Desktop platforms Toolkit

Apple Mac OS X on x86: a first test

Kai Schmerer ZDNet Germany

Published: 09 Nov 2005

Installation

Installation from a bootable DVD takes about two hours, and the operating system requires 5.9GB of hard disk space. It's possible to set up a dual boot system with Windows and Mac OS X thanks to a boot manager that's installed along with the Apple OS.

For 3D graphics effects, you need a suitable driver, but these are not available for ATI or nVIDIA cards. In June, Apple delivered the developer platform on an Intel motherboard with integrated graphics (the 915G chipset). If this platform is used, 3D effects work fine, and you can also adjust the screen resolution. All drivers, including audio and network, are installed automatically on the Intel 915G platform. We installed version 10.4.1 of Mac OS X on a Toshiba Portégé M300 notebook equipped with a 1.2GHz Pentium M processor and 512MB of RAM.

Mac OS X x86 setup on the Toshiba Portégé M300. See the image gallery for more pictures.

GUI-driven setup and disk partitioning
The setup process is driven by a graphical user interface, which simplifies things compared to a Windows PC. There is generally less user intervention required, and where interaction is needed, the procedures are intuitive. For instance, when setting the time zone in Windows, you must select it from a list; with Mac OS X you simply click your region on a map of the world.

Partitioning the hard disk is also straightforward thanks to the efficient Disk Utility program. Unlike in Windows, this requires no data entry, but lets you use the mouse to create and resize a partition easily. Windows users will also be surprised by Mac OS X's disk imaging and backup capabilities. All this is possible simply by starting the setup CD; a Windows setup is light-years away from the user-friendliness of a Mac installation.

Mac OS X x86 also runs on the AMD platform.

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181 comments

Just an ordinary user here, but I kind of think Jo... Anonymous
The statement that the 80x86 version of Mac O... Anonymous
What is with all the negative comments.... jaded
This article seems to contradict itself... Doug Doug
And also why would I wanna run Mac OS on... Fox
Please explain why you tested iTune... GB
Why would I want to run MacOS X on... Gids
I agree - Steve Jobs is doing the right thing... Another Steve
I agree. They should keep apple os on apples... Calculon30
Whats the point in buying an intel apple when... Anonymous
"So far, mainly because of performance and price i... Anonymous
It took 32 Minutes to Install on my laptop.... Mac_Topia
As I read your article I felt that an important it... Anonymous
Why are you comparing iTunes performance? This is... Anonymous
Saying that the only reason OSX only runs on... Anonymous
"The margins on Apple-branded computers... Anonymous
Hey, why not say this again? The ar... Phatt138
Phatt138...I own a G3 266...bo... Anonymous
Gotta love the pinheaded reaso... tired-of-whining-FUD-Winspreaders
Tired-of-Whining... I must've... Phatt138
You wrote:---------- My logic... tired-of-whining-FUD-Winspreaders
As usual, the Win world is ful... harry wolf
FUD spreader wrote:-----------... Tired-of-whining-FUD-Winspreaders
I would be a much bigger Mac f... DigiBozo
Sorry, the software and the hardwar... Anonymous
As A life long lover of Apple... Chrit Shaw
But can we put win xp on a mac comp... Anonymous
I think it's totally ridiculous idea try... Anonymous
I find it completely and utterly disgust... JP. Godlew
Also cause Mac Computers and Windows PC'... Fox
Re. the comments about Rosetta: unfortunately... Charles McLellan
You should know that the version of the... mmmk
For this stupid report i hope that Apple will... Anonymous
Do you know EULA ??? Anonymous
What a poorly written article! Among other th... daniel eran
Well, this is clearly going to rattle Redmond... Wild Bill
Funny how all of the Windows and Mac OS users... Anonymous
GB, you're a big joke. "Drag and drop...it's... Anonymous
Who Cares? Anonymous
Wow...talk about shabby "journalism." I find... Anonymous
I guess the bottom line of this article... Anonymous
Well, I really think this is quite irresponsi... Ron Bannon
Just lousy journalism.. if you can call... X user
Your tests and your conclusions are totally bogus.... anonymous
wow all the steve jobs ass licker fangirls co... apple hater
Apple Hater....don't you realise that al... Anonymous
I really can't believe some of the... justjim
I bought a mini mac to check o... Rotten Apple
Rotten Apple: Your part of you... Anonymous
You apple fans are funny peopl... Jonny Cash
Dear Rotten Apple, You wrote t... Jonathan
You can emulate the windows-li... Anonymous
First of all what are the Mac... dude in jpn
Lazy guy wrote:------------- O... Tired-of-whining-FUD-Winspreaders
Rotten apple, the Mac is about... Hajamieli
I get a kick out of the elitis... Kelly
Consistency? How about keyboar... Anonymous
Rotten Apple, you evidently do... mindpower
I'd like to point out that OSX... osx user
Rotten Apple: First of all, ge... JustKeepQuiet
Just to say try loading xp out... Anonymous
Rotten Apple, I think the prob... Fresh Apple
First off, I wonder what legal... Bill Gates
You stupid... stupid... commen... Max Kelley
To the guy who "checked out OS... Anonymous
Think of the market! Most peop... RizenStar
Rotten Apple....oh dear oh dea... GB
You crazy ignorant fools. Maci... Macsweep
Just a quick note. Every one h... fluff
Apple didn't invent the person... Anonymous
Attention MACSWEEP - You say "... Ignorant fool
It is about time all pc users... Karl
I've played with Macs before,... DIY Guy
Macs are not completely made from '... I_luv_Macs
"Apple Hater....don't you realise t... Travis Howard
COOL! I can't wait 'till the... Anonymous
HAHA "wow all the steve jobs ass licker... maccrap
Couple of questions need to be aske... Anonymous
I am happy ZDNet is reviewing the Mac OS on a... Chris Poor
I could care less if OS X will run on Dells, and o... Anonymous
I admit, I'm disappointed in this article. I'... Kelly
Good Article, Thanks for taking the tim... Anonymous
re: I could care less.... You moron. I can't... ZeeDee
You are all missing the point. OSX is the on... BigDog
And besides.. Microsoft owns what 40some... Russell
I'm surprised that noone has mentioned s... Anonymous
Windows supports lots of hardware n... smellnoevil
i have to say, mac os x doesn'... Anonymous
>I could care less if OS X will run on Dells,... Fred Nurk
As some said, what's the legitimity of such news?... Matam
I'm really happy that osx will not run on an ord.... Anonymous
"...you're having a system that virtually nev... Anonymous
Comment:------------ Look for complaints... tired-of-whining-FUD-Winspreaders
WOW! A lot of angry Santas here. Li... Tragic Optimist
: D Okay, I give up! FUD, you... Phatt138
Dearest Steve, You see torrent... Bill Gates
x86 OS/X will be HACKED as soo... jobs=foolish
Really, at the end what matter... Anonymous
Really, at the end what matte... Steven Bandyk
Perhaps I am spoiled by after servi... Andrew
Wow. I mean, really. Wow. My c... SrA John M. Sage
Forgot a couple points! Sorry!... John M. Sage
And I couldn't care less what processor... Tom Moore
My, my; an Apple/PC Mud slinging thread... Brother Bill
MAC ADMITS DEFEAT!! Anonymous
Maccrap: Use your money to go on vacati... Steven Bandyk
I for one have never liked IBM hardware.... Musicianwriter
It is true that Apple has a higher margin on their... Justin Guilbert
I just think that Apple fanatics are truly sn... Anonymous
I personnally installed the crack version then upg... Dr.Marrajife
Interesting article. I would like to point out th... Anonymous
A good article. It accurately describes the curre... Arnis Pape
iTunes on that build of OS X 10.4.x is being emula... Anonymous
Jobs wants control of the tech and experience more... Brent B
I must admit it's interesting to see the number of... Nick Mackin
as a marketing manager you sure dont know the... mrgoodall
Nick Macklin -- Your inner-fascist is creepin... Anonymous
It was definitely a mistake to compare iTunes' per... Anonymous
Unbelievable. Publishing on the Internet evid... Anonymous
I am very much IMPRESSED by the speed of iTun... Anonymous
Registering IS optional: Command + Q when the regi... Anonymous
Argh, why did you test iTunes?? I'm not intereste... Anonymous
This article reads like a review of a warez produc... Anonymous
Where can I get hold of the operating system for I... Steve Jobs
In your article you say that, "Its decision to sup... anonymous
My only question is when/where can I get a copy fo... Anonymous
This seems like a great review, although putting i... Segin
Who wrote this piece of crap!!! Summary: OSX runs... Anonymous
Nice article. I switched to Apple simple because... ruben dario
It's too bad that the software still costs more, a... Anonymous
The article says "There are therefore plenty of re... R Luna
It is laudable to see so many of my fellow Mac use... Andy Fore
Just one note about registration. It is mandatory... Anonymous
Registration is not mandatory. Hit command-q... Anonymous
Have a close look at the registration screen. it s... Gehard Schröder
I notice the ram is 512 MB. Some Mac users think t... Emmanuel
If you close an applications window, sure the... Anonymous
I think it's quite telling, the response from Appl... Hiro Protagonist
Congratulations to X opsys again! At last an atte... A Apple/XP Switch Hitter
Good old Jober!! Fair enough open source, I a... Anonymous
Open source is gerat, but there will alw... Anonymous
well, to each their own, i say. i've used both mac... David T
WHY BOTHER? Why bother to tell us about this when... HonestyMan
It is a pity that the first review of MacOSX on x8... Anonymous
Ripping a CD to MP3 is not only about processing t... Jesus Climent
OSX will be hacked...hrm. Getting it to run o... Phatt138
You all do realize that, whether this is "good" fo... Anonymous
good for you guys, you finnally see the light Anonymous
"Registration, however, is obligatory" You don't n... M
I am with "Harry Wolf" and "Steven Bandyk". I sto... Phongsan
In my opinion this is good try for a PC user. Next... NFK
I've never seen such a pathetic collection of comm... Anonymous
Dear annomous IT Pro. I am with you all the w... Roddy McLean
Ugh so much slamming and HATRED here! ;) They are... Die Klavier
Just FYI -- you can avoid registering when install... Jack
For performance problems: If you did not removed t... Anonymous
I'll always use Apple. Sure, it's pricier and slow... Henry Enfield
Where can I get a copy of OS x? Anonymous
Willkommen Mein gott , when can we get our hands... Valkyrie
If someone could please answer this for me it woul... Harry
Harry (can someone answer this): I think the... savage
Kan't we all jest git along? Ron White
As I read the comments on this forum, I have notic... Cross-Platform User
Mr. Jobs is continuing to trsh traditional Mac ent... Jerek Spiegel
apple's going to lose money. I prefer to take a DI... Anonymous
Having just bought a Mac, I was enjoying the exper... TRICE
What Macintosh success? Macs are only 4% of the h... Dave
RIGHT CLICK ?!?!?! We need our right mouse buttons... Anonymous
dats owesome!!! i cant w8.. do it now. vinz
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RJ smells like willy. RJ
X86 is a joke along with microsoft, the fact that... Anonymous
Apple clearly don't want to enter into direct comp... Anonymous
Quality you say! Please! How many people other tha... Calculon30
Outstanding! I love to tinker, and as such I have... Michael Irwin
Hey, here is an idea! How about we all stop fighti... Anonymous
I think Steve Jobs is missing a trick here, I have... Anonymous
tis as simple as this 1.you want the most stable... john
LINUX is the best !!! It is only true alternative... Aleksandar Stamenkovic
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