Build a Mac?

Is it possible to build a custom Mac laptop or desktop from parts bought at a local computer superstore (e.g., Frys)?

 

Not legally, no.

Apple will not license its Operating System to be used on non-Apple hardware.

 

Not legally.

 

you can custom the Imacs using after market components. there are several sites dedicated to that. and the powermac is obviously customisable.

I;ve seen people change CPU ram and HDD on the imac but you wont be able to put a 8800GTS in there. the new imacs apparently use a desktop ATI2600PRO, so MAYBE you can swap it for a 2600XT, but will need to see if theres room for the bigger cooling kit.

 

not both technically and leggaly possible. apple has some sort of security in place that will prevent you from doing this. and MAC require a new version of BIOS. it is called EFI.

there are also other complication.. where are you gonna download the driver?

 

You could build a PC with similar parts and put it into an Mac Pro enclosure. Atleast you could "pretend" it was a mac. Don't they have OS X skins you can put over XP?

 

Yes, the others have said it. The parts, unless you use the same parts as on the current Macs, will not have drivers for OS X, and also it is prohibited by Apple's EULA to run OS X on non-Apple hardware.

And yes, there are tons of OS X "simulators" for XP. For example, Circa86 made a Leopard-like XP desktop, and there's FlyaKite OS x, etc.

 

0. Not everyone is the US of owned by corporation A.

Hence, legality depends on jurisdiction; OS X on non-Apple hardware is legal in Europe as long as:

You have purchased a license.

Similar to the DVD zone 1 fair-use rulings throughout Europe.

 

While not legally possible, I heard something a while back about the $300 Mac desktop. I think I Googled it.

 

Rumours around Austin mid-summer was that Dell was talking to Apple about licensing their OS for a line of products. However, I find it amazingly hard to believe that Apple would ever loosen its control over OS X.

Being new to Apple products, I find it interesting that Apple activity (or inactivity, as the case may be) seems to be the subject of much ongoing speculation and rumor, which defintely adds to the company's aura in the marketplace.

 

It is quite unlikely that Apple would loosen their control over OS X to another company. However, it is possible that in the interest of gaining market share, Apple may at some point or another license the OS to one other company for a lower end, more budget-friendly machine that could gain more attention. Dell would obviously be a good choice for that, and it's no secret that Michael Dell has been actively pursuing Apple to get the Mac OS for a while. However, I still doubt even then it would be a configurable platform. It would just be a cheaper option, would be licensed exclusively for OS X, and would come with limited hardware options. You'd basically be looking at some Celeron or budget Core 2 Duo machines with integrated graphics, basic wireless, and no Bluetooth, iSight, or Magsafe power adapter. It also probably wouldn't look that great in comparison to the other Macs.

 

Which would make sense, since Apple would want to maintain itself as making the classier, high-end Mac computer offering. The fact that the Dell is talking to Jobs is interesting. The buzz in Austin almost sounded like it was more than just talk at this point. I dismissed it as more Apple-mania, but maybe there is something to it...

 

I dunno, I don't think Dell would be the company Apple would talk to. I would think maybe HP, they look better also. But maybe Apple wouldn't want to do that because they'd want to distance them from Macs made by Apple? I do highly doubt that they'd license out OS X though. They make their money from selling hardware, not software. I don't see it happening anytime soon.

 

There once was a day when the Apple VP Phil Schiller was quoted as saying "the company does not plan to let people run Mac OS X on other computer makers' hardware. "We will not allow running Mac OS X on anything other than an Apple Mac," he said.[8] However, a hacked version of Mac OS X, dubbed "Mac OSx86", is available to use on generic PC hardware."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_clone
But then they attacked the project and filed suit.

At the least, they should allow it to be ported in VMware IMO.

 

I don't find that believeable at all...and even if Apple did license out OS X I would not think Dell is who they give it to first. Apple and Dell have had tensions between them for years, and the tensions haven't eased.

Anyways, it began years ago with this: http://www.news.com/Dell+Apple+should+close+shop/2100-1001_3-203937.html

And ended with this: http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/8206/