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EFiX USB dongle for installing OS X on a regular PC

by Mat Lu Jun 14th 2008 at 10:00AM

A while back the Mac web was abuzz about Psystar, the first commercially available hackintosh. Now comes EFiX, an USB dongle that will supposedly allow you "to install Mac OS X straight from the original DVD [onto a regular PC] without having to worry about patches, replacing files and anything like that." Above you can see a video from netkas.org partially demonstrating a PC booting a MacBook repair disc.

They say the product is in "the final testing phase," with release planned for June 23, 2008. Whether Apple's lawyers will ever let this see the light of day is something else entirely.

[via Gizmodo]



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A while back the Mac web was abuzz about Psystar, the first commercially available hackintosh. Now comes EFiX, an USB dongle that will...
 

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robert

Better use an open source and free "swap CD" that does the same :-)

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=113288

July 03 2008 at 4:07 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Danny

mungler you are awesome!

June 15 2008 at 5:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
LA Craig

I get a similar response when trying to play tapes in my dvd player.

June 14 2008 at 9:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
T.D. Shadow

"Not quite; not only is it a breach of contract, it's also a major DMCA violation"

No, it isn't. EFiX's *customers* will be the ones breaching a contract (OK, breaking an EUA) and violating the DMCA.

Selling a lock-picking set (or a crowbar) is not a criminal act (despite how many people claim the DMCA makes it so) if you can prove it has LEGITIMATE uses. (example: DVD Ripping Software)

June 14 2008 at 5:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to T.D. Shadow's comment
matt

Selling a product or service for the purpose of breaking the law is illegal. If your customer shopping for a crow bar tells you that it is being purchased to commit a crime, you are obligated NOT to sell him that crow bar, or you can go to jail, too.

Moreover, there's no indication that this has any legitimate use apart from enabling OS X to run on unlicensed hardware. There's also no indication one way or another what exactly this does and whether or not the product itself is compliant with relevant laws.

June 14 2008 at 7:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bailey Berro

Looks like they just re-did http://www.FathomFruit.com it looks really good now!

June 14 2008 at 5:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jash Sayani

Supports Intel 915 ?

June 14 2008 at 4:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jon

Is this not the same as putting a Ferrari engine in a Ford Fiesta?

June 14 2008 at 2:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
CZ

Yeah. Forgive me if I laugh at someone with a hackintosh. I'm very happy with my MacBook, and I was very happy with every other Mac I've owned. I wouldn't trade the hardware quality and stability for saving $200 at initial purchase.

I know lots of the people wishing for a hackintosh are dreaming of a computer that runs Mac OS X and yet can still play hardcore 3D games using the latest video card, but really, that's a silly reason to do this. If you're that hooked on having the latest, greatest video card, then a low or mid-level Mac is not for your gaming needs.

Get a low-end mac for your non-gaming requirements (even a Mac mini is more than capable of handling most common tasks) and build yourself a Windows rig for your gaming desires.

Better yet, give up on PC gaming. Consoles are more efficient, less expensive (in the long run), and have the same or better library of games. Unless you're a simulation addict, you'll probably find what you want on a console.

No, there's no damn Crysis on consoles. So what? If your entire premise for getting and upgrading a computer lies with one single FPS game, then you're a technological dead-end, and not really an Apple kind of person anyway.

I see the fun of hacking, and I endorse the 'fooling around with things" aspect of this. I just don't see any practical use for it. Every time Apple updates OS X, the hack community lags behind or ends up broken until a patch comes along. That's not the Mac experience.

That's the PC experience.

June 14 2008 at 12:57 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to CZ's comment
Jeff

That's a pretty shit argument. There are plenty of AAA titles that are PC only, and FPS in general are designed for K&M not some dumbed down controller. Apparently an "Apple person" doesn't enjoy having fun.

But I digress.

June 14 2008 at 2:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jmz

is someone using a vacuumcleaner in the backgound? Oh no, it's probably just the fan of the peecee. Tell me again, why would you NOT want to just get a Mac?

June 14 2008 at 12:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to jmz's comment
Tony Hoyle

You've clearly never heard a macbook pro when it ramps up.

June 14 2008 at 2:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
droslovinia

I'm with Tony on this.

I've owned a MacBook Pro for over a year, and I've never heard it when it boots up either.

June 16 2008 at 9:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Vball

Am I really the only one who thinks it's lame that people are making money off of OSX86? Not only is it the fact that they're paying to install it on PCs, but it's Apple's software. They're just offering an easier solution for something that's free.

I dunno, something just feels shady about it...

June 14 2008 at 12:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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