OSX on iPad

[admanimal]

Actually its not ridiculous. The ARM system architecture is based off of 32 registers that are 32 bits. It is similar to the MIPS architecture. The intel x86 architecture is 64 bit and has a lot more resources. Recourses being the amount of registers it has, its pipeline capabilities, amount of processor cache. The old PPC architecture is more similar to the x86 architecture then the ARM architecture is. ARM/MIPS are RISC type processors designed to save power, this is perfect for mobile applications. PPC/Intel was not originally designed for power saving it was designed for performance. The actually x86 instruction set (aka its assemble code) is far more capable and complex, currently it has over a thousand different instructions.

To sum up what I am saying. Yes if Apple wanted to they could write a compiler that would let os x run on an arm processor. It would be extremely slow and probably unusable. The performance of a computer is not based off of its frequency speed. There are a lot more variables that effect performance.

1. Snow Leopard works just fine on 32-bit Intel CPUs (i.e. original Core Solo and Core Duo models), so the 32- vs. 64-bit stuff is irrelevant.

2. The number of instructions in an architecture's instruction set has little to nothing to do with computing power.

 

[jaykk]

Mac OS X, iPhone OS X, etc can be scaled down/up easily. I think AppleTV is the best example. It is a running a Tiger OS X on a 1Ghz CPU. But if you mode it, you can install FireFox, EyeTV and what not, and it runs ok, not super fast. The whole closed nature of iPhone OS is similar to AppleTV.

But as others said it, iPhone and iPad is ARM vs Macs, AppleTV.

 

[mrgreen4242]

This would be the only way i'd find myself in line when the iPad is released.

Do you think there would be a way to hack OSX onto the iPad?

Then again, I've never seen OSX on an iPod Touch or iPhone...

...But though I hate they didn't include a usb port, camera and all the other things many are upset about, having OSX on that would be great.

What I would like to know is what exactly do you want in terms of "running OS X on iPad"?

That's what I was going to ask. No one can give a good answer to why they want a an OS designed for a keyboard and mouse on a touchscreen device, despite all evidence (Windows Tablet Edition) that it would work well. The only thing they sau is "I want a REAL computer", like changing OS's somehoe makes it not a "real computer".

Basically, people who say they want OSX on the iPad are just looking for something to whine about, and Flash/webcams are already being covered by other whiners.

 

[scottness]

Mac OS X, iPhone OS X, etc can be scaled down/up easily. I think AppleTV is the best example. It is a running a Tiger OS X on a 1Ghz CPU. But if you mode it, you can install FireFox, EyeTV and what not, and it runs ok, not super fast. The whole closed nature of iPhone OS is similar to AppleTV.

But as others said it, iPhone and iPad is ARM vs Macs, AppleTV.

You can run EyeTV on an AppleTV? Show me how and I'm in.

 

[applesupergeek]

Nonsense. The OP's premise if flawed. The iPhone OS is OS X. It is not MacOS X because the hardware is different. The original iPhone ran OS X 10.5 upon introduction before MacOS X 10.5 was introduced. The minimum requirements for MacOS X 10.5 include a 867 MHz PPC G4. MacOS X 10.6 is a cleaned-up and faster iteration of the OS. The processor in the iPad has a clock speed of 1 GHz SoC version of the ARM. What separates the iPad from Macs is the battery life, UI, and I/O. The notion that it doesn't have the power to run MacOS X is ridiculous.

Hear, Hear.

 

[Ka Ora!]

You can run EyeTV on an AppleTV? Show me how and I'm in.

http://wiki.awkwardtv.org/wiki/EyeTV

 

[iwhillenbrand]

My iPod touch and iPhone use an app called "remotetap." It allows you to virtually run OS X on the i-devices. Technically, it just controls your computer, but it really does work. I've create keynotes and pages documents using it, and it should be even better with iPad's 9.7" screen + IPS. However, I'm building my own tablet that can run OS X.

 

[4DThinker]

The form factor of the iPad is it's best feature, except for it not having it's own built-in stand. The weight is key too. Now for putting a full desktop OS on it you need to figure out why. Make a list of what you do at your desktop using OS-X. Now mark the things on that list you don't think the iPad OS and apps it gets will be to do.

My list is very small, and might be resolved eventually. All I need is the ability to print from it to any of the printers in my house. I've got a Canon printer that supports print-bridge, has WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. I know HP makes similar WiFi printers. Both companies have provided apps for the iPhone/Touch that will allow printing of Photos to either. If the iPad OS had enough of OS-X in it to support OS-X printer drivers that would work from within any app like email or the browser or the iWork apps I doubt many would need a macbook or notebook with a full OS.

Feel free to list any other specific thing that you do on your desktop that you want to but can't do on the iPad. Then give it a little time. There may yet be an App for that.

 

[lotusindigo]

A VNC Client, it's a guaranty that someone will develop one. That should solve your problem.

OP, all bickering aside, this is the answer you are looking for. A VNC with a screenview like Jaadu VNC will allow you to view and control your Mac (or pc) remotely from your iphone or ipad. It's almost as good as having Mac OSX on your iPad, assuming you already have a mac.

 

[goosnarrggh]

...Yes if Apple wanted to they could write a compiler that would let os x run on an arm processor.

They already have -- it's called arm-apple-darwin-gcc, and it's installed as a part of every copy of the iPhone SDK.

Actually, they took an existing open-source compiler, the Free Software Foundation's GCC. It already had the ability to produce code for PPC, x86, x86-64, and ARM targets.

They extended it with the ability to target the Darwin OS (the low-level OS on top of which Apple layered everything that differentiates a basic UNIX- and POSIX- compliant operating system such as Darwin, from what we would recognize as Mac OS X).

Then they ported the source code of the Darwin OS appropriately so that it could be compiled for each of the PPC, x86, and ARM hardware targets.

Mac OS X is a set of extra GUI and other features layered on top of Darwin. So is the iPhone OS - except it's a different set of GUI and other features.

 

[zipa]

Current versions of Mac OS X are written for X86 CPUs and not the iPad's ARM CPU.

x86 <=> ARM. You can run OS X on a Nokia N900 phone that has an ARM Cortex-A8 CPU. It takes about two hours to boot, though...

EDIT: Sry, that runs on OS X 10.3 on PearPC emulator.

 

[princemarko]

if they can get Mac OS X running on a ****** Apple TV processor, I'm sure they can port the iPad to run OS X. Will it be useful? Probably not.

 

[admanimal]

if they can get Mac OS X running on a ****** Apple TV processor, I'm sure they can port the iPad to run OS X. Will it be useful? Probably not.

The version of OS X running on Apple TV is probably less like desktop Mac OS X than the version of iPhone OS already running on the iPad. The point is that they are all heavily based on the same OS.

 

[MICHAELSD]

if they can get Mac OS X running on a ****** Apple TV processor, I'm sure they can port the iPad to run OS X. Will it be useful? Probably not.

Will it be extremely cool? Heck yeah! It could be useful if it's ported to be able to push the iPad to its' limits. Maybe someone, somewhere will be natively playing World of Warcraft on an iPad. If there's an easy and quick way to set different controls to gestures (mouse scroll = pinching so you can zoom in and out that way, etc.), a lot of OS X apps would be very useful on the iPad through Mac OS.

 

[iRance]

Just buy a Modbook then.

 

[Imidazole]

Nonsense. The OP's premise is flawed. The iPhone OS is OS X. It is not MacOS X because the hardware is different. The original iPhone ran OS X 10.5 upon introduction before MacOS X 10.5 was introduced. The minimum requirements for MacOS X 10.5 include a 867 MHz PPC G4. MacOS X 10.6 is a cleaned-up and faster iteration of the OS. The processor in the iPad has a clock speed of 1 GHz SoC version of the ARM. What separates the iPad from Macs is the battery life, UI, and I/O. The notion that it doesn't have the power to run MacOS X is ridiculous.

Qft

 

[firewood]

ipad is not powerful enough to run MAC OS.

Mac OS X ran just fine on my 233 MHz G3 PowerMac with only 64 MB of RAM a few years back. An iPad is far more powerful.

 

[master-ceo]

This is one Hack I am waiting patiently on.

 

[harry*333]

my prediction if someone manages to put OS X on an iPad:

massive disaster

 

[HappyDude20]

Can't believe this thread is still going on..


..Personally I got LogMeIn which works great on the iPad and my iPod Touch. I just leave my Mac on at home most of the time, or at least, those days I know I may need a file.

LogMeIn is a suitable solution.

 

[macques2004]

Actually, Windows uses both testicles whereas OSX needs only one. I had to say it. It begged me to say it.

So the Windows machine made use of all cores of both testicles and Mac only supported one? So Windows has twice the balls, twice the stamina, and twice the power? Makes sense.

Sorry... it begged me to respond.

 

[SteveKnobs]

So the Windows machine made use of all cores of both testicles and Mac only supported one? So Windows has twice the balls, twice the stamina, and twice the power? Makes sense.

Sorry... it begged me to respond.

Yea...like 3 year later. Holy thread resurrection Batman!

 

[MRU]

Yea...like 3 year later. Holy thread resurrection Batman!

Lol... It's always a newbie who resurrects the evil dead

 

[dirkdirk80]

How well do you think it would run? OSX was not designed for touchscreen.

 

[movlas]

You guys obviously have not seen Launchpad

For all of you who think that the OS X UI is not compatible with iPad (or iPod or iPhone for that matter) have not seen Launchpad.

Launchpad is the game changer for iAnything.

It uses the fat finger UI of iPxx, and lays it over the OS X desktop.
If the machine can run OS X, Launchpad will be the UI to make it user friendly.

It will give us the security of OS X, with the familiarity of iPad.

I truly believe that this is what Apple is planning, especially with the rumored CPU change from Intel to ARM.