Discussion Why do people make Hackintoshes

[halcyon]

This is general question... I don't understand why so many people want to make hackintoshes. Is it simply because Apple doesn't want you to and therefore it is the allure of the challenge? Is it because folks actually think OS X (which I like quite a bit, I must say) provides something of substance that Windows 7 (which I also like quite a bit) does not have? Is it because these people really do need to run OS X-only software (ie., Peak or Logic or FCP)...or is it just basic tinkering...again, the allure of the challenge?

 

[inanition02]

Because they can??

I'd say challenge is the big thing.

 

[alyoshka]

Kiddo, challenges are taken up by goons, we do it cos we send a message.

Well, it a lot of what you already have said, and, most of the people who do hakintoshes aren't the kind of people who would pay the price that is actually asked for by apple. They usually know what to buy and what is worth the money.
Personally, I certainly don't like companies or people demanding more money than what the goods are worth just because of good looks and nothing more.
Half of the people here at Tom's make better rigs than the Mac's and they cost a quarter of the sum asked for a machine by Apple. So if you can't stop them from charging those exorbitant amounts of dough for actually cheap stuff which idiots actually pay for, the only other way to kill the profit is to make any product offered by the company, free and available to all.

Whether Apple likes it or not was never a concern, it's not personal, it's only Big Thieves(Plunderers, Users) Verses smaller thieves.

 

[halcyon]

Kiddo, challenges are taken up by goons, we do it cos we send a message.
Well, it a lot of what you already have said, and, most of the people who do hakintoshes aren't the kind of people who would pay the price that is actually asked for by apple. They usually know what to buy and what is worth the money.
Personally, I certainly don't like companies or people demanding more money than what the goods are worth just because of good looks and nothing more.
Half of the people here at Tom's make better rigs than the Mac's and they cost a quarter of the sum asked for a machine by Apple. So if you can't stop them from charging those exorbitant amounts of dough for actually cheap stuff which idiots actually pay for, the only other way to kill the profit is to make any product offered by the company, free and available to all.

One reason I've heard that Apple only allows OS X on their own hardware is because they want to ensure the customer has a better experience by knowing what the OS is going to run on. While there might be some truth in this...a little tiny intsy-weetnsy bit...its mostly, oh, what's the word I'm looking for...bullsh!t. Yes, bullsh!t. Folks that have forumed with me know I actually like Apple products and design but you brainiacs here have showed me their dark side. "You underestimate the Dark Side of the Force" ...and I did. Will I buy more Apple products, yes, as I like them that much, but I now really understand the messed up things Apple does in the marketplace. I was never blinded by Apple, as some are, but now I realize they openly are trying to harm their competition. Not really cool. ...but not bad enough for me to boycott them. ...that's my take.

 

[Ijack]

Because they want to have a look at developing for the iPhone/iPad but don't want to pay the premium for the hardware.

 

[halcyon]

Because they want to have a look at developing for the iPhone/iPad but don't want to pay the premium for the hardware.

...and that's a good reason. I've heard that folks developing for iOS have become millionaires overnight as their app went viral.

 

[k1114]

There are mac exclusive software (like final cut) as well as pc exclusive software (like 3ds max) or if you are developing for mac and pc, it's important to have both. The same reason why people use bootcamp on mac. There's more hackintosh on this forum as we are all builders here and there are many reasons to build, not just the money aspect.

 

[halcyon]

I've been building for over a decade before I got the Macs I did for this cycle. Lots of reasons to build, including you're much better prepared to troubleshoot a system you put together.

 

[runswindows95]

I think it's more of a curiosity factor personally. I wouldn't mind learning OSX, but I can't justify spending money on a Mac just to tinker with it.

 

[sceen311]

Because OSX is 30 bucks, and at that price why the hell not?

Garage band is worth that on it's own.

 

[leandrodafontoura]

What are the disavantadges of hacintosh? There must be some, otherwise, everybody would do it....

btw, how are updates performed?

 

[jsc]

Sure there are disadvantages. The main one is that Apple doesn't support it.

 

[Ijack]

There are disadvantages. Not everything works correctly. Updating is a bit hit and miss, but you can try the normal Mac updates. I don't know whether you can (or should) use the App store from a Hackintosh.

It's unsupported, and many people will tell you it's illegal. Depending upon where you live it is almost certainly legal.

 

[halcyon]

If you could get everything working consistently it would be neat to see how OS X performs on state-of-the-art hardware that cost as much or less than Apple's more mainstream offerings like what I'm stuck with.

 

[k1114]

I remember seeing up to date benchmarks of pc and mac on the same system hackintosh, rendering performance was near identical. I just can't seem to find it.

 

[halcyon]

I remember seeing up to date benchmarks of pc and mac on the same system hackintosh, rendering performance was near identical. I just can't seem to find it.

That makes sense, I can't see any reason Windows or OS X should have to interfere.

 

[kbits]

What are the disavantadges of hacintosh? There must be some, otherwise, everybody would do it....

btw, how are updates performed?

From experience, I must say it is a hobby in itself.

Installing OSX isn't too hard, especially if you built a machine specifically for that purpose, but the maintenance (updates, hardware upgrades, etc) can be challenging at first. The all-in-one solution out there are great to have a OSX running in no time, but the more you rely on those guides, the more difficult it will be for you to pin point problems down the road.

I must say I learned much more about OSX and the mechanics behind since I built hackintosh. Nowadays my installations hardly breaks, and are very stable, enough to decide to finally sell my 2008 Mac Pro last month, after 2 years of coexistence with my hackintoshs. Of course, I learned the do and do not through countless hours of forum, guides and several reinstallations.

So I wouldn't recommend hackintosh to someone who isn't ready for some kind of commitment, unless just to install it out of curiosity, without having to rely on it. And to justify all those hours, you need to appreciate the OSX environment enough. If you do, the pay-off is a custom affordable configuration.

 

[halcyon]

@Kbits

That's a very informative perspective, thanks. I might consider making hackintosh once my 2010 Mac Pro needs replacing. ...and by then there'll be even more information on the subject (and possibly more Apple roadblocks too).