York (hehe, could not go for reasons only the U.S Embassy know.!!) to buy me a shinny new Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro hot off the Boat, Just in time as well, saving me a few quid.

One thing I will say is that I could have learned all this greatness and been persuaded to switch even earlier had it not been for the mac snobbery on the part of my so called friend, very tight with the apps and the knowledge he was willing to share. I show everyone I meet and know the Power of OS X and make simple examples of how it could make things better, come on its not hard, this OS is so Great and far ahead of Windows still in many ways it sells itself...

So, Thank You Guys who helped me along the way, BigUp Mash and all the osX86 / Insanelymac Crew.

Same history here. Since I first laid my eyes on the apple gui of my first deadmoo image I was hook on this os. But I have since graduated on that and am currently using the modified jas 10.4.8 beta image from Jas which I was able to update to 10.4.9 seamlessly without a glitch. I think I am on my exploratory months on how to adapt to this super super secured and almost virus free os.( I have to experience virus infection yet.).

My best experience with this os so far is that it is lightning fast when it boots up. Program opens without waiting for it too long. I was able to tweak it in order for me to enable my NVIDIA card, the sound, ethernet, etc. But boy,it was all worth it.

Downloading is super fast using transmission. Camino is an unheard of browser until I come across its superb functionality. iPhoto is so unlike any program in windows. It is amazing. Wow, itunes truly stand up to its rigthful place in digital music . I haven't appreciated widget before in windows os but in mac, widget is something you can't live without.

I have yet to test Photoshop CS and play some online games.

My worst frustration so far is buying the real one and the superb application that is usually not bundled with it.

I've been reading this thread with great interest. I'm from the opposite side—not at all a hacker, will never be a hacker. I am relatively computer savvy when you consider the whole of computer users (most who will proclaim, "I lost the Internet!" if the shortcut on the desktop to IE is misplaced). But I am no hacker. I started out on the PC, switched (part time) to Mac in 2000, and still use and maintain several Macs and PCs.

I was mostly ignorant of the nuances of the "Hackintosh" thing until I stumbled upon this message board. I thank the OP for his article. It really helps explain things. It sounds like (for most of you) the OSX86 thing has been quite beneficial and leads to good things. Also, the question about Hackintoshes becoming mainstream has been answered—it seems like that's not going to happen in the forseeable future. Most computer users won't want to jump through the hoops required.

Of course, there are a few of you (or more than a few? ) who have an awful sense of entitlement. Just because you don't like the price of something, it's okay to swipe it? That doesn't fly. The consumer cannot justify swiping something just because they don't like the price. It doesn't work with any other products on the market, and it shouldn't work here either. But, I totally understand the "try before you buy" mentality, and I've used that as a rationale to "try" *cough* some software before I bought it. (And rest assured, if I liked it, I bought it or I stopped using it.)

Waaaay back in this thread, there was the fellow who said that he loudly proclaimed in Apple Stores how his Hackintosh was faster and cheaper. To him I say, my gosh man, get a grip. How very silly. He assumes that everyone's going to care, or that everyone has the same priorities as he does. Many of us do not want to put all that much effort into making our computers work. Some of us don't want to build our computers. (I do not.) That doesn't mean we are being "ripped off."

For example, I sometimes sew my own clothes. I can get great deals on fabrics and make some nice, well-made outfits (that FIT) for a mere pittance. But do I think that everyone who buys clothes off the rack is a sucker or stupid or beneath me? Absolutely not. Just because I enjoy the challenge of making my own clothes, it doesn't mean that everyone else will. Most want to just buy them, ready-made, and not worry about it. There are many computer users who feel the same way. (The majority of us, actually.)

I'm never going to be that person who is going to spend lots of time tweaking my computer system. I think it is completely fabulous that there are those of you who do, and I enjoy reading about your geeky exploits. Maybe I'll even learn a thing or two from you!

ive bin using macs 4 years now and i like them ) It just works.

yes there very expencive but! they will retain there price a PC loses its vaule like when you buy it a mac retains it vaule for a long time just look at secondhand price's. its like buying a mercedies and a cheap korean care they both get you where you want to go but the mercedies is more comfateble, and well gives you more money when you trade it in.

but yes pc vendor are verry cheap and it works for 98% i have 1 hackin tosh 1 i mac G5 and sold a ibook G4 and my Imac G5

the G5 always just works , my hackintosh wel did give me some sleeples nights its like havening windows problema all over again :S

I started using hackintosh January of '06 and while I loved the OS I did not like the hoops that I had to jump through (network card, wireless etc.). I showed my wife the OS as well and she immediately wanted one. This last March I purchased and iMac, a MacBook and an iPod 80g. I grabbed the pitcher of kool-aid and drank the whole thing. My next purchase will be a Mac mini for a media pc and then maybe in a few years a MacPro. If it were not for the OSX86 project I would not be using a single Mac now because I would not have had the opportunity to try it for an extended period and use the software that I am interested in and not just what is on them in the stores.

.....So I didn't get away from Windows or Ubuntu for some time, until some kind of nostalgic feeling made me do some research on it, and I found the osx86 project. I installed OSX on my computer and had such a different experience!

I can't spend a lot of money, so I'm not waiting to get a Macbook, but I'd really like to get an iBook, just to have the real thing and see what I can do with it (as I really like to play with computers ).

There's no way I'm saying goodbye to Linux, and I'll probably always need Windows for my gaming needs and some other stuff, but I'd like to get a real Mac (and not a crappy one like that old, ugly iMac G3) to play with it, see how Ubuntu works on PPC and all.

I came across this site/osx86project by curiousity. I knew the newer Mac's were Intel based and I had read that people were able to install osx on certain types of hardware. I found this site along with the main osx86 site, made sure my hardware was compatible (and it was, 100%, luckily) and I gave it a go with the latest JaS release. I worked without any issues. The only issue I had was sleep, i disabled it and now its working great. Ever since my first OSX experience I have been jonesin' for a REAL Mac. I would love to have one but money is very tight right now. I will have to use my hackintosh until I've got funds to be REAL. The only issue I have is my refresh rate. I want it to be 75hz, thats what my monitor supports. But, I'm stuck at 60hz. Besides that, I absolutely love OSX and Macs. I've been a PC using since 1996 and I am just now seeing the awesomeness of Macs. I just wish they werent so damn expensive.

Exactly, hack:

OS X hack deluxe:

 

The real {censored}:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those guys would probably not touch those Dell PCs and home built ugly mofos of {censored} with a stick.

 

 

Final picture to prove my point:

http://static.flickr.com/105/259699384_9156cc35b7_b.jpg

 

Heck, even http://home.no/roglar/temp/mac.jpg is better than a Dell machine.

 

(sorry for image spam, are there a limit on the amount of images?) ;D

i LOVE this comparison.

Me too!

Initially I had OS/X on a separate HDD, accessed via the BIOS at bootup, "just in case" I needed Windows for something. I think the Windows HDD didn't get booted into for 5 months or so, and even then I just did it to be sure I still could!

I'm still running the Hackintosh, but when I wanted a laptop, there was no choice. I had to get me a "real" Mac. Macbook C2D 2.0 2G RAM (just upgraded that today, actually )

Definately no power user, here, but the OSx86 project definately "made" me want a "real" Mac. So, yeah, I spent money on something I would never have a year ago, and couldn't be happier about it! Everyone I show my Macbook to kinda gets all glassy-eyed and go "ooooooh, that's neat" when I show them stuff. A coworker just got herself a 17" iMac, and loves it (she hates computers, in all of her 10 hours on a PC ). Another is definately going Mac when her current desktop kicks the bucket.

So yeah, the OSx86 project is definately a way to test run the OS, fall in love with it, and want a "real" Mac.

great thread here. wonderful reading material too. it'd be great to have steve jobs stop by and read some of the postings here.

I am one of the many hackintosh users who is very thankful with a lot of folks in this forum. I've never used mac in my entire life until 10.4.1 was ported to intel based machine. 10.4.8 is my best experience so far before getting the real thing.

i was working as a programmer for several years until i decided to have a career switch in graphic design field. this is where i thanked the people who made hackintosh a possibility. a lot of job interviews i went to require me to have a knowledge or experience with mac. lucky me. a PC user who never owns a mac before, has a certain degree of knowledge in mac. so in a way, hackintosh has helped me kick start my graphic design career. i got the job by the way. had i not have experience in hackintosh, it would've been a great minus point at the job interview.

i'm still a PC user now, but i'll be joining the switchers bandwagon (getting a macbook) very very soon.

p/s i was also one of the people who say mac is a bit more expensive. this cannot be explained instantly. i have to understand it. now i do. it's really not that expensive considering some factors. one of which is that mac really works. for an environment that's simple and reliable, paying more is really a good investment.

I think the whole Hackintosh phenomenon is quite interesting and useful. It’s certainly been a cultural experience. I’m now questioning the urban Machead legend. When it comes to zealous posturing, they don’t hold a candle to OSx86 hackers. *wicked grin*

Rogue OSx86’s very existence says volumes. With Apple’s experience in all things proprietary, I personally believe the reason they have not kept the hackers at bay has more to do with motive and less with ability. You couldn’t buy this kind of advertising. I’m sure they throw in just enough inconveniences and idle threats to prevent it from becoming a veritable give away.

I do admit I am at a loss to understand some of Apple’s marketing logic. Surely they could learn from the whole IBM-compatible/Windows stability debacle and really nab some OS market share, all the while maintaining their dominance in elegantly designed hardware.

As it stands, I think we’re all happy; Apple shareholders, Apple users, and Hackintosh owners. I look forward to Leopard!

Anyway, that's my two cents.

i LOVE this comparison.

Honestly, the comparison is pretty stupid.

PCs on dirty desks, half opened cases, trash everywhere.

Macs on clean desks in nicely decorated rooms.

It has nothing to do with whether the computer is a Mac or a PC... the rooms were filthy.

Interesting share of opinions, i think we have here the full batch of users.

I myself always found Mac an interesting computer with a fantastic OS, and i tried it on an Apple Store and i really loved it.

For some time i considered buying an iMac but at the end i decided not to, so i ended up buying a laptop (more a transportable laptop). 2 weeks ago i checked that it was possible to install OS X in a pc and i decided to do it. Why? I used XP for nothing more than organizing my always growing mp3 collections, movies and to copy files around to memory cards. I had tried Ubuntu, very nice, but somehow i was missing something.

I installed Jas release with 10.4.8 version, and after searching around i managed to have it running fully accelerated in 8 hours, i guess i was lucky because i just had to manipulate my wireless card drivers and my ATI drivers. I then managed to update OS X to 10.4.9 eventhough i am still running the old kernel (i could not download it here at work), and then again i had to manipulate the drivers from the video card, just repeating the steps before.

The laptop is running quite fast, faster than XP, and i have to say, it all looks very nice, so i just took the next step and ordered myself a new macbook with 2.16Ghz processor.

Yes, it is not a cheap machine, but it looks and feels great, and works like a charm, just got it today and i could not stop smiling.

I will try to install OS X in all my machines (i have a Pentium IV tower at home that acts like a media server) and i will still use XP as a secondary OS, but OS X has conquered me, legally and illegally, so i will keep it always.

This proves that Hackintosh is a great way to start, you can play around, damage what you feel like, and just reinstall without having to spend xxx$ in a real Mac, and then when you feel ready you can jump in and become a real Mac owner.

This does not mean that being a Hackintosh owner is less than being a Mac owner, but when you have made the jump you can tell the diference by yourself.

Just a side story. I too was a Amiga OS fan, and like many i missed being able to use an OS that actually feels nice, and now i can say i do it again. The Amiga was one of the best machines that i ever had, and it was a visionary product, it contained all that we now see as normal, separate Processing Units for Graphics, Computing, Memory Handling and Hard Disk access, and this almost 20 years ago.

Regards to all, and happy OSinX!

L.

P.S. This edit was done on the brand new MacBook, it does not rule.. it rocks ;-)

I used a hackintosh for a while. Eventually I found that I was no longer using Windows on my old laptop or desktop. I was using OSX86 even though not all the hardware worked correctly. I've since sold the old computers and replaced them with real macs. I couldn't be happier, as there are no longer any hacks or troubles I have to go through in order to use OSX. Everything just works, and works properly. I've also managed to convert a few Mac haters into folk who are considering migrating to a Mac by demoing features of it to them. I'd say that OSX86 is genius marketing on Apple's part.

All I know is... I love my iMac more than I ever loved my hackintosh. Because of my Hackintosh, I was able to appreciate and feel comfortable becoming a 100% Mac user. I sold my pc setup and bought a iMac. It is much better then my Hackintosh... by a long shot. Do what my sig says, GET A REAL MAC.