Can Mac OS installed in PC?

[it5five]

Am I the only one that thinks there should be a sticky in the top of this section about this question? It seems to get asked way too often.

 

[Counterfit]

Now can you tell me why Apple should be allowed to tell me that I can't install Linux on the MacBook, and install MacOS X on another computer?

A. Apple does not prevent you from running Linux on Apple hardware. They make almost all of their money on hardware (computer and iPod) sales, and they basically use OS X to sell the hardware. If you buy the hardware, and don't want to run OS X, that's pretty much fine by them. Besides, if Apple didn't want you running Linux on your Mac, why can you buy these.
2. The other part of your question: If you could install OS X on any generic hardware, what reason would most people have for buying their hardware, when you could get something to do the job for hundreds less? Apple would essentially become a software company, like a certain one in Redmond. They'd have to put in serial numbers and probably activation in the client versions of the OS to slow the piracy a little, and most likely start charging more for updates too.

but the PC market is huge, there is tons and tons of computershassies, soundcards, graphiccards, optical drives, motherboards and so on

Well, the only thing stopping most of those working on a Mac are drivers. Of course, you could put Apple hardware into a 3rd party case, and nearly all optical drives are supported (either with Apple's drivers or Patchburn). Also, if you have optical audio, the soundcard is somewhat moot, unless you need specific input/output options that you can't get that way.

 

[sunrobby]

Rude.. why don't you guys understand the point of my question.. i DONT want to install mac os on PC, i DONT ask whether am i allowed to do that, why some people responded with EULA, illegal thing, etc
I only want to know the technical view, just wondering, why does Windows now can be installed on Apple machine, logically, now mac os can be installed on PC which using intel? That's just my thoughts, is Windows on Apple using some intepreter or something that bootcamp provided to enable apple machine to run windows? So it's not only because now Apple use Intel, Windows can be easily installed on Apple machine, because if so, means Mac os can be easily installed on PC. Windows still need some intepreter to run on apple. The answer im expecting are like these: Thanks guys

To original poster: Additionally, if you're wondering why Windows can be installed on a mac and OS X cannot be installed on a pc, Apple uses Boot Camp to trick Windows to thinking that it is loading off of an old fashioned BIOS rather than EFI. OS X (in its native, unscrewed around with form on the DVD) needs EFI and will not boot off of a pc's BIOS.

The reason the normal Mac OS X disk will not boot on standard x86 hardware is probably primarily the lack of EFI support on the majority of PCs. The modifications needed include using a version of the Darwin core with bios support.

 

[RacerX]

That is 100% false.

You think so?

All retail versions of any Mac OS (both before and after Mac OS X was released) are classified as upgrades. The fact that you don't need to have an OS (at all) on your hard drive doesn't change this fact. What you are upgrading is the original OS that came on your Mac, and your Mac is your license key for running the OS.

IIRC the only version of OS X that required a previous version installed was 10.1, which was a "free" upgrade to 10.0 users. Of course you could buy a full retail version of 10.1 as well.

Which was still an upgrade to what ever OS was originally running on the system you installed 10.1 on. The fact that it didn't require a previous version on the hard drive, again, doesn't change the nature of what Apple was selling... an upgrade to the original OS that came with your Apple computer.

And there were upgrade versions (that required a previous version of Mac OS X) sold for 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4. Apple doesn't make many of these and most end up bundled with hardware that still has the previous OS. But Apple does let retailers sell Apple's over stock of these.

I'm pretty sure it's been debated whether or not some EULA's are actually legally binding. At any rate, I would say it's Fair Use to install it on non-Apple hardware if you want to for personal use, though officially it remains illegal and discussion on how to do it might not be permitted by MacRumors rules (but I'm no mod *shrugs*).

It has been... in court.

No, it is not fair use to run Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware. Infact, it would most likely count as a violation of the Digital Millennium Act here in the US as you are breaking the license key of the software by hacking it to run on non-Apple hardware.

And Apple isn't the only company to do this... the version of Windows that comes with every PC is tied to that PC. You do not have the right to move that copy of Windows to any other hardware, even if that hardware dies and you need a new PC. The license to use that version of Windows lives and dies with the hardware it was sold with.

On this I have first hand experience (have had to deal with Microsoft's lawyers on this type of matter once). In the case of Microsoft, if they find that you have broken the license restrictions on something like this, they will sue you (for a lot of money). I heard of Apple doing the same, but so far they have not been nearly as quick to prosecute.



Of course now that we have people hacking their software (something we didn't have to worry about before), I wouldn't be surprised if they become very aggressive about this.


And the law doesn't let you rationalize. Stealing is stealing. If you are stealing a $129.00 operating system (by downloading it or installing it on non-Apple hardware), why would you thing the law would protect you any more than if you tried to walk out of an Apple Store with a boxed version of Mac OS X without paying for it?

 

[timb]

Rude.. why don't you guys understand the point of my question.. i DONT want to install mac os on PC, i DONT ask whether am i allowed to do that, why some people responded with EULA, illegal thing, etc
I only want to know the technical view, just wondering, why does Windows now can be installed on Apple machine, logically, now mac os can be installed on PC which using intel? That's just my thoughts, is Windows on Apple using some intepreter or something that bootcamp provided to enable apple machine to run windows? So it's not only because now Apple use Intel, Windows can be easily installed on Apple machine, because if so, means Mac os can be easily installed on PC. Windows still need some intepreter to run on apple. The answer im expecting are like these: Thanks guys

I'm gathering english is not your native language, so that might be where some of the confusion stems from...

Perhaps I can be more clear here:

Apple is always on the swords edge of hardware. They use the latest greatest. Windows is stuck in legacy land (the fact that you can use peripherals and software from the 1980s, natively, without emulation proves this).

Mac OS X is designed to only use the latest things, EFI, PCI-E, etc.

It doesn't have proper support for legacy things such as BIOS, older bridge controllers, etc.

Current EFI firmware on Macs has a BIOS emulation layer that allows Windows to boot. Intel has drivers for the various hardware pieces under Windows.

Make sense?

-timb

 

[Nermal]

there shouldn't be any copies of Mac OS X for Intel that are not expressly tied to an existing piece of hardware. One copy of Mac OS X for Intel for each Intel based system Apple has released.

Don't forget the retail boxed version of 10.4.7 Server.

 

[bob5820]

I do not believe that Apple will lose that much on release there OS for all platform, if they released there os on every platform they will get more software marketshares.
I dont think that Apple will end up selling that much less of there hardware either, people that currently buy Apple computers and Apple switcher like the Macs for what it is.
I think that Apple would benefit from releasing there os for the PC users.
If they did, i still would buy Macs for the simple reason that they are great.

I've really go to disagree.
1) As has already been stated Apples business model is based on selling the OS and the hardware as a package.
2)As it stands right now Apple has complete control over what hardware can be used with OSX. This is part of what makes OSX such a stable OS. Now if they were to allow OSX to be installed on PC's they would have to give up this control thereby allowing OSX to loose much of its stability. Alternately they could restrict which hardware you could use. In other words you could build a PC only with components specified as OSX compatable (think video cards).
3) By selling an OS that can be used on any PC Apple would be in direct competition with Microsoft. Not a situation the evil empire takes lightly. In the short term you would most likely be kissing Office for MAC goodby, in the long term MS would have no choice but to sink Apple.

 

[bousozoku]

Rude.. why don't you guys understand the point of my question.. i DONT want to install mac os on PC, i DONT ask whether am i allowed to do that, why some people responded with EULA, illegal thing, etc
I only want to know the technical view, just wondering, why does Windows now can be installed on Apple machine, logically, now mac os can be installed on PC which using intel? That's just my thoughts, is Windows on Apple using some intepreter or something that bootcamp provided to enable apple machine to run windows? So it's not only because now Apple use Intel, Windows can be easily installed on Apple machine, because if so, means Mac os can be easily installed on PC. Windows still need some intepreter to run on apple. The answer im expecting are like these: Thanks guys

I understand the issue very well.

The legal, boxed version will not run on generic x86 PC equipment. The hacked, illegal version will work.

Microsoft wants their operating system to run on as many machines as possible and Apple wants to sell hardware.

I thought we already addressed this.

 

[RacerX]

Don't forget the retail boxed version of 10.4.7 Server.

True... but the license for Server is like the license for the client version of Mac OS X. Installing Mac OS X Server on a system that already has Mac OS X on it doesn't mean that the copy of Mac OS X that came with the system is now free to be moved around.

And you really don't need to install the full Server operating system. Apple has, for quite some time, provided instructions to install versions of Server on systems where the actual Server media (and OS on that media) do not support the hardware you want to install it on. I put up a quick "how to" on installing versions of Mac OS X Server on unsupported hardware (here, in case anyone was needing it). What you really want from Mac OS X Server is the Server software packages... the OS on the media is designed to make set up and installation easier.

So there are two sources of legal unbinded versions of Mac OS X for Intel out there now (10.5 developer and 10.4 Server). But as with previous versions, your license to install and use those comes from your Apple hardware.

 

[solvs]

Rude..

Considering your question, I actually think everyone is being pretty nice. Sure, we've kinda gone off topic (what else is new here), but your question has actually been answered. Apple makes the hardware. It's more than just an Intel chip, it's their motherboards with their proprietary stuff because they want you to buy their machines.

There are some hacks out there to trick normal PCs into running it, but it's not supported at all, and there can be some really tricky parts (I've heard), so if you have to ask...