If Apple offered a version of OS X for ANY PC would you buy it?

[mikester]

Title says it all. Lets say the retail price was $200.

My views aside I'm just curious what other folks think.

[djmcmath]

For $200? In the presence of free alternatives, no, probably not. Linux runs great like it is on my desktop. I don't have any complaints about my OSX laptop, but I'm not going to spend $200 to install a matching OS on a perfectly operable desktop.

Now a slightly different situation: if the choice was paying for Windows or paying for OSX, I'd drop the cash for OSX with no hesitation.

[legion]

Nope.

[Neilk]

$200 definitely not. $100... very interested. Although, I might be more inclined to buy a real Intel Apple and dual boot with windows XP on it.

[mikester]

Well; that's just it - This is the choice between Apple and Windows on the same hardware. That's my point so in that light you can say it is the choice between XP and OS X. I used $200 because I think that's the in between price of XP Home and Pro but I honestly haven't checked - I just know what I've paid in the past.

[JavaBrewer]

I've had zero OS issues since Win2K and XP. No reason to change.

[Neilk]

I want both. IIRC, Steve Jobs implied that they wouldn't limit what you could install an Intel Apple PC. Since Apple is rumored to use standard Intel motherboards with a small chip identifying it as an Apple motherboard, it should be possible to install Windows XP on a second drive or partition.

[mikester]

Absolutely; they have said that would be possible but here's the thing. I don't want an Apple computer. They cost too much - I can build my own thank you. I upgrade too often (at least in the past) to be buying a new Apple every 6 months or whatever.

I want to run it on my hardware. Most of their hardware is from the PC world anyway (Video cards, HArd Drives, USB support, etc).

I don't need an Apple branded computer - I just want the OS and I'm willing to pay for it the same way I paid for Windows XP. Of course I want to dual boot - I just want to stay "in control" of my own hardware destiny.

[bryanthompson]

I'd buy a copy. It might take some research to be able to put together a hardware package as reliable and as well-supported by OSX, but it would be worth it.

[masraum]

well, since I haven't ever bought an OS... MS hasn't gotten much of my money over the years. I'd love to tinker with OSX, but I can't imagine that I'd want to change permanently. If XP was as bad as Win95 or 98 maybe, but XP runs really well for me. If I was going to switch I'd probably be more likely to go Linux, but even that isn't as seemless and easy as XP.

I used to be a Wordperfect die hard, I used to tinker with alternative OS's all of the time, but these days it's really hard not to just stick with MS products (Except IE but even that is necessary sometimes)

[CamB]

I'd probably buy it to give it a go. Mostly because I'm in "give it a go" OS mode right now - I just installed Linux (ubuntu) at home as a dual boot to XP (its great for everything but gaming and those pesky websites which don't work properly in Firefox - I problem I have with XP anyway).

I've also spent waaaay too much time fiddling with themes, object dock and Konfabulator in XP to give a degree of OS-X look/feel/functionality (?) to XP. See the screenshot below (clicky for bigger - Pelican won't let me do full size)

[jyl]

I would, to put it on some PC hardware where Apple doesn't make anything equivalent. For example, my new IBM X40 laptop is a little gem of a machine, but in 24 hours I've already had two freeze-ups and three re-boots. I'd like this with OS X.

But you won't be able to, not legally anyway. Apple will not sell OS X for x86 shrink-wrapped. It will only come on Apple hardware. If you're willing to buy an illegal copy, and then hack your way around the hardware lock, you might be able to do it.

[mikester]

I've got an X41 and feel the same way - though I have had no issues.

I've been a linux/UNIX user for years and frankly, linux sucks as a Desktop OS. The support just isn't out there.

Apple as I see is the only viable alternative in the windows world. They have the power to free us from a monopoly and make a ton of cash doing it.

I wish they would - for my sake.

[Don 944 LA]

without the checks with the CPU etc ...
try playing a song, and it saying you can't play it cuz you don't have a lisence.
I will be fiddling around with the OSx86 , but as far as a permanent replacement ... NO

OSX does run faster on an Intel chip

****
EDIT: As far as $200 for the OS .. won't be possible.
It checks to see if the hardware is Apple, even though it's an Intel board and Intel chip.
So, you are still required to buy from APPLE and only APPLE. The OS comes with the hardware and APPLE won't sell hardware for $200 .
No self building of machines.


They are and will be hacks that will bypass the check for the protection chip.... time will tell.

till then, I will use my XP layered with everything Mac.
***

[yellowline]

Yes.

I miss the sheer power of my old P4 with 1gb of Rambus. I don't miss XP suddenly crapping out after 4 years on one install. OS X gives me 90% of the ability to tweak things as you can in Windows.

The bad: Expanding Apple's market share is only going to make OS X a target for hackers. I have no doubt that there's a hole somewhere in OS X...nothing's perfect. Whether or not Apple can repel these attacks remains to be seen. Sad, really.

[jyl]

I've gotten two brand new top-of-the-line PCs in the past few months - the IBM X40 and a IBM T42p. Both were fresh installs of Win XP Pro. Such great hardware. Such a lousy OS.

I kid you not, almost every single day I've had at least a problem of Outlook or some other app or a part of the OS freezing up, and rebooting every few days has become routine. Okay, maybe the corporate IT dept loads the machine down with too much crap running in the background, and maybe I use the machines too intensively with too many apps open at once and all kinds of synchronizing and networking going on. But I'm still so unimpressed.

My Mac runs like a top, and I can't remember the last time I rebooted it.

I do wish Apple would make a real super-light sub-note. Their smallest notebook, the 12" PowerBook, has a small footprint but is surprisingly heavy. My X40 weighs far less with considerably better battery life. I also think Tablets will become more popular - I had one for a year, and it was almost right - and I hope Apple offers one eventually.

[Don 944 LA]

I have had ZERO problems with my P4 and XP
I run all the high end stuff Office 2003, Adobe Creative suite 1 & 2. Autocad, Solidworks, plus a plethora of others.

I also run ALL the Stardock Object Desktop applications that makes my XP box look and feel like a Mac. This also puts aditional strain on the system, but no problems.

I get ZERO crashes with XP

People are applauding this Mac using Intel hardware, but you still have to buy the hardware from Apple, so the $3000 Mac will still be there,.

They sell hardware. Very few units, but it pays cuz they rape you
Windows sells software, bagillions of copies, zillions pirated, but they still make a killing.

Having an OS that will run on a Intel platform and can be installed on any intel type setup will DESTROY Apple. They don't want your $200-$300 for software, they want the $2000-$3000. Thats what has been keeping them afloat and the people that want a " Social " and " Artsy " computer get suckered into it.


/rant

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by Don 944 LA
Thats what has been keeping them afloat and the people that want a " Social " and " Artsy " computer get suckered into it.

And the engineers like me who like a system that doesn't BSOD on a regular basis (every XP or Win2K box I have access to or ever owned does).

I suspect your crashless PC is in the minority.

[mikester]

I guess the title didn't say it all. I know their plans are not to allow the os on any PC hardware and only Apple hardware. This was a "what if" scenario where they DID allow it on any hardware and sold it for around the same pricepoint that Microsoft did.

[Don 944 LA]

Originally posted by mikester
I guess the title didn't say it all. I know their plans are not to allow the os on any PC hardware and only Apple hardware. This was a "what if" scenario where they DID allow it on any hardware and sold it for around the same pricepoint that Microsoft did.

so, .... what if Apple sold a complete system
(hardware&Software) for $200...
anyone in their right mind would buy it ....