2008 4
LenovoMac
Published by MartinVarsavsky.net in General with No Comments
Following a tip from one of my readers (thanks Daniel!) I just got Apple’s Os X Leopard running on my Lenovo PC laptop, that same laptop that first got me into Ubuntu and then Mac, after it suffered a major crash while it was running Windows.
Now thanks to the fact that new Apple computers are based on Intel hardware I was able to install Os X on my Lenovo, which has the same CoreDuo cpu as my MacBook. If you have the right hardware you can try to do the same following the (quite) simple steps you can find in this useful post. The process consists in downloading a disk image, burning it to a DVD, making sure to follow the steps in the readme file before proceding with the installation.
The only things which are not working on this LenovoMac are WiFi, the integrated webcam and the Sleep function. A part from these issues this new Mac has been running fast and stable so far. The WiFi issue is clearly bad for me as CEO of Fon but I am sure I will be able to fix it.
What I wonder is why are there no more people turning PCs into MACs.
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No Comments
StuFF mc on February 4, 2008 ·
The reasons why more people are not doing it are pretty simple and numerous:
– On every update it might not work anymore, if Apple decide it, just like with the iPhone.
– You only have a half experience. OS X without a Mac is just like a Mac without OS X. Would you run the iPhone OS on a Nokia with real keys? 😉
– You screw my AAPL by telling people to do so 😉 You b… 😉 🙂
But I appreciate the blog post, and if I had to buy a PC the tiny thinkpads might be a solution. Fortunately, and thanks to Parallels, I don’t think I’ll need to buy a PC anymore 😉 BTW Martin, where’s your MacBook Air?! 😉
Pablo on February 4, 2008 ·
I think you’ve just given yourself a reason why they don’t turn a PC into a MAC. Why would I want a MAC if I don’t have wifi, webcam or whatever? I’ve tried it myself (the Tiger version, not the leopard one) but I couldn’t even get Ethernet to work.
Martin Vives on February 5, 2008 ·
In my opinion the reason you pay more to have a MacBook is the looks of the hardware, or the combination of your MacOS with your Mac hardware. I changed to Ubuntu 4 months ago after having trouble with my XP install, and even though I still miss some of it’s simplicity (I really hate when I have to type things in the Terminal!) I’m not planning to change.
But is it really worth it to install MacOS in non-Apple hardware? I think I’d rather stay with Ubuntu which is FREE (free for real, without the need of self-applying a 100% student discount) What do you think?
mikefon on February 5, 2008 ·
What an amazing result. However, I think that Steve Jobs & Co. don’t want the OS to migrate to other platforms (yet) as they keep a solid control on the functioning of the hardware when it is designed by them to specifically run OSX.
In my cafe, I consistently see that Macs can always connect to the wireless, as do some manufacturer’s laptops (IBM leads the trouble-free pack), while other laptops (Dell and the off brands) regularly have difficulty. If XP is the same, then it has to be the hardware. Vista is a different nightmare.
Meanwhile, five minutes ago I read that an older Classic Mac environment has been successfully ported to the OLPC XO laptop. Two Mac OS ports in five minutes…
http://www.olpcnews.com/software/operating_system/mini_vmac_on_the_olpc_xo_laptop.html
Mike
Stefanos on February 5, 2008 ·
Martin, It seems that you just got lucky; the process is usually more complicated than in your experience (just read the comments following the link you provide, there is a fairly good chance it just won’t work). I tried to get the torrent but it won’t download at the moment. I’m also pretty sure that some of the hardware won’t work on my Lenovo either.
Even though this looks like a good idea to put into use my one-year-old PC that sits collecting dust since I switched to a Macbook, it is probably more of a weekend project. And, as others have already commented, it is, at best, only half of a true mac experience.
Martin Varsavsky on February 5, 2008 ·
stuFF mc,
I went to get a MacBook Air in Soho last Sat, but they were sold out. I played with one though and loved it.
Brokenglish.blogspot.com on February 6, 2008 ·
People who buy Mac they do it because of the object. The simple possession of this equipments makes them feel different. Without the object, they are just regular people. Lenovo with Mac system, it’s just not the same thing.
brokenglish.blogspot.com
Libo on February 8, 2008 ·
Because what you are promoting here is illegal!
“The process consists in downloading a disk image, burning it to a DVD…”
That disk image is copyright protected.
Pierre on February 14, 2008 ·
It’s against MacOSX licence.
OdiousMember on February 22, 2008 ·
I have a Lenovo [IBM ThinkPad T60p, with XP Pro] and a MacBook Pro and the MBP is better by any criteria, software or hardware. Your Wi-Fi issues sounds like a driver problem. I was going to suggest you try a driver from BootCamp.app but you have the exact opposite issue. Try looking around, http://www.hackint0sh.org/; you might get lucky. Cheers.
Martin Varsavsky on February 24, 2008 ·
Thank you, will try it!
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Lucia on February 4, 2008 ·
Yo te digo por qué, Martin: porque todos prefieren un SO bonito en un hardware bonito, y Apple no vive de vender software, todos sabemos que vive de vender hardware.