virtualization.info: Apple MacOS for Intel is here. Let's virtualize it!

Apple MacOS for Intel is here. Let's virtualize it!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006 | 7 Comments |

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, yesteday at Macworld 2006 officially launched the first iMac computer on Intel technology. It powers a MacOS X 10.4.4, but the iMac hardware could run Windows without restrictions, as Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, said. So we are sure MacOS could run on any x86 hardware, even on a virtual machine. But it actually can't. Why? Because Apple provided the operating system a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip control check which prevent installing it on anything but Apple approved hardware. It also appears that Apple patented the MacOS to not run on dual-boot systems and virtual machines. During the long beta these issues didn't stop hackers which found a way to circumvent the security check and spread unauthorized MacOS x86 copies inside virtual machines all around the Net. Now what can happen?

There will be another crack and MacOS X 10.4.4 for Intel will start spreading again, on physical and virtual machines, even if unauthorized.
With an unexpected move Apple will permit MacOS virtualization at a later time (we already read something in this direction in our exclusive interview to Parallels)

Will Microsoft accept to run MacOS virtual machines on its product as already did with Linux? I think not so fast. Surely not before launching and selling upcoming Vista. So VMware could be the first do this, and for free thanks to VMware Player, gaining even more market on the desktop virtualization segment. Customers are already asking for MacOS guest support which, by the way, would greatly simplify transition to Apple operating system. Meanwhile the good PearPC project could receive a major stop.

Comments

In the USA, it is illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to reverse engineer a scheme such as Apple's TPM for circumvention purposes. You will have to rely either on criminals or fully-capable virtualization experts outside of the USA to accomplish your goal.

By Anonymous, at Wednesday, January 11, 2006 9:52:00 PM

I would not be surprised to see vmware running on OS X; that's just a port. I would be very surprised to see a legal OS X inside a VM running on unix or windows; that's a business decision.

By Anonymous, at Wednesday, January 11, 2006 10:46:00 PM

It will be interesting to see if or how VMware will virtualize or provide access to the TPM module.

By Anonymous, at Thursday, January 12, 2006 3:21:00 AM

Regarding the DCMA - there are exceptions in the DCMA to allow reverse engineering for the purposes of making the protected content compatible with other devices.

Whether or not the exception applies is up to lawyers, courts, and even Apple to decide (if Apple doesn't make a DCMA complaint...)

I think what VMWare should seriously look at is porting the VMWare platform (and Player) to the x86 Mac under the Mac OS. Connectix made Windows run well enough in a VM on non-x86 Macs for people to actually use it. I imagine that VMWare can make a VM platform that will run Windows (and Linux, etc) fantastically on a Mac.

By Anonymous, at Thursday, January 12, 2006 6:41:00 PM

Apple has been clear about keeping OS X on their hardware or TPM wouldn't exist. Depending on their future intentions they may or may not go vigorously after hackers that modify OS X. Minimally the mods violate the terms of the OS X license, and depending if this work is done in the US, it may violate the DMCA.

It could be in Apple's interests to offer OS X via a second source manufacturer. The only one that may not be as threatening is Lenovo (IBM spinout). But I think Apple would not consider this until after their entire line was transitioned to Intel.

By Anonymous, at Friday, January 13, 2006 5:11:00 AM

I found this nugget to contribute:
From the OS X-x86 Project
http://www.osx86project.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89

Apple's Hidden Message to Hackers:
"Dont Steal Mac OS X"
'We?ve received some information regarding Apple's newest portable, the MacBook Pro, and with it a hidden message for would-be hackers. We were made privy to a text dump from the System Profiler of one of the new MacBooks and, naturally, couldn?t wait to sort through its contents. What we didn?t expect to see was a warning from Apple to those that would hack OS X...It?s placement, found in /System/Library/Extensions/Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext ... it seems that Apple is taking the pirating of the new OSx86 seriously'

By Anonymous, at Monday, January 16, 2006 4:53:00 PM

Don't expect to see OS X running legally as either a guest or primary OS on anything other than an Apple machine. Apple is primarily a hardware manufacturer. Running their software on other platforms makes no sense whatsoever for them as it only serves to erode their bottom line.

By Anonymous, at Wednesday, February 22, 2006 11:16:00 AM

Post a new comment