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Apple Disabling Support for Intel Atom Processor in Latest 10.6.2 Build?

Monday November 2, 2009 5:28 am PST by Eric Slivka
OS X Daily reports on a discovery that Apple's latest developer build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 disables support for Intel's Atom processor. While Apple's exact motive for the change is unknown, the result is that users who have modified their Atom-powered netbooks to run OS X will be unable to easily apply the 10.6.2 update should the change remain in effect for its public launch.

You can't help but suspect this move is Apple's attempt at shutting down the growing and popular Hackintosh Netbook community, since Apple has no product line that runs the Atom itself. Mac OS X runs absolutely flawlessly on much of the PC Netbook hardware, once it's configured you wouldn't know you're not on a Mac. Maybe it's in effort to kill the Atom Hackintoh Netbooks in anticipation of the rumored Tablet? Or maybe it's something totally unrelated?

Apple had apparently initially envisioned using the Atom platform in its tablet computer project, but dissatisfaction with the performance of the platform reportedly led to the company's purchase of ARM chip designer P.A. Semi in early 2008 and a shift to that company's technology for the tablet.

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