EFiX USB dongle for installing OS X on a regular PC
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]
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ramond said 8:54AM on 6-16-2008
You gotta love that Russian accent.
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Jurjen said 11:47AM on 6-14-2008
Why use a repair dvd if you know the retail dvd is going to work? And when you know it isn't working, then you post the video on the web anyway?
Well, pretty impressive. I wonder how it works, have they patched the bios to work as a EFI for the moment or something? Pretty neat, maybe something for the PC my parent's going to buy. I'll stick with my MacBook Pro, nothing beats legal ownership and legitimate software updates.
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Gerald said 10:43AM on 6-14-2008
This is a "Hobby Kit", like those replace-your-iPod-battery kits and Sonnet CPU upgrades.
This product does NOT infringe on Apple's Trademark (They're not selling you a Mac), nor does it infringe on Apple's Copyright (They're not installing/modifying OS X).
Psystar crosses the line (selling working clones without a license), but EFiX does not.
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S said 11:32AM on 6-14-2008
Not quite; not only is it a breach of contract, it's also a major DMCA violation. The license for OS X states you may only install it on a Mac, and this device circumvents the lockouts Apple inserted to prevent non-Apple machines from running OS X. Pretty open-and-shut.
Peter said 12:24AM on 6-15-2008
The license actually states that it may only be installed on an Apple labeled personal computer. This means that due to a simple loophole, all you must do it apply one of the Apple stickers that comes with iPods, etc to the case of the PC you are installing it on to make it not a DMCA breach.
FutureMAN said 10:50AM on 6-14-2008
That was the weakest "product demo" I have ever seen.
"Here is our product...not working. What you think?"
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papafew said 11:45AM on 6-14-2008
you are so clever FutureMAN (and humble), you don't even see the future :
install mac os x on PCs soon !!!!
bob said 11:50AM on 6-14-2008
What I'm curious about is how you're pronouncing "USB" that you can say "an USB dongle".
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JMV290 said 12:18PM on 6-14-2008
I'm pretty sure the case has always been such that you use the word "an" when the following word starts with a vowel.
ZeroCorpse said 12:47PM on 6-14-2008
A SOFT vowel, yes. A "hard" vowel, like "U" is pronounced like "Yoo", and therefore has a consonant-like sound at the beginning.
While it is *technically* correct to precede it with "an", it sounds better with "a" because of that hard sound at the beginning. In common American usage, "an" is rarely used before a word that begins with that hard "u" sound.
A used iPod - - - An used iPod
A United States law - - - An United State law
Now, if we're talking about British English (proper English, by most accounts) then, yes, "an" would be acceptable and common. But since most of the people posting here seem to be yanks, we are just used to the American style.
Just like we stay "in the hospital", and the Brits stay "in hospital" -- It's a difference in dialect.
mentalsticks said 1:41PM on 6-14-2008
The Brits have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, the language.
Unregistered said 10:29PM on 6-14-2008
Well ZeroCorpse, I should think the eyeballs TUAW is getting is a pretty international mix, so whether British or American English rules are adhered to should not matter so long as everyone can get the gist of the comment.
bob said 3:09PM on 6-27-2008
The only reason you would use "an" is if you pronounced USB "uhzbuh". Otherwise, the pronunciation starts with the consonant "yoo" as another user stated.
mungler said 9:10PM on 6-14-2008
Answer: oooosb. ;)
First of all, netkas simply didnt have a retail dvd to hand to test with - he has now obtained one and it works fine. He even said updating to 10.5.3 was flawless:
http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=110295&view=findpost&p=781586
and you're right 'S' - this is a major DMCA violation... so its lucky its not going to be sold in the USA then really isnt it? the rest of the world doesnt have to suffer your DUMB fucking laws.
and FutureMAN - netkas isnt selling this to you, he merely was given a pre-release version of the dongle because he's testing it for whoever is behind efi-x.
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Vball said 12:37PM on 6-14-2008
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...
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jmz said 2:00PM on 6-14-2008
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?
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Tony said 2:36PM on 6-14-2008
You've clearly never heard a macbook pro when it ramps up.
droslovinia said 2:11PM on 6-17-2008
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.
ZeroCorpse said 12:57PM on 6-14-2008
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.
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Jeff said 2:36PM on 6-14-2008
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.