Leopard Hacked to Run on PCs

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The OSx86 Scene forum is offering full instructions on how to install the newest Mac OS on Windows PCs.

The cat and mouse game between hackers and Apple takes another move, with news that Apple’s new Leopard operating system has already been successfully installed on Windows PCs.

The OSx86 Scene forum has released details of how Windows users can migrate to Apple’s new OS, without investing in new hardware — even though installing Leopard on an PC may be counter to Apple’s terms and conditions.

The forum is offering full instructions on how to install the system, including screenshots of the installation process.

Not all the features of Leopard function with the patch — Wi-Fi, support, for example, is reportedly inoperable. Historically, Apple’s likely next move will be to track down and act against those behind the hack.

The move to make Leopard work on a PC is just the latest in Apple’s continual struggle with the hacker community.

Also this weekend a crew of hackers unleased Jailbreak Me, an online service iPod touch and iPhone users can navigate to in order to break into these devices in order to install applications on them.

Apple has encountered similar trials each time it releases a new version of its operating system, as PC-using hackers want the OS, but not necessarily the Mac.

Apple as yet hasn’t allowed virtualization software developers to create ways in which Mac OS X can be run on an Intel-based Windows machine, though this weekend’s Leopard news shows it’s possible.

Upgrade to Apple Leopard results in BSOD?

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With just only a few days since Apple Leopard launch, several users reported that their computer froze (or bluescreened) after successfully upgrading their install. Some tried reinstalling the OS, and managed to get rid of the bluescreen. More »

Apple’s Leopard arrives in San Francisco

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As Yogi might say, it was deja vu all over again on Stockton Street as Apple released Mac OS X Leopard to the general public.

(Credit: Tom Krazit/CNET News.com)It wasn’t exactly iPhone Day, but hundreds of people lined up on Stockton Street on Friday outside the San Francisco Apple store to get their hands on Mac OS X Leopard, the newest version of Apple’s operating system.

About 30 minutes before the doors of the store opened at 6 p.m., the line stretched up Stockton and around the corner onto O’Farrell Street, maybe two-thirds as long as the iPhone line at its longest on June 29. Still, prospective customers waited hours in line to buy Leopard, even though they could have preordered a copy from Apple or Amazon.com and have spent that time installing their new OS.

Tyler Howarth (middle) is psyched to be first in line in downtown San Francisco for Leopard.

(Credit: Tom Krazit/CNET News.com)

“That’s kind of lame,” said Tyler Howarth, first in line, referring to those who took the preorder route. Howarth, a student at San Francisco State University, arrived at 2 p.m. to start waiting in line, although the actual formal queue wasn’t set up until 3 p.m. He planned to use the $100 store credit he received after the iPhone pricing snafu to defray the cost of the Leopard upgrade (click for CNET’s review) for his Macbook Pro.

Granted, standing in line on a cool autumn evening in San Francisco isn’t exactly as demanding as dodging raindrops on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. And it’s really, really hard to run out of software; I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to walk into any Apple store later tonight or tomorrow and pick up a copy without a wait. But line-waiters seem determined to be part of something, to have an actual experience associated with their upgrades that’s a little more interesting than signing for the package.

Apple’s retail employees do everything they can to deliver that experience, cheering the early adopters like they just completed a 14-point comeback with 2 minutes left on the clock. The free coffee went quickly, but the first 500 people in line were given T-shirts to mark the occasion.

Apple retail employees welcome Leopard customers with a standing ovation and T-shirts.

(Credit: Tom Krazit/CNET News.com)

Several of those in line cited Time Machine as the single most important reason they’re rushing out to get Leopard, sheepishly admitting they don’t regularly back up their system. Not many people do so on a regular basis, even if they’ve taken the step of purchasing an external hard drive or going as far as to set up a home server.

Amadeus DeMarzi, about halfway back in the line, was relatively new to the Mac, having purchased his first Mac about a year ago. He was also planning to use his iPhone credit on the purchase of Leopard, and cited Time Machine and Spaces, a feature that lets you switch between four separate work areas to help organize your thoughts when working with multiple applications.

Passersby gawked at the crowd as things backed up in the area in front of the Apple store, which is adjacent to entrances for the Powell Street transit stop. “Ooh, I think they’re giving out free iPhones!” one woman exclaimed as she passed by with several shopping bags. At around 6:30 p.m., the line was still around the corner onto O’Farrell, but things were moving in an orderly fashion.

It was probably a pretty good night for Apple’s retail operation, but we’ll get a better sense of the pace of Leopard adoption over the next few weeks and months. I’ll check back over the weekend to see how the installation process is going for the early adopters. If you run into any problems, let me know in the comments below.

iPhone Day it wasn’t, but foot traffic still backed up in front of Apple’s downtown San Francisco store around 6 p.m. as commuters tried to figure out what was going on.

(Credit: Tom Krazit/CNET News.com)

Apple’s Leopard Fanfare Anticlimactic To P2P Users

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The highest download traffic of Mac OS X 10.5 occurred after Apple distributed the release candidate in September.

Apple officially launches its new Leopard operating system Friday. But the first major release of the Mac OS in nearly two and a half years has been the hottest download for months on peer-to-peer networks, rivaling at times even the most popular movies and songs, a P2P tracking firm said. Apple has already started selling Leopard in Japan, where hundreds of fans lined up at stores to buy the OS. In the United States, Apple stores will close at 4 p.m. local time, and reopen at 6 p.m., giving away T-shirts to the first 500 buyers. The store closure is to give employees time to turn the outlets into party central, and to prepare for the higher traffic.

But all the fanfare is anticlimactic for P2P users who have been downloading Leopard in various forms of beta for about a year, Eric Garland, analyst and chief executive of Big Champagne, said. The highest traffic occurred after Apple distributed the release candidate in September. At that point, the number of Leopard downloads was comparable to those of the most popular movies and songs.

“It’s a little bit like kids on Christmas Eve,” Garland said. “They just can’t stand it. They know they’re not supposed to peek, but the excitement is just too much for them.”

Illegal copies of a new OS showing up on P2P networks are not unusual. Leopard’s rival Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s Windows Vista, which was released to consumers in January, was also available over the Web before the OS shipped. Microsoft, however, uses a serial-numbering protection system that hackers had to penetrate first before the OS started showing up, Garland said. Apple doesn’t use such anti-piracy technology.

“It’s really as simple to acquire and use a pirated copy of Leopard as to install and use a legitimate copy,” Garland said.

Interestingly, Apple’s strategy of less protection for Leopard, officially known as OSX 10.5, actually works to the company’s advantage. People downloading illegal pre-release copies often say in chat rooms and discussion forums that they plan to buy a legitimate copy, which was not the same for Windows Vista thieves.

“There’s a commonly expressed sentiment among the community to go buy Apple,” Garland said. “Many of the people who have downloaded and installed pirated copies have also pre-ordered legitimate copies.”

People who downloaded Windows Vista, however, tended to take offense at what they viewed as draconian measures on the part of Microsoft, so felt less inclined to buy a legitimate copy, Garland said. In addition, Mac lovers view Apple’s price tag of $129 a better value than the $399 Microsoft charges for its most feature-rich version: Vista Ultimate.

Nevertheless, because Apple’s OS accounts for a sliver of the PC market compared to Windows, the amount of P2P traffic the operating system generates is extraordinary. “It really points to the cult of Mac,” Garland said.