Snow Leopard is Intel-only=Big Price Drop on Macs

[WoodPeckr]

Snow Leopard is Intel-only

Any confirmation on this???

Was talking with a Mac techie at the Apple store about the implications of upcoming Snow Leopard running on Intel. The Mac techie said this will mean you CAN run Snow Leopard on the new Mac PC or on any regular PC. Then I asked if I buy a new copy of Snow Leopard later this month for $29, can I install it on my desktop or laptop PC....and he responded, "yes you can and you can install Snow Leopard on ANY PC!"
I asked him if I build my own PC, instead of getting a pricey Mac will Snow Leopard run on it and he again said "Yes Snow Leopard will run on your own PC!"

It seems hard to believe Apple would do this, no?....

 

[djk]

You can currently run Leopard or Tiger (intel versions) on a PC. They're called "hackint0shs" and require some time and tweaking to get it working.

Then you get to do it all over again, whenever Apple releases an update, as they put in some code that causes your hackint0sh to stop working.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Then you get to do it all over again, whenever Apple releases an update, as they put in some code that causes your hackint0sh to stop working.

Heard that also but this Apple techie claims this will not happen with Snow Leopard, which will run fine on any Intel PC....

 

[djk]

Heard that also but this Apple techie claims this will not happen with Snow Leopard, which will run fine on any Intel PC....

That's incorrect. Apple closed the kernel since the jump to Intel.

http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=14663&Page=1&pagePos=8

All major updates from Apple contain code that changes the kernel. That's what breaks the hackint0sh.

 

[Hobbyer]

Snow Leopard is Intel-only

Any confirmation on this???

Was talking with a Mac techie at the Apple store about the implications of upcoming Snow Leopard running on Intel. The Mac techie said this will mean you CAN run Snow Leopard on the new Mac PC or on any regular PC. Then I asked if I buy a new copy of Snow Leopard later this month for $29, can I install it on my desktop or laptop PC....and he responded, "yes you can and you can install Snow Leopard on ANY PC!"
I asked him if I build my own PC, instead of getting a pricey Mac will Snow Leopard run on it and he again said "Yes Snow Leopard will run on your own PC!"

It seems hard to believe Apple would do this, no?....

To me seems very odd indeed. Part of the cost is technical support and when you control exactly both the hardware and software it definitely cuts down (i.e. essentially closed boxes like gaming consoles). If they were to allow the new O/S to run on any PC, the headaches from people trying to install on different configs and then crying foul when it doesn't work could be potentially bad, both cost and publicity wise. I doubt they'd want this.

 

[djk]

To me seems very odd indeed. Part of the cost is technical support and when you control exactly both the hardware and software it definitely cuts down (i.e. essentially closed boxes like gaming consoles). If they were to allow the new O/S to run on any PC, the headaches from people trying to install on different configs and then crying foul when it doesn't work could be potentially bad, both cost and publicity wise. I doubt they'd want this.

That and Apple makes some nice scratch from selling both the software and hardware.

 

[Goomer]

There's no way that Apple is going to make Snow Leopard available to anyone with an Intel based PC, at least not without necessary hacks. Even then, later upgrades may break those hacks, and you will forever be dealing with plugging in the holes that Apple creates in the hacks through upgraded versions. Your best bet, if you really want Snow Leopard, is just get a Mac! Yes, it will cost more than a cheapie PC, but they are beautifully designed and engineered and will last for many years. I've had my 20" iMac G5 for 4 years, and it's still humming along nicely!

 

[WoodPeckr]

Was just reporting what they told me at the Apple Store, they should know, no?

I did ask 3 different ways, are you sure and was told Snow Leopard will run on a PC because they are moving up and going with Intel now.

I've had my 20" iMac G5 for 4 years, and it's still humming along nicely!

Report back in a few years. I'm not impressed.
Going on 13 years running my Pent II 400MHX Gateway and it's still humming along nicely running XP Pro & Ubuntu 9.04!.....

 

[blackrock13]

Was just reporting what they told me at the Apple Store, they should know, no?

I did ask 3 different ways, are you sure and was told Snow Leopard will run on a PC because they are moving up and going with Intel now.


Report back in a few years. I'm not impressed.
Going on 13 years running my Pent II 400MHX Gateway and it's still humming along nicely running XP Pro & Ubuntu 9.04!.....

You obvious have lived well. Gateway make some of the worst computers going; having some of the highest rate of repair and failure of the mainstream computer companies, but glad to hear it. Aside from spending time on BBs what else do you use your computer for. i
It certainly can't be an out of the box version. You must have done some up grading. What the hell is Ubuntu 9.04?

 

[Goomer]

Being a Machead, constantly reading Mac related news, I have never seen any intention by Apple to make Snow Leopard compatible with any Intel based PC. This would signal a paramount shift in Apple's strategies and way of thinking, and would have been all over the Mac related news sites and forums. Just like Leopard, if someone wants to hack their way through a Leopard install on a PC, I'm sure it can be done, but will require hacking abilities and danger of loopholes being closed with upgraded versions of the OS. I feel pretty darn certain that the person at the Apple store was either misinformed (always possible), or they misunderstood the way you phrased the question. If it was so, I'd be shocked, and it would be all over the mainstream news, as well as Mac sites.

That's great that your PII 400 is still running well! I know that with my computing needs (ie. video editing, photoshop, heavy multitasking etc.), there is no way I could be running something so old. I have intermediate and higher processing needs and thus need something with a little more horsepower. The reality is that the average person just uses their computer for a little word processing, email, and web use, and something much older would probably suit them just fine.

 

[WoodPeckr]

You obvious have lived well. Gateway make some of the worst computers going; having some of the highest rate of repair and failure of the mainstream computer companies, but glad to hear it. Aside from spending time on BBs what else do you use your computer for. i
It certainly can't be an out of the box version. You must have done some up grading. What the hell is Ubuntu 9.04?

When I got it in '97, Gateway was the Number 1 PC in the USA.
Had very little problems with it over the years. It's a solid runner still.
Only need/use a PC for less demanding stuff, surfing, music, Word, Office stuff.
Made a few critical upgrades (cost < $120) that significantly improved performance; new faster HDD, maxed out RAM, put in a NIC card and USB2.0 ports card. This made it like a newer PC.

Ubuntu 9.04 is the most popular Linux distro today that does everything M$/Mac does only it's a FREE alternative OS to both M$ & Mac! Google it and learn.....

I feel pretty darn certain that the person at the Apple store was either misinformed (always possible),

I suspect this as well. That is why I repeated the question over a couple times in disbelief. Will have to go back in the future and ask another of the 'Apple Brains' in tech again for confirmation....

 

[onthebottom]

.......


Report back in a few years. I'm not impressed.
Going on 13 years running my Pent II 400MHX Gateway and it's still humming along nicely running XP Pro & Ubuntu 9.04!.....

ROTFLMAO......

Only thing older is Pekkkr's socks.....

OTB

 

[WoodPeckr]

ROTFLMAO......

Only thing older is Pekkkr's socks.....

OTB

LOL!
It's amazing what you can do with a PC if you have a bit of technical know-how and know what you are doing....

PCs are better than ever and practically giving them away right now......except for them pricey Apple toys....

 

[canucklehead]

WOW ... e3200 400 still running released Dec 98 .... the first gateway P2 400 ... nice.
By the way no one in the Apple Store knows anything about Snow Leopard .... nor anyone in the seeding groups are saying anything.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Apple Store techie told me Snow Leopard OS will cost $29 and be available for purchase June 26 2009.

 

[Goomer]

Now I know that the Apple store employee was speaking out of his ass! lol

Snow Leopard will cost $29 to upgrade from Leopard, not a new install, and won't be released until September at the earliest! Snow Leopard has been completely rewritten, and any legacy code supporting non-Intel processors (ie. G4 and G5 processors) has been removed. I am a little disappointed since I'm running a G5, but not completely surprised. One of the things that Apple has always done is to drop older technologies after a few years. Sometimes this is disappointing to users. For example, I have an older non-HD 60" projection TV. I was very excited when Apple released their Apple TV device, only to learn that it dropped support for older connections (ie. S-Video, standard RCA video cables). It is their model of business in the way they do things, sometimes frustrating users of older technologies, but it can be a good thing as well. PC's still had floppy drives installed in them until fairly recently, whereas Apple dropped this antique piece of technology many years ago, forcing people to move on to the newer standards. This way of operating can be considered good or bad, but this is Apple's way, and one has to accept that if you want to use their products.

The move to Intel was one that was not foreseen when I bought a G5. This was a huge shift in technologies and direction for Apple, and they did support both processors for some time. But inevitably, they decided that if Snow Leopard was going to live up to its bill as being lean mean, and snappy, they would have to eliminate older code. Leopard is a great OS, and I'm perfectly happy with it, so I'm satisfied to continue using it until I get a new Mac. In the meantime, I do have an Intel Core2Duo Macbook, so I'll still get to play with Snow Leopard when it gets released!

As to Apple toys, what were you doing at the Apple store? Were you checking out the toys for yourself? Or maybe you were looking at the iPhone toy? lol

As I mentioned previously, if Apple was going to make Snow Leopard available to anyone running an Intel PC, it would signal a paradigm shift in Apple's business model and way of doing business, and it would be all over not just the Mac sites, but mainstream news as well! Ain't gonna happen....sorry to disappoint you! If you want a Mac toy, you're gonna have to pay for it! lol