Netbook OS X on the Asus eee 1000H

In a recent post, I wrote about the computers that I own. 3 are Windows OS and 1 Mac OS X. Recently, my Tablet PC HP 2710p for the nth time started having problems recovering from sleep mode. As a longtime windows user, this is nothing serious considering that what it all requires really is PATIENCE. I waited for 5 minutes, and still no progress from the 2710p with Vista Business. I decided to instead go to the ever reliable macbook which stays tethered to the 28in Samsung:

I opened the display and almost instantaneously, the macbook is on with the wifi indicator showing that it is connected. I triggered Firefox from the dock and up comes Gmail. I scrolled down to the labels to look for the file that I need to send, opened the email, clicked F in the keyboard, and out comes the forwarding email dialog box. I then typed the first 3 letters of my intended recipient's email address and out comes a slection of email addresses. I clicked from the selection the correct address, clicked the send button and I am done. At just about this time, I noticed that the tablet PC has finished initializing.

Looking back to the 1 1/2 years that I have had the Macbook, I simply could not recall experiencing even a minor hiccup. Something I could not say about any of the Windows only computers that I own. I believe that experiences like these by Windows only users contributed immensely to the dramatic rise in sales of Apple computers.

As much as I would love to carry the 5++ lbs Macbook with me all the time, there are just more times when travelling light is paramount. This is why I recently bought the Asus EEE 1000H PC with XP OS, which at 2lbs and 10 in screen, is snappy enough for my daily computing needs. I have been reading a lot lately about the EEE PC and MSI Wind being hacked to run OS X. Imagine having the reliability of OS X in a 2lb package...the Macbook Air, you say? But at a little under $2,000.00, it is definitely not the only option to most. Last weekend, I took the plunge and had a friend install a DMG image of the Leopard OS of my Macbook onto the EEE PC.

The process went fairly straightforward and Leopard was running in the Eee 1000H in under 2 hours. There are just a couple of issues which could be deal breakers for some:

1. Wifi works fine but with the use of a software utility - Wireless Utility Cardbus PCI. The Netbook OS X connects alright with most any wifi router. However, even coming off from sleep mode, you would need to initialize your connection from the utility.

2. Audio works fine but only with the use of a USB soundcard the size of a small Bluetooth dongle. Once the dongle is attached, you can install your external speakers or earphones with standard adapters.

3. Installing a Mac OS X in a non-apple hardware is in violation of your Apple agreement.

4. You can no longer avail of Apple's software update as these may render your netbook install inoperable.

Barring the above issues, the following are what I love about the Netbook OS X:

• It recovers from sleep in under 3 seconds. Though not by just opening the screen. You would need to depress the power button of the netbook.
• Mac OS X is very snappy in this 1.6 ghz atom with 2 gig RAM.
• It runs all the softwares I have installed in the Macbook to include XP under VMware.
• I am getting a decent 4+ hours of battery life with the 6 cell battery.
• The weight, the weight. At a little over 2 lbs, I hardly even notice that I have with me a full featured "MAC"
• The price. At around $500 dollars, one can buy 4 of these netbooks at the price of 1 macbook air.

  I am simply loving my OS X in the Eee PC. It is has become my permanent mobile computer. I believe that this is also the case for the thousands of netizens who fell in love with the netbook form factor. This early, PC manufacturers are worried that the phenomenal rise in Netbook sales May Hurt Laptop Sales. Since Cupertino is always listening, I believe that it is only a matter of time before they finally start turning out more affordable laptops.

Comments

[Shinrai]

Glad you enjoy it! If anybody else wants to get their Mac OSX netbook fix, just email me at [email protected]

[Nap Taas]

@Shinrai

Thanks for visiting and for the great job of installing a flawless version of OS X on my eee PC. Your post should save me tons of reply to those asking for your email.:-)

[Robert]

Thank you for this. I wonder if this will work on a LE1600.

Thanks,
Robert

[MS]

So...nice job! I run OS X (yes, a licensed copy of Leopard) on an MSI Wind book, and love it. Have to ask, though...how'd you get that stylish screen back? You do that yourself?

[Nap]

@MS,

Yes, I just used an airbrush to coat the Asus with a dull black paint. Then used a film sheet to paint the white apple logo (cut the apple pattern using an exacto knife.
BTW, the Asus now sports a beta version of Windows 7 http://technocop.typepad.com/techno_cop/2009/01/windows-7-experience-index.html.
:-)