can a macbook 4,1 be have mountain lion installed upon it?

Natively, It's only going to max out at 10.7.5 (Lion) because the graphics card is not getting driver updates to run in 64-bit architecture. There are several workarounds to break that wall down; however some of them are a little too complicated for my amateur realm of expertise...

FWIW, being a current legacy Mac user DOES have its perks. (I too have a Macbook 4,1 and I'm extremely comfortable with it.) First and foremost; make ABSOLUTELY certain your memory chipset is at least 4GB of DDR2 RAM. 6GB is proven to be the most stable maximum config. with a 4gig master chip & a 2gig slave. (8GB is theoretically possible so long as you don't overclock the dual-core processor; you want to experiment with that and go bleeding-edge, 667MHz will hedge the bet on functioning properly. 800MHz I'd recommend only if you're more tech-savvy than me.)

The best thing I like about using an unsupported Macbook such as the 4,1 is the flexibility of Bootcamp for running Windows dual-booted natively PLUS the option of booting from a USB key for ChromiumOS by Cloudready or most Linux distros. Keep Lion on your Mac natively because not only is our graphics software being halted from development to join the family of running ML & beyond natively; but the iSight videocam is still PROPRIETARY and we all know Apple's stand regarding anything proprietary...

Overall, I say embrace your unsupported Macbook and set sail for the high seas, matey!! ARRRRRGH!!!

Are those original makers ALLOWED to make drivers to run it in 64-bit; or are there too many points of contention that are stonewalling the 4,1? (eg. hardware incompatible, Apple proprietary agreements, company no longer making the hardware/software...)

No.....not according to this.....I have the same MacBook 4,1.....

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57387846-263/will-your-mac-run-mountain-lio n/

No. A MacBook must be 5,1 or better to run Mountain Lion.

(68161)

It's the video card. Yours has the 144mb Intel GMA X3100 with non-upgradeable 32bit drivers. The model 5,1 Late 2008 and newer have at least the 256mb NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 64bit drivers. Mountain Lion requires 64bit native drivers. Mountain Lion no longer supports ATI's Mobility Radeon X1600 or Radeon X1900, Intel's GMA 950 or GMA X3100, or NVIDIA's GeForce 7300 graphics processors.

Apple could and should write some 64 bit video drivers to resolve this. It's sad that Apple is really going to block OS upgrades on computers that are only 3 years old. This forced obsolesce is going to drive some of us to buy PCs next time.

It's not Apple it's the makers of the video cards that they were made to run in 32 bit only.

Thank you for this explanation. It helps a lot, although it's disappointing that my favorite Mac of all time (Black MacBook) can't be upgraded to the newest platform like my other two macs.

I agree with Amsden. Apple should have made a 32 bit video card supporting Mountain Lion version IF they had a better customer supporting business model. To run one of my business program (zipform to be exact), it needs a Java which is only available on 10.7+ version, to get that I need 10.8+ Apple OS.

Basically, Apple wants another $1,000 from my pocket when I have a machine that is a few years old... I agree that Apple makes good products, but their business model is bad and customer support is at the bottom. To get business done, buy Windows product, not Apple.

10.7 Lion is still available from Apple. You will have to call Apple Customer Care 1-800-692-7753 or 1-800-676-2775. to purchase it. Then within 3 days you will get an email with a code which you can use to download Lion from the App Store. The price is $19.99.

Remember the MacBooks we're talking about were made 4years before 10.8 Mountain Lion. And Apple didn't make the video card. They bought off the shelf video cards from Intel. At the time they were the best for entry level machines like the MacBook.

Thanks frederic1943for showing the hidden option on 10.7. If they had a better business model, it should be readily available on the app store and apple website for those have older models.

On that video card support, Apple still should software-support the products and parts they chose to install or provide ways to upgrage the video card, even on an $1000 "entry level product." I wouldn't be surprised if my brand new iPad can't be updated and installed new softare in 3 to 4 years and then forced to spend more money on a new iPad 8. BTW- I'm typing on Windows XP PC that is about 7 years old, upgradable meaning I could put Windows 7 or 8 if I wanted to and I think I paid less that 1/3 of my macbook... Apple raises prices about 50% higher by putting excellent fashion shows.

Regarding: "I wouldn't be surprised if my brand new iPad can't be updated and installed new softare in 3 to 4 years and then forced to spend more money on a new iPad."

3 or 4 years is a stretch. I have one of the first iPads which became obsolete within 2 years of purchase when iOS 6 was introduced.

Now why is this happening? It is because Apple is a business and a business exists only to make a profit and incidentally render a service. If you don't spent money on the latest and greatest Apple products the stock price will be negatively affected because the competition is likely to eat their lunch.

Since Apple seems to want us to buy a new machine every 3 years, is there a Linux build for the MacBook4,1 that has the look and feel of the Mac OS AND can run Apple software? If not, what is the best Linux for this machine. I guess I can use GIMP instead of Photoshop and Open Office instead of Word. BTW, don't update your Safari and you can watch Flash videos like youtube. I don't know if it's safe so I only use it on trusted sites. Firefox and Chrome flash doesn't work on my Mac.

" It is because Apple is a business and a business exists only to make a profit and incidentally render a service."

Agreed, but they should sustain their business without ******* off the current users who are their future customers. My kids think that the apple products are slow and not as compatible from their school computer rooms experience. They prefer PCs or Google products. They will be buying their own computers soon which I will be paying for, guess what they will want?