Mac OS X 10.5.7 Update Improves Battery Life on 'Hackintosh' Netbooks?

[BayouTiger]

Of the three, I think the Wind is great because of the online community surrounding it. I got one just to use for work. I turn on control systems with my laptop and I was tired of having my $3k+ 17" MBP on jobsites. My Wind serves this purpose perfectly and with the 2Gb and 320 drive it runs OSX flawlessly. I just need the 6 cell battery.

 

[vettori]

I'd like to see a touchscreen tablet with 8" to 10" screen, wifi and 3g networks, capable of running all iPhone apps and eventually regular mac osx apps.

If the price is right, think about the potential...

 

[sneeks]

Cool, what's the difference with 10 and 10v ?

Several small differences but the 10v has a change of graphics card which is the main step required for OS X support.

If you can cope with the Mini 9 then I'd highly recommend it, probably the best netbook to install OS X onto without running into problems. Everything works.

 

[deadfish]

Dell Mini9

I have a mini9 with os x and I ran it last night for the first time off the grid and it seemed like I had 1-2 additional hours with 10.7- I didn't time it, but it was significant. I love my mini9, I run windows on it via virtualbox. Things do slow down a bit if you open a ton of apps at once, but overall it's a wonderful machine. It's powerful enough that I sold my MBP two weeks ago and I'm now using the mini9 as a full replacement for that machine. At home I landscape with a 22" HD monitor and use an bluetooth mouse and keyboard with it.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

Several small differences but the 10v has a change of graphics card which is the main step required for OS X support.

If you can cope with the Mini 9 then I'd highly recommend it, probably the best netbook to install OS X onto without running into problems. Everything works.

I have a mini9 with os x and I ran it last night for the first time off the grid and it seemed like I had 1-2 additional hours with 10.7- I didn't time it, but it was significant. I love my mini9, I run windows on it via virtualbox. Things do slow down a bit if you open a ton of apps at once, but overall it's a wonderful machine. It's powerful enough that I sold my MBP two weeks ago and I'm now using the mini9 as a full replacement for that machine. At home I landscape with a 22" HD monitor and use an bluetooth mouse and keyboard with it.

I'm facing needing to do something along this lines for my DD. I hate that i "have" to too..... but anyway...

WOuld the 10v be easier if i waited a few months? My timeline is probably summer - unless the iBook totally dies before then. The size is perfect for her at 12", so i'm not sure she will like going down. I guess I should take her to the store somewhere and check the sizing of them out.

And, will i be able to continue to buy the mini9? that is another worry - that the "easy" route goes away.... just call it, "Tracey Luck" - because mine has stunk lately.

 

[sneeks]

WOuld the 10v be easier if i waited a few months?

And, will i be able to continue to buy the mini9? that is another worry - that the "easy" route goes away.... just call it, "Tracey Luck" - because mine has stunk lately.

There have been rumours recently that the Mini 9 is nearing the end of its life cycle but no official news. The Mini 10v certainly looks like it will support OS X and we will hopefully know in the next couple of weeks when they start to be delivered. I don't know if anyone has confirmed that you can upgrade from the default 1GB RAM.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

There have been rumours recently that the Mini 9 is nearing the end of its life cycle but no official news. The Mini 10v certainly looks like it will support OS X and we will hopefully know in the next couple of weeks when they start to be delivered. I don't know if anyone has confirmed that you can upgrade from the default 1GB RAM.

Thanks - i'll keep an ear open then!

 

[starkruzr]

Just wanted to add to the chorus of "my Dell Mini 9 is awesome under OS X!" folks. Upgraded to 10.5.7 the other day and everything went smoothly, but I haven't tested the battery yet.

It's curious to me that OS X runs more smoothly than any other OS on this machine; I've tried XP, Win7, and Ubuntu NBR on it and it is slicker and smoother than all of them. This combined with the 10.5.7 battery improvements reported makes me thing Apple is working on an Atom-powered machine.

I would almost certainly sell my DM9 and buy an Apple netbook if they came out with one. Time will tell...

 

[cecemf]

Several small differences but the 10v has a change of graphics card which is the main step required for OS X support.

If you can cope with the Mini 9 then I'd highly recommend it, probably the best netbook to install OS X onto without running into problems. Everything works.

Cool thanks !

shame that the 10v we can't change the screen for an HD one ! or change the batterie to 6cells !

 

[headfuzz]

After my initial excitement I realised that although I've got 8Gb of expansion in the SD card slot, my SSD only has 200Mb odd free and not the 1.3 Gb eek required by the 10.5.7 update, d'oh!

Guess I'll be buying either the 16Gb or 32Gb Runcore SSD come payday then

 

[michael.lauden]

I have a mini9 with os x and I ran it last night for the first time off the grid and it seemed like I had 1-2 additional hours with 10.7- I didn't time it, but it was significant. I love my mini9, I run windows on it via virtualbox. Things do slow down a bit if you open a ton of apps at once, but overall it's a wonderful machine. It's powerful enough that I sold my MBP two weeks ago and I'm now using the mini9 as a full replacement for that machine. At home I landscape with a 22" HD monitor and use an bluetooth mouse and keyboard with it.

wow you have 10.7???

 

[TraceyS/FL]

Cool thanks !

shame that the 10v we can't change the screen for an HD one ! or change the batterie to 6cells !

That was an option for me when i built one last night to see pricing. It was cheap too. Maybe just a US thing? (i'll attach a screen shot).

The big thing for me was the fact that i could get a regular drive in the 10v. I"m tired of juggling the 10gb on the iBook now, and like the 120gb much better. The 8gb option means daily shuffling of files... teh 120 has the ability to load a week at a time.

 

[50548]

Link?

Here.

http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS21836309

 

[madmaxmedia]

Wish one of the Dell mini 10, MSI wind or Lenovo S10 is the best for Mac OSX Leopard ?

The Samsung (I think NC10?) is also a good budget choice. Compatibility seems just as good as the MSI, plus it comes with 6 cell battery-

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=137314

 

[madmaxmedia]

The best computer you can have, is the computer that is available to you.

Also, the best computer you can have, is the computer you can afford.

 

[j26]

Wired summarizes some surprising experiences of users who have hacked their MSI Wind netbooks to run Mac OS X. These so called "hackintoshes" when updated to Mac OS X 10.5.7 have experienced dramatic boosts in battery effeciency.

Can't wait to get home to try it out!!

 

[50548]

You got a cite to back up your claim that netbook sales are falling? Personally every netbook sales article I've read lately is positive like this one in InformationWeek:http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217500002&subSection=All+Stories. Facts, man. Gimme some facts, and not the ones you pulled from your backside.

From what I'm seeing netbooks are not a fad, they are a solid segment of the laptop market, much like roadsters are in the auto market. No, they are not for everyone, but they are for enough for companies to justify making them.

Personally I have a Lenovo S10. The keyboard IS horrendous, but the rest of the machine is just fine. They are certainly good enough to go on the web and edit a short memo just like the machines are designed to do. In fact when I go on short biz trips I take my S10 instead of my MBP b/c it's lighter and easier to use on a plane.

Now if you want a less than stellar product then take a look at the MBA. Not only it is overpriced for what it is, is has 1 USB port. A $1800-2300 laptop with ONE USB port and a weak processor. Come on. We both know Apple can do better than that, and, hopefull it will.

I am definitely going for an MBA in the next couple of months, as many others are...it's the BEST machine in its niche, and its design is unmatched by any other inferior PC maker. Nobody cares if it has 1 USB, this is not the point for an MBA buyer...it's about thinness, beauty, reasonable power and portability without squinting your eyes. A 10" screen and a keyboard smaller than my hand won't do for replacing my iBook, sorry.

The point is: netbooks have had a "successful" year strictly because of the crisis. Apple doesn't cater to the poor; it has always targeted the middle/upper-end of the market. So yeah, if you wanna discuss market shares, it's clear that the beleaguered PC makers have their artificial unit numbers to show...what they don't tell you is the ridiculously low margins they are getting from those sales.

Besides, apart from a few nice models from Sony, the netbook pack is full of crap, both quality- and performance-wise. If/when Apple enters this market, it's gonna be with something that redefines the sector, just like the iPhone...in fact, it's funny to see comparisons with the iPhone - this means that a single smartphone with a genius OS, touchscreen and Apps already covers almost every need you might justify for a piss-poor netbook.

And the final nail in the coffin: once the economy rebounds, NO ONE is gonna look for those makeshift computers apart from specific developing markets that look ONLY for prices...in fact, even NOW makers are already considering bigger screens and all, given that people's demands are not at all covered by current models.

Wait and see until netbooks disappear between newer iPhones (and similar smartphones) and updated superthin MBAs...

 

[TraceyS/FL]

And the final nail in the coffin: once the economy rebounds, NO ONE is gonna look for those makeshift computers apart from specific developing markets that look ONLY for prices...in fact, even NOW makers are already considering bigger screens and all, given that people's demands are not at all covered by current models.
:

Actually, i'm looking for something in the $3-500 range from Apple for younger students. Something that parents would feel comfy buying to get them thru High school, before springing for a nicer laptop to take to college.

You know, the "hook them while they are young" type of marketing. I have 3 kids - all of which have school needs for some sort of netbook type machine. I don't need to spend $899 each on them.... $300 is more doable. So i can really have ONE new Mac for 3 kids to share or 3 netbooks... i'd rather it be 3 Apple products bought over the next 2 years.

i won't hold my breath.

So while i am "poor" - for me, i want the ease of use, and stability and controls of the Mac platform... hence the need to consider hacking something. For the first time in my life.

 

[Scottsdale]

I dont care for Atom it seems like a step backwards for Apple maybe a Dual core Atom processor but single plus OSX seems like it would lag a lot!

To me backwards is recommending someone with a rev B MBA trade it for an original MBA. That is a BIG step backwards. Seems to me an overheated Merom 20W CPU, experiencing core shutdown and locking up, while playing HD video, inside of an Air case would "lag a lot!"

LMAO

Sorry, couldn't resist after your other post about the MBA recommendation.

 

[Evangelion]

Here.

http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS21836309

Actually, if you read that link, you will notice that they say NOTHING regarding sales of netbooks. Not a thing. I fail to see why you posted that link at all.

The point is: netbooks have had a "successful" year strictly because of the crisis.

Another mistake. Netbooks sold well even before the crisis. The financial meltdown started in october, netbooks we selling like crazy even before october.

Besides, apart from a few nice models from Sony, the netbook pack is full of crap, both quality- and performance-wise.

You can't ask for much for 300-400 bucks. Sure, they might be crap when compared to computers that cost three times as much. Did you really expect them to be equivalent in specs and build-quality?

in fact, it's funny to see comparisons with the iPhone - this means that a single smartphone with a genius OS, touchscreen and Apps already covers almost every need you might justify for a piss-poor netbook.

It does not.

And the final nail in the coffin: once the economy rebounds, NO ONE is gonna look for those makeshift computers apart from specific developing markets that look ONLY for prices

They were selling well before the crisis, why wouldn't they sell well after the crisis as well?

in fact, even NOW makers are already considering bigger screens and all, given that people's demands are not at all covered by current models.

So you are saying that netbooks are a failure because the current models do not fulfill the needs of every single consumer? Uh, OK....

Macs are a failure as well, since they don't fulfill the needs of every single consumer either.

Wait and see until netbooks disappear between newer iPhones (and similar smartphones) and updated superthin MBAs...

Smartphones do not do the same things as netbooks do, and MBA costs about 4-5 times as much.

And I bet that if Apple released a MAcBook mini, you would be all over it, telling us how great it is. Only reason you are flaming netbooks is because Apple does not offer one. IF they did, you would think that betbooks are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

[madmaxmedia]

Besides, the build quality on the better (but still inexpensive) netbooks isn't so bad at all.

At least their hinges don't break, nor do they need 3rd party coolbook software.

 

[Evolesque]

I agree with madmax,

the hp 2140 hd is a great example of quality for price, cept maybe the odd trackpad. Oh well you can't win them all.

 

[sneeks]

My Mini 9 is reporting a additional 1.5 hours of remaining battery when fully charged with 10.5.7, it will now last for 4.5 hours which I'm very happy with.

 

[50548]

Actually, if you read that link, you will notice that they say NOTHING regarding sales of netbooks. Not a thing. I fail to see why you posted that link at all.

It's clear as crystal:

Intel's shipments of Atom processors for mini-notebook PCs (which Intel calls "Netbooks") declined –33% in 1Q09 compared to 4Q08, indicating the mini-notebook OEMs held significant inventory of Atom processors coming into the new year. IDC estimates that the inexpensive Atom processors for mini-notebook PC represented 21% of Intel's mobile PC processor shipments in 1Q09 and 6.5% of Intel's mobile PC processor revenues in 1Q09.

Another mistake. Netbooks sold well even before the crisis. The financial meltdown started in october, netbooks we selling like crazy even before october.

WRONG. It's obvious that netbook sales soared with the crisis:

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/news/article.php/3818416

Or this, from a well-known research firm:

The market watchers speculate as the economy betters in terms of growth, the netbook sales will dip and people will move toward other options. It is highly speculated that global netbook shipment growth will decelerate to 39.6% from this year. That slowdown will continue at least until 2013, when the growth rate is expected to be 13.1%.

You can't ask for much for 300-400 bucks. Sure, they might be crap when compared to computers that cost three times as much. Did you really expect them to be equivalent in specs and build-quality?

No, and that's why I am glad Apple doesn't sell them. Because if they did, they would be selling crap, too.

They were selling well before the crisis, why wouldn't they sell well after the crisis as well?

Because once the crisis is overcome, people are gonna choose "better" or "best", instead of simply "cheap".

So you are saying that netbooks are a failure because the current models do not fulfill the needs of every single consumer? Uh, OK....

Macs are a failure as well, since they don't fulfill the needs of every single consumer either.

You're not doing a good job in interpreting what I say. Of course they have a market, but this market does NOT equate Apple's market for notebooks. Cannibalization ONLY occurs because more people have less money now.

Smartphones do not do the same things as netbooks do, and MBA costs about 4-5 times as much.

And I bet that if Apple released a MAcBook mini, you would be all over it, telling us how great it is. Only reason you are flaming netbooks is because Apple does not offer one. IF they did, you would think that betbooks are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

No, I would buy it because at such moment Apple would have REINVENTED a market that is full of crap right now...remember phones before the iPhone? No? What about media players before the iPod? That's exactly what's gonna happen once the iPad is launched. Besides, even the 12" G4 PB is better than any of those piss-poor plastic paperweights from Eee and Dell.

 

[madmaxmedia]

Apple's opportunity in this market would not be to sell a $300 or $400 netbook. They don't compete on price with other product tiers, why would they here?

If Apple wanted to offer a Mac product to compete against the low-end netbooks, they would do something for $500 to $600. Some of that would be profit margin, and the rest would go into build quality. Some of the existing netbooks really aren't that bad from build-quality standpoint, another $40 in COGS upgrades would do wonders.

Apple would probably be first in line for updated Intel CPU and Nvidia Ion platform/GPU as well. And frankly existing netbooks run OS X pretty well already.

Finally, it's nice to be able to have the option of a speedy 320GB 7200RPM 2.5" hard drive in a netbook, vs. more expensive 120GB 4200RPM in a MBA.

I'm not saying that Apple must do a netbook, or even if it is best strategically. But to just point at the cheapest Asus models and go "Apple doesn't do that" doesn't make sense either. Computer hardware has reached the point where netbook internals can run OS X pretty well (the standard GPU is the GMA 950, which should ring a bell with MacBook owners, many of whom paid $1299 for a computer with that GPU and are still happily using it today.)

And finally, Apple hardware is not the end-all be-all by any means either. I definitely prefer Macs myself, but I'm not blind to the many issues previous Macs have had (not worse than PC makers, but issues nonetheless.) You can't buy a Mac notebook with a decent screen for under $1000. That's an issue for many people. If Apple chooses, they can address a wider segment without totally eating their profit margin.