Mac Os For Intel Computers

The 'classic' Mac OS is the original Macintosh operating system that was introduced in 1984 alongside the first Macintosh and remained in primary use on Macs until the introduction of Mac OS X in 2001. Apple released the original Macintosh on January 24, 1984; its early system software was partially based on the Lisa OS and the Xerox PARC Alto computer, which former Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

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Intel Confirms Apple Macs Will Switch to Arm CPUs by 2020, Says Report. Porting x86 Mac Apps to Arm. Which has historically lacked Arm support in Chrome OS despite the OS being architecture. AppleCare+ for Mac Every Mac comes with a one-year limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary technical support.AppleCare+ for Mac extends your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage protection every 12 months, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299.

When you buy a Mac computer, you are buying the hardware and the software combined. We all know that we can't just purchase the software - aka macOS - and install it on our PC; unless you build a Hackintosh, that is. Below we will analyze all the advantages and disadvantages of a Hackintosh, and we will see why you can't just install macOS on any computer, as you would do with Windows or Linux.

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Table of Contents

What exactly is a Hackintosh?
Is Hackintosh legal?
Hackintosh is not for everyone

What exactly is a Hackintosh?

If you are not familiar with Hackintosh, then you probably haven't heard of OSx86 as well. But let's start from the beginning.

A little history

Apple doesn't need any special introduction. We all know it is one of the largest technology companies that designs and develops computers, smartphones, software, and online services.

The most known consumer software from Apple is macOS for computers and laptops, and iOS for smartphones, but that wasn't always the case.

Apple's story starts back in 1976 when it was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. By the end of 1970's, they had already launched their first products, Apple I, II, and III. However, Apple's first success came with the Macintosh models in the 80's.

Macintosh

The first Macintosh was introduced in 1984, which was Apple's first mass-produced personal computer with a graphical user interface.

Macintosh computers run the Macintosh System Software operating system, which was later rebranded into Mac OS in 1996.

The brand changed several times through the years. In 2001 it became Mac OS X, until 2010 that changed again to just 'OS X.' From 2016, we know it as macOS.

As for the name 'Macintosh,' it was replaced with the shorter 'Mac' on 1998 and hasn't changed since then.

Transition to Intel processors

Up until 2006, Apple used PowerPC processors on Macintosh computers, while Windows PCs used Intel and AMD chipsets. That way, it was impossible to run any of these operating systems on a non-official hardware.

However, in June 2005, Steve Jobs announced that Apple would produce Intel-based Macintosh computers. By the way, this is the reason we can only download Photoshop for free on Windows PCs and not on a modern Mac.

In January 2006, the company introduced the iMac and MacBook Pro, which were the first Intel-based Mac machines. More specifically, they were based on the Intel Core Duo platform, and they run Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger.

Apple later announced that it would complete the transition to Intel processors by the end of 2006. With Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard on 2009, the first Intel-only Mac OS X, the company finally stopped the support for the PowerPC microprocessors.

Since Apple moved to the Intel chipset, it was possible to run Windows on Apple hardware. Although the company provided a supported method to dual boot OS X and Windows, it refused to support the installation of OS X on other hardware.

And that's where Hackintosh came into play.

OSx86

OSx86 is a hacking project that enables us to run OS X on non-Apple systems. The project is also known as 'Hackintosh,' a portmanteau of the words 'hack' and 'Macintosh.' If the hacked computer is a laptop, sometimes it is called 'Hackbook.'

The transition to Intel processors was the beginning of OSx86, a name derived from OS X and the x86 architecture. The early efforts were crappy, with plenty of bugs and incompatibilities. The project would adequately support only a few GPUs, and it was almost impossible to install new updates, without breaking anything.

Since then, many communities appeared on the Internet to support the Hackintosh. There are a lot of step by step guides that describe how we can install macOS - or previous versions of the operating system - on laptops and custom desktop PCs.

Thanks to all these forums and communities, there is now a lot of support on how to assemble a Hackintosh, what parts to choose, how to overcome any problems, etc. Hackintosh has indeed become easier than it used to be.

Mac Intel Cpu

The most popular community is OSx86 Project. For more information, you can also have a look at tonymacx86. In case you want to build a Hackintosh, these are good places to start. For AMD users, the AMD OS X forum will be your best friend.

Why would I want a Hackintosh computer?

There are several reasons why people what to build a Hackintosh computer.

First of all, some users prefer macOS over Windows, but they don't want to spend a fortune on buying a Mac.

Besides, a Mac is a pre-built computer. Nowadays, people tend to select their hardware and build their machines based on their needs. Others want the computer to have a certain look and feel, or they don't like a Mac's design.

Furthermore, Mac computers are locked down. That means we cannot upgrade their parts, easily install more RAM, replace the hard drive, etc.

That's why PC enthusiasts turn to Hackintosh to run macOS, because Hackintosh provides the scalability and power of a PC, along with the efficiency of macOS.

And then there's curiosity. A significant portion of Hackintosh users want to experiment with a different OS or do it for the tinkering aspect. For some people, half the fun of working with computers is to make them do things they were not built to do.

How about performance?

Performance-wise, a Hackintosh with the same high-end hardware components as a Mac can perform better in benchmarks, rendering times, etc.

In this video, there is a comparison between the 5Κ iMac and a 1000$ Skylake Hackintosh with similar hardware. Have in mind that the Mac costs from 2.500$ to 4.500$, depending on the model.

In the matrix below we can see the specification of the machines used in the comparison.

The results on most benchmarks favor the Hackintosh over Mac Pro, 5K iMac, and 2016 Mac Book Pro.

There are several other benchmark tests on the Internet that conclude to the same thing: Hackintosh performs better than a Mac.

Mac Os For Intel Computers Desktops

Is Hackintosh legal?

If you install macOS or any operating system in the OS X family on non-official Apple hardware, you violate Apple's EULA for the software. According to the company, Hackintosh computers are illegal, due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Some people suggest that, if you use a legitimately purchased copy of macOS, it is 100% legal to install it on any machine you want.

That would make sense if you didn't agree to Apple's end-user license agreement. The EULA mentions that we don't buy the software, we only 'license' it. And the license terms do not permit us to install the software on a non-Apple machine.

If you install macOS on non-official hardware, you breach the contract and the copyright law. Apple, on the other hand, has the right to act upon a breach of contract and right violation.

Mac Os For Intel Pc System Requirements

Of course, communities like OSx86 have existed for years. That probably means that Apple doesn't care or doesn't want to spend money and effort against such acts. Maybe Hackintosh computers don't have any significant effect on Mac sales, who knows.

That said, PCsteps doesn't hold any responsibility for your actions. It is up to you whether you decide to build a Hackintosh and run into problems with Apple. The purpose of this article is purely informative.

The story of Psystar

Psystar Corporation was a company that sold Mac clones. The term refers to computers that run Mac OS, but are made and manufactured by third-party companies.

In other words, we can say that Psystar's computers were the first commercially distributed Hackintosh computers.

On July 3, 2008, Apple filed a lawsuit against Psystar Corporation for violation of copyrights, but the conflict didn't end there. Psystar responded with a countersuit for anti-competitive practices and monopolistic behavior.

However, the countersuit was dismissed. Long story short, the case reached the Supreme Court, which decided that Apple was right, and Psystar violated its DMCA rights.

Psystar's computers were based on the OSx86 project, but the developers of the project claimed that Psystar didn't get permission to use their code. Thus, they reworked their license after the incidence, strictly forbidding commercial usage of their code.

Hackintosh is not for everyone

Mac Os For Intel Computers Windows 10

It is true, Hackintosh is not for everyone. We saw that a Hackintosh has higher performance than a Mac, depending on the hardware used. But we also mentioned that the process is complicated and illegal.

If you wonder whether or not you should install macOS on a custom computer, we got you covered. Below you'll find all the advantages and disadvantages of Hackintosh so that you can decide.

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Pros

Cost effectiveness: Is it all about the money after all? Maybe. A Mac's price is way off the limit for many of us. Contrary, in a Hackintosh you pay for the hardware you get, and it is certainly less expensive and greater value for money.
Custom build: The main reason people choose Hackintosh over Mac is that they can use custom computer parts. Although limited to specific CPUs, motherboards, etc., users can still make a choice between a wide range of parts, plus they pick the monitor or a PC case of their liking. The variety is significantly greater than a pre-built Mac computer.
Better performance: Since you can install a high-end GPU, it makes sense that a Hackintosh is more powerful than a Mac. The video card can also help with GPU rendering with CUDA, which isn't always possible on a Mac.
Upgradable: There is a sense of flexibility when you can upgrade your computer whenever you want. With Hackintosh, you can install more RAM, change CPU, etc., as long as you choose parts that are compatible.
Fun: Last but not least, the fun part is something you should take into consideration. If you like to tinker and experiment with computers and different operating systems, you may have found your next project.

Cons

Specific hardware: Hackintosh won't run on any PC, you have to buy specific parts to make it work. There is a lot of support in the Hackintosh community that can help you buy the right parts, but this doesn't mean it will work on a machine that you already have sitting in the basement.
High level of difficulty: If you are the type of user that wants everything ready out of the box, Hackintosh is not for you. It will take a lot of effort to make it work, even with the right hardware. Moreover, you may run into issues at any point after the installation, and that will require search and digging into articles and forums to solve them.

No support: If anything goes wrong, which is not a rare phenomenon on Hackintosh computers, you have to fix it by yourselves. Apple won't support you in any way. This is a very significant drawback for those that want to use Hackintosh for professional purposes, and thus it is definitely not recommended for such cases.
Risk on updates: When you update a Hackintosh, don't expect a smooth experience as it would be the case with an official Mac computer. As we mentioned, you may run into problems, and updates are known to 'break' things in Hackintosh.
Illegal: Apple says that Hackintosh is illegal, and that is a good reason not to try it.

Do you plan to build a Hackintosh?

Hackintosh is a pretty solid solution if you want macOS, with the price of a casual computer. However, for professionals that their job depends on their computer or inexperienced users that prefer an out of the box experience, it is not recommended. Plus, we should not forget that Hackintosh is not legal.

In case you just want to try macOS, you can create a virtual machine inside Windows. It is just as illegal as a Hackintosh, but much, much easier to set up and run.

Have you ever built a Hackintosh computer, or do you plan to build one in the future? Do you think that Hackintosh is better than a Mac? Did this article help you decide whether you should go for it or not?

You can share your experience with Hackintosh in the comment section. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

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Starting later in 2020, Apple is making a big change to its Mac lineup. Although Macs have used processors from Intel since 2006, future Macs will begin using Apple-designed chips like the ones in iPhones and iPads. Apple says that using its own chips will improve graphics performance and battery life for Mac laptops and will provide other less-tangible benefits relating to security and privacy. The first Mac using “Apple silicon” will be available by the end of the year (though we don’t know which Mac model that will be), and Apple expects its full lineup of Macs to complete the transition within the next two years.

This sets up a years-long transition period in which Apple supports both Intel Macs and Apple-silicon Macs with new features and software updates for a while but eventually drops Intel Mac support in favor of focusing on the newer, faster models with its own chips. So the question is: In the early phase of this transition, where we know Intel Macs will fade out but Apple-silicon Macs don’t exist yet, is it still a good idea to spend money on an Intel Mac right now?

The answer differs depending on the work you’re doing, but for most people we think it’s still pretty safe to buy an Intel Mac rather than waiting for one with Apple silicon. But we’ll keep this guidance up to date as the transition to Apple chips plays out and as the company makes more public comments about how much support Intel Macs will receive over the next few years.

What’s the problem?

Apple’s processors and Intel’s processors can’t just run the same software. Each uses a different “instruction set,” meaning (very simply) that software needs to talk to them in different ways to get them to perform the same tasks. Because of this, software developers will need to do extra work to optimize their applications to run well on both Intel and Apple processors. Eventually, as Intel Macs age and Apple-silicon Macs become more prevalent, those developers may stop working to make their apps run on Intel Macs at all.

If you’ve been using Macs since the turn of the millennium, you might remember something similar happening when Apple transitioned from PowerPC chips to Intel processors in the mid- to late 2000s. Apple and third-party app developers supported both PowerPC and Intel Macs for a couple of years, but the last PowerPC Macs didn’t get updates for nearly as long as the earlier PowerPC Macs, a development that shortened their useful lifespans. The concern is that history will repeat itself, and that the last few Intel Macs will be worse investments than both the Intel Macs that preceded them and the Apple-silicon Macs that will follow.

Most people should buy what they need right now

Our long-standing advice to people who need a new computer right this minute is to buy one. There’s always something new coming around the corner, but you never know how long you’ll need to wait for it or what features it will include. As of this writing, the 2020 MacBook Air and Pro lineups are as good as they’ve been in years, with much more comfortable keyboards than on previous models, more generous storage, and solid performance. Those computers aren’t suddenly bad now that Apple is changing processors, and they’ll be supported with new software updates “for years to come.” Apple won’t say exactly how many years that is (we have some guesses), but Macs typically receive new software updates for six or seven years after their release, and security patches for a couple of years after that.

That said, if you’re on the fence about buying a new Mac—maybe the one you have is working fine but getting old, or you bought a model with one of the old low-travel keyboards and want to upgrade to a better one—you should wait at least six months or a year to see how Apple handles the early phase of this transition. We don’t think the first Apple-silicon Macs will differ dramatically from current Intel Macs in how they look or work, but going forward you can expect Apple to introduce more and more features exclusively for Apple-silicon Macs.

When you should definitely buy an Intel Mac

If you’re looking to buy a Mac desktop instead of a Mac laptop, it’s better not to wait for Apple-silicon Macs. Apple confirmed that it still has some Intel Macs on the way, and the aging iMac is the most likely candidate for an Intel-reliant refresh right now. We also know that Apple’s current iPad and iPhone chips are a better fit for smaller, power-efficient laptops rather than high-performance desktops, which suggests that the iMac, iMac Pro, and Mac Pro will drop Intel processors closer to the end of that two-year transition period than to the beginning.

And if you run Windows on your Mac in any form—either by shutting down macOS and booting up Windows via Apple’s Boot Camp software or by running Windows on top of macOS using virtualization software like Parallels or VMware Fusion—you’re also safer buying an Intel Mac. Boot Camp won’t be available on Macs with Apple processors at all. Virtualization software may be updated to run Windows on Apple silicon eventually, but the Rosetta emulation software that Apple will use to run Intel apps on Apple chips explicitly does not support virtualization. At best, the makers of virtualization apps may be able to come up with their own workarounds, but Windows will likely run slower on Apple chips than it does on Intel chips.

When you should definitely wait for Apple silicon

One thing that Apple-silicon Macs will be able to do that Intel Macs can’t: download and run iOS and iPadOS apps and games directly from the App Store. Software developers can already get their iPad apps running as Mac apps that will work on Intel or Apple chips, but it requires extra effort that most developers haven’t put in.

Right now, it’s hard to think of an iOS or iPadOS app that would be worth delaying a Mac purchase—most productivity apps are already available on both, and the Mac-specific versions will still work better with a keyboard and mouse and be more consistent with the rest of your Mac apps. But it’s an intriguing option for phone or tablet games, and it’s likely to be just the first of a steadily growing list of things that Apple-silicon Macs will be able to do that Intel Macs can’t.

How long will Intel Macs get new updates?

Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised software updates for Intel Macs “for years to come,” but that’s a pretty vague statement to hang a multi-thousand-dollar purchase on. Apple is also notoriously secretive about its future plans. But what we can do is look at Apple’s last processor transition and its current support policies to come up with a good guess.

Apple announced the transition from PowerPC to Intel processors at its developer conference in June 2005. The company then released the first Intel Macs in 2006 and completed the hardware end of the transition by the end of that year, ahead of its original schedule. That meant you could still buy PowerPC Macs as late as 2006. Three years later, the Mac OS X 10.6 update dropped support for PowerPC Macs entirely, and those computers stopped getting new features or access to then-new apps like Google Chrome. PowerPC Macs did receive security updates until 2011, five years after they had last been sold, but no new features or other upgrades.

More recently, when Apple has dropped support for older Mac models in new versions of macOS, it has stuck to its timelines for “vintage and obsolete products.” For purposes of hardware and software support, Apple considers a product “vintage” if it’s between five and seven years old and “obsolete” if it’s more than seven years old. Macs on either of these lists are the most at risk for being dropped when new macOS versions are released; for example, when macOS Big Sur comes out this fall, Apple will drop support for all Macs released in 2012 and a handful from 2013.

Without confirmation from Apple, we can’t say how long Intel Macs will continue to be updated. But in a worst-case scenario, you ought to be able to get at least three years’ worth of active updates and security updates for a couple of years after that. At best, an Intel Mac bought in mid-2020 could see new macOS releases for six or seven years. Apple has also sold many, many more Intel Macs than it ever sold PowerPC Macs, so third-party software developers should be inclined to support Intel Macs for longer.

Footnotes

PC processors from Intel and AMD use an instruction set called “x86_64” or just “x86,” a reference to the original Intel 8086 processor used in some of the earliest modern PCs. Phone and tablet processors from companies like Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek use an instruction set called “ARM,” a reference to the company that invented it.
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About your guide

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham is a senior staff writer on Wirecutter's tech team. He has been writing about laptops, phones, routers, and other tech since 2011. Before that he spent five years in IT fixing computers and helping people buy the best tech for their needs. He also co-hosts the book podcast Overdue and the TV podcast Appointment Television.

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