One of my favorite hobbies of geeks is nearing an end, whether I want it or not. This is Apple’s fault.

Back in 2016, I was frustrated Apple did not update It Mac mini, IMac, or Mac Pro Computers in general at least. The company has been pumping out new iPhones, iPads, AirPods, and MacBooks at a regular rate, and I’ve had at least one of each. Desktop computers didn’t get the same attention.

I wanted a low-cost multipurpose machine that I could count on to work and play on for the next several years. But if I cut the initial price of $ 499 that Apple wanted for its Mac Mini computers at the time, I would pay the full amount for a device whose guts were more than two years old. not good.

So I decided to do one of the most bizarre things an Apple technician user could do: Built a computer.

I have purchased all the parts I need, including the storage drive, system memory, and Photographers card. After that, I gathered them together in a fairly general condition. Then I tricked the Apple macOS program into running.

The project took about $ 800, many nights of staring at the computer icon, and a few frustrating strokes on the keyboard, but I eventually did.

I switched my computer In the Hackintosh.

It’s not something Apple supports, and it might be a violation of the macOS Software License Terms. (Apple declined to comment for this article.) But the result was that I had a Mac desktop computer with my terms. I would have wrestled control away from Apple.

Moreover, I felt like a winner. During the day, I would cycle between my MacBook Air and Hackintosh for work, using all the specialized Mac software I used to rely on Keep track of my to-do listsAnd manage my calendars and find smart GIFs to use for idle banter.

At night, I switched the Hackintosh to the Microsoft Windows operating system, which powers more than 73% of the computers in the world. This is one of the only ways to play respectable Virtual Reality Games like the science fiction shooter from Valve Half Life: Alex, Which was called CNET’s sister site GameSpot Game of the year For the year 2020.

And if some components, like the video card, aren’t doing enough, then I am capable Device upgrade With a little trouble. Nerd Paradise.

Sadly, this all changed last summer when he was CEO of Apple Tim Cook He walked over to his virtual company’s stand on air and said Macs have been forever changing. Their brains, in the microprocessing that were previously made by chip maker Intel, have been replaced by Apple’s. M1 chips are specially designed While that. Apple said it was doing so because the technology behind iPhones and iPads is better suited to Mac computers than the Intel processors Apple has used to power Macs since 2006.

Cook said when, „Progress of this scale only comes from making bold changes.“ Apple’s first M1 powered devices go on sale in November.

Now play:
Watch this:

The new M1 Macs are a major transformation for Apple

5:51

Those M1 Macs were the first MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac MiniAll of them received good marks from the reviewers. CNET reviewer Dan Ackerman says They performed much better than their predecessorsIt even surpassed Intel-based Macs released earlier in 2020.

Unfortunately for me and a lot of hacktowers, you Apple M1 chips cannot be purchased On your own. Which means I can’t put it in my computer and trick Apple macOS software into running.

Apple said it will take about two years to move it away from Intel. A few years after that, the company is expected to stop software upgrades for Intel-powered Macs.

At this point, my dream of Hackintosh will officially end.

Apple is notorious for its amount Take control of their devices. You cannot download apps for an iPhone or iPad unless you go to the Apple App Store, as every program is reviewed by the company before it’s published for download.

Not surprisingly, Apple has put a tighter grip on its computers, too. But I’m still sad to see Hackintoshes go.

So I decided to build one last one hurray. Brightest fake apple I could muster.

Hobby and pillar

It has gotten much easier to assemble the Hackintosh over the past few years. Mostly thanks to better hacking tools and energetic communities full of people who love to help. Some of them even write Step-by-step guides With lists of parts you can buy, how to configure them, and what to do when they are not working.

One of the people whose posts I rely on is Mykola Grimalyuk, 20-year-old college student studying computer science (what else?) In Canada. He got into Hackintoshing through his stepfather, who had one of his. At one point, Grymalyuk found himself recovering from a medical episode, with plenty of time on his hands.

„I was always in a hospital bed,“ Grimalyuk said, „I couldn’t walk much, couldn’t do much, and it felt kind of worthless.“ „But the Hackintosh community has given me something to do.“

Note that there haven’t been many updated or comprehensive guides to help people build Hackintoshes, so he decided to write some of his own guides. Initially, it created a list of the video cards that work best with Apple software. Then he wrote about how to modify parts of your computer to make everything work better. The most useful to me, it is Create detailed guides To help understand the applications and processes that you need to follow to initially set up the Hackintosh.

He said, „It escalated from there.“

Earlier this year, he collected his work on a website he co-founded his name Doratania. It was named after a mysterious flower that he hoped would mean that the site could easily access the top link on Google (he did). The site does not contain any advertisements, and Doesn’t ask for any money. It encourages people to donate to Crohn and Coltis Canada.

As much as Grymalyuk enjoys going through his Hackintosh instruction manuals, he knows that Apple’s M1 chips mean everything will be done in five years or so. By then, it is expected that all Mac and Mac applications will have migrated to Apple chips. At this point, Apple will likely begin phasing out software updates for Intel-based computers, as it won’t sell them anymore anyway.

As a fan of Apple products, Grymalyuk said he was recently involved in helping people run old Mac software on new computers, and helping others run new Apple software on old Mac computers.

His dream is to direct all this knowledge into writing documents for other tech products. He wants to help people understand the minutiae of what makes their computers tick, whether they were made by Apple or not.

„I want to study, not just reach the end result,“ he said. “I want people to service their machines. When you know what malfunction, how it breaks and what needs to be fixed, you feel,” Wow, I can service this device myself. I don’t need outside help. „

Hackintosh is my last one

I was inspired to create the latest version of the Hackintosh because of the M1 Macs. I decided to create a machine with the very latest in microprocessor brains and more than twice the storage space like 1 Terabyte I use it today. I also chose an AMD graphics card similar to what is found in the latest Mac Pro computers, to ensure it will work more easily with macOS. I wanted to make sure this device would at least fit my needs for several years to come.

If you get stuck, I’m grateful that I’ll be from the Hackintoshers community to help fix any bugs I run into. Websites like Grymalyuk’s Dortania, The Hackintosh Community on Reddit And the Melody It is still popular. As well as YouTube channels like Snazzy LabsWhich discusses Hackintoshes Every now and then. Some of these communities even saw a spike in interest when Apple released its first M1 computers in November – partly because people were curious about how hackintoshers would prepare when macOS wasn’t running on Intel chips.

Tonymacx86 said: „There is still a thriving global community of active hackers.“ The person behind the username and the website prefers to remain anonymous to avoid enthusiastic fans and detractors alike.

Tonymacx86 says that after Apple discontinued Hackintoshes altogether, websites and directories will likely be redesigned to honor more than a decade people have spent building Frankenstein-esque machines. They will also likely become support communities for people who keep their computers after the time they can get any software updates from Apple.

I will likely be finished with the Hackintosh by this point. I know that one day, I will not be able to keep the device I just made running macOS smoothly. When that time comes, I’ll either need to rely more on the Mac laptops I own, or buy a new desktop from Apple.

Hopefully, by then, Apple computers aren’t disappointingly old as they were when they started.