Why can’t a macOS be installed in a Windows computer?
macOS, also known as Mac OS X, is a proprietary operating system developed and maintained by Apple Inc. for use on Apple’s Macintosh computers. This operating system is not designed to be installed on non-Apple hardware, such as a Windows computer. This is because macOS is specifically built to work with Apple’s hardware and software ecosystem, and is therefore not compatible with the hardware and software of a Windows computer. Additionally, Apple has put in place technical and legal restrictions to prevent macOS from being installed on non-Apple hardware.
Apple don’t want that to happen.
Not because they want to extract more money from hardware sales (Apple hardware is actually cheap for the quality you get anyway), not because they wouldn’t sell OS X as a product if they could.
It’s really simple: they did the math on the support costs of random third party hardware, and the numbers came up “nope”.
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Apple actually did this long before OS X was a thing; for a short while you could actually get a licensed non-Apple MacOS computer.
But the support costs killed it.
To actually do this and make money, they’d have to sell OS X for a couple of thousand dollars, or maybe a subscription at about $50/month. That’s to pay for the three or four thousand developers and ten or so thousand support people they’d have to hire to deal with all the random crap hardware out there.
And it still wouldn’t meet their quality targets anyway.
So how can Microsoft do it?
They get the OEMs and hardware manufacturers to deal with most of it. Which they mostly do badly, but people have somehow become used to the resulting mess.
Making the OS itself free does mean that they don’t want people to install it on third party hardware because that would mean zero profits from the extra user (unless they use services such as iCloud in a premium fashion — more than just what’s given free).
I guess that makes the hackintoshing phenomenon an issue. Now, when the support for the last Intel based Mac ends hackintoshing will be a real issue (I mean, some explicitly limit themselves to High Sierra because of some NVidia GPUs that aren’t supported on newer versions at all…). But for now, if you have good, compatible hardware, you can reap the benefits just fine.
I am currently a hackintosher but intend to get an actual MacBook Pro (Intel based) soon. Wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t get a good hackintosh. So I’d say, don’t fight those who try it out like this and then migrate to actual Apple products, since that’s actually a profit vector. Only fight those that do it despite that.
The better question to ask is “How does Linux do it?”. You can find drivers for most of “the random crap hardware out there”… You can “google yourself” the support for most of the issues you’d run into, unlike Windows, etc. Support is a “thing” mostly for corporate users. Companies need someone to sue in case they’d somehow lose a penny because of hw/sw issues.
Using Windows would be much better than hackintoshing. Windows has its issues, it is not as reliable as macOS. However, Windows is much more flexible than macOS. It is much more programmer friendly than macOS. Most of the advantages of macOS will cease to exist once you take it out of the integration with Apple hardware.
You can, not so easily, run the OSX on a windows machine as you would run a second version of windows or Linux or any other OS. My current machine has around 4 different OS in 2 drives. The machine was originally assembled keeping in mind running it on OSX, endearingly known by the community as Hackintoshs. I did run an OSX version of Snow Leopard for a few months but didn’t have much use of it as I already own a MacBook Pro. A fun project but not without hastles.
Also, I did shift my 10+ year old MacBooks drive into the machine, before writing this reply, just for fun. Given the changes over time, the OSX failed to recognise half the peripherals which is solvable, but would need a lot of work.
You can. Such computers are called a “Hackintosh.” The procedure is totally unsupported, but I suppose it can save the user some money, when it works.
It’s not that it can’t. It’s a violation of the end-user license. If you’d like to give a try, just google out Hackintosh. I am not aware of any prosecution if you do. Definitely nothing like the infamous Microsoft initiated BSA raids on companies and individual users.
hey guys, I was looking to buy a Macbook Air for my college (CS) and for coding which is mostly ML. Should I go with a M2 (8GB,256GB) or with M3(8GB,256GB) or I should buy one with more power ? submitted by /u/ansh-gupta17 [link] [comments]
there is this black line that randomly appeared on my screen. this is a 2015 15” retina MacBook Pro. It appears to be a crack because it can be seen with the screen on, but at the same time it is perfectly flat and just disappears COMPLETELY occasionally. it also fades in and out in certain sections of it. do you guys have any idea whats going on? is it a crack, or is it something else. any help is appreciated greatly 🙂 submitted by /u/Opposite_Bee_6559 [link] [comments]
Hello! I work as a social media creator and I daily edit 4k videos which I record with my sony alpha, for instagram reels. Sometimes I do some youtube videos (typically 4k, 20 minutes long). I've been using a windows laptop (a Gigabyte with a dedicated Nvidia, 16gb of ram and an SSD), but lately it has been failing and after unsuccesful repair-shop fixing attemps, I've decided to make a switch to Apple. I would like to save as much money as possible, but I don't want to buy a machine that won't work for me. I've been reading that many recommend the MBP due to the fans preventing overheating and throttling on 4k editing. But on the other hand many people are okay with the Macbook Air (most of them mention the M2). So, i would appreciate the different opinions, taking into account the use I mostly give to my laptop. Will there be a real difference? Will it be an overkill? Will the cheapest option be good for my workflow? Thanks a lot! submitted by /u/Chris_LYT [link] [comments]
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I got a 2020 m1 16 GB RAM MacBook Air, does it support parallels windows? If so, is it performance well? Like, any lagging, crash, slow operation issues? Does it any damage to Mac itself running virtual windows? Because I have to use trados CAT tools,it cannot work directly on Mac system. And I bought another HUAWEI laptop for translation/regular office purpose. I mean, if virtual windows running well, I will return my newly bought HUAWEI laptop, otherwise my Mac seems to be redundant, useless, because mostly I spend on trados translation work. So, your advise would be highly anticipated and appreciated on this! submitted by /u/Fast-Anxiety8444 [link] [comments]
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I can't decide between the MacBook Air 15-inch with 24GB RAM and 1TB storage and the MacBook Pro 14-inch with the same specs. I don't have an external monitor and prefer to focus on one screen. I'm a software developer. For streaming, I prefer to use my iPad. I like to have one device for one goal, and for the Mac, it's productivity. The MacBook Pro has a fan which I don't need, and I'm not sure about the 120Hz display. With the Air, I can fit more code lines on the screen, which is good, but maybe the text on the Pro is sharper. Is there a big difference in productivity between them? Thank you for your time. ps: My goal is to keep this device 5 years, I will change before that only if not enough power. submitted by /u/Sinhay23 [link] [comments]
When I graduated in early 2020 I was gifted this MacBook. I used to use it for college, but it just got so slow, so I’ve been using my M1 iPad and Magic Keyboard. I haven’t used my mac since Oct 2023. The mac lags, the fan is ridiculous, and I really only use Safari and Microsoft office. I really want to use my computer because Microsoft is SO bad on the iPad, but I need Microsoft Office for school. I definitely can’t get another Mac right now, so I’m wondering if there is a way to make it run a bit faster and not lag so much. I’d like to make it last until Christmas. submitted by /u/Spiritual_Welcome495 [link] [comments]
i just got a macbook air m3 16gb and the dual display doesn't work. i can't seem to find the answer anywhere. i have a dell p2319h monitor and a samsung lf24t35 monitor that i use, they are both relatively old so they don't have any usb-c ports in them. i am using my dell wd19s docking hub that i got from work, where one monitor is connected through hdmi and the other through display port and it's displaying to both monitors but i am not able to configure in the settings how to have two different monitor screens. i can only mirror the main screen onto all three screens or extend it, but it extends the same thing on both monitors. in my settings for some reason it only detects one of my monitors even though both are technically working. also, closing the lid of my macbook doesn't change anything. is there a work around for this or do i have to buy another docking station? any help would be appreciated, thanks! submitted by /u/goshasni [link] [comments]
Both my 2015 5k retina 27 inch iMac and 2018 MacBook Pro are showing signs of age and I need a new setup - expensive decisions incoming. I’m currently looking at the Mac Mini M2 Pro and a 16 inch M3 MacBook Pro. I primarily work from home but I do go away semi regularly and having something portable to work from is useful. I can’t decide if I should save money by getting a high spec Mac Mini (similarly specced MBP are a lot more expensive) then get a cheaper MBP/MBA for portability, or just get a high spec MBP for both uses. The 16 inch MBP probably makes sense so I have a big screen on the go, but the idea of having my primary desktop setup using a laptop that could get knocked, damaged, stolen, and a battery that could get quickly worn out from plugging and unplugging all the time somehow just feels less slick. I’ll also need to consider a monitor. Quite tempted to salvage my perfectly good 5k iMac monitor with a converter board rather than splurge another £1500+ on a studio display. I primarily work from home in the UK, in Adobe CC (no 3D, minimal video). Any advice would be appreciated. submitted by /u/oovavooo [link] [comments]
I’m confident in my ability to replace the screen, just wanted to make sure before I ordered a replacement. submitted by /u/mildandwild420 [link] [comments]
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