Hackers Re-Enable Atom Processor For Mac OS X 10.6.2

Ed Sutherland ()

(Credit: steve-chippy/Flickr)

(Credit: steve-chippy/Flickr)

Hackers have bypassed Apple’s desire to remove support for Intel’s Atom processor from Mac OS X 10.6.2, allowing the increasingly popular netbooks to run Cupertino’s latest operating system. The complicated hack replaces the Mac OS X kernal, according to reports.

The low-powered Atom processor from Intel is often used by low-cost netbooks. Apple currently offers no hardware officially supporting the Atom chip.

The move is the latest in a back-and-forth between hackers and the company. Earlier this month, blogs reported a build of the update to 10.6 “Snow Leopard” removed support for the Atom processor, suggesting those wanting to build netbook “hackintoshes” would be required to use the older operating system. Days later, another version of 10.6.2 sent to developers reportedly re-enabled Atom support. When Apple officially released the update, Atom support was again missing.

The hack re-enabling Mac OS X 10.6.2 to run on Atom-based netbooks requires changes described as not for the weak-of-heart. The hack reportedly involves steps in the Terminal, replacing the kernal (the core of Mac OS X) — all available from a Russian-language blog, according to MacWorld.

This here-today, gone-tomorrow relationship between Apple and Atom recalls that between the Cupertino, Calif. company and Palm, when that company’s Pre (a rival of the iPhone) introduced support for iTunes. Apple would introduce incremental upgrades breaking the Pre bond.

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Mac OS X 10.6.2 Drops Atom Processor Support

[Via MacWorld and AppleInsider]

4 comments »

About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • http://bit.ly/44CHFm Reuben Gathright ~ Computer Analyst

    Thanks for the article!

    I have been waiting to put Mac on my netbook. I like the stability and using something not made by Microsoft.

    I wrote a review of the ASUS 1005HA that provides some processor performance numbers so you can determine if Mac OS X 10.6.2 is right for you.
    http://www.epinions.com/review/ASUS_Eee_PC_1005HA_VU1X_BK_10_1_Inch_Black_Netbook_8_5_Hour_Battery_Life/content_485480107652

  • Jim

    Kernel not Kernal

  • Fuzzypig

    I’ll try to contain my surprise! LOL!

    Good luck to them!

    I think almost every Hackintosh on a laptop or netbook is a great ad for how superperb OS-X is.

    You’re so desperate to use OS-X, you would break the terms of usage, spend hours faffing about with bizarre hardware combos and finally fight to get it to do stuff the manufacturer has actively tried to block you from doing?

    You must really think OS-X is truly worthy of all that hard work!

  • accolon

    Jim is right, “kernals” have not been seen since Commodore stopped building computers.