Can I install OS X on another computer, free?

I'm not trying to petition Apple to change their ways, I just wanted to know what the deal was.

Apple is a hardware company and always has been. It makes money from selling devices, not software. Every copy of its operating system that is installed on a non-Apple computer is an Apple computer unsold.

Apple experimented with allowing its OS to be installed on other manufacturers' hardware in the 1980s and 1990s and it nearly bankrupted the company. Apple won't ever do that again.

It's part of the license terminology, which you have to agree to in order to install the software.

RobinJJ wrote:

Hi there.

I'd like to install OS X on a new PC, which currently has no operating system.

If by "PC" you mean non-Apple hardware. That violates Apple's EULA and is not something you will get help with.

RobinJJ wrote:

Hi there.

I have OS X through my purchase of a Macbook Air in 2012.

I'd like to install OS X on a new PC, which currently has no operating system.

I don't have the installation disks to hand that came with the Mac.

Any help greatly appreciated.

No. OS X can only legally be installed on Apple computers.

RobinJJ wrote:

Thanks for the responses.

Well, that's rubbish news. I've spent thousands on Apple products, so I don't see what putting OS X on non Apple hardware should be a problem given i've bought the operating system already.

So... I can install Windows on a Mac, but not vice versa.....hmm.

How can it be 'illegal' to install OS X on hardware which isn't sourced from Apple?!

Cheers.

The amount of money you've spent in the past on Apple products is immaterial. Microsoft allows purchasers to install Windows on any computer they want, made by any company they want, even Apple computers if you use something like Bootcamp. Apple does not allow that. When you download OS X, part of the EULA that you're supposed to read very clearly stipulates that it can only be installed on an Apple computer.

Why should Apple have the same corporate policies as Microsoft? If you want to use a PC, use Windows, because that and Linux or Ubuntu are the only operating systems you can install on it.

RobinJJ wrote:

So... I can install Windows on a Mac, but not vice versa.....hmm.

How can it be 'illegal' to install OS X on hardware which isn't sourced from Apple?!

Cheers.

No, you can't just install Windows on a Mac. Not in the sense you're referring to.

If you buy a Windows PC, you can not take a copy of the OS it shipped with and install it legally on any other machine. It is not licensed for use on another machine. It is only licensed for use on the machine it came with. You can install Windows on a Mac using Boot Camp or virtualization software, but you are legally required to purchase a license for Windows in order to do so.

OS X is licensed only for use on Apple hardware. Installing it on non-Apple hardware is a violation of the EULA. It's illegal. It's called 'Software Piracy'.

What Are the Penalties for Pirating Software?

Software theft is a serious matter. If you or your company get caught copying software, you may be held liable under both civil and criminal law.

If the copyright owner brings a civil action against you, the owner can seek to stop you from using its software immediately and can also request monetary damages. The copyright owner may then choose between actual damages, which include the amount it has lost because of your infringement as well as any profits attributable to the infringement, or statutory damages, which can be as much as $150,000 for each program copied.

In addition, the government can criminally prosecute you for copyright infringement. If convicted, you can be fined up to $250,000, sentenced to jail for up to five years, or both.

http://www.bsa.org/anti-piracy/tools-page/software-piracy-and-the-law/?sc_lang=e n-US

What do you mean by PC, a Windows machine?

All that aside Apple have always followed their own course, expecting them to follow MS is not likely.

My stones are probably not pink enough. 🙂

Look at it this way. You can install OSX for free on any Macs you own whether it's 1 or a 1000. If you want to install 1000 copies of Windows, you have to pay for 1000 copies.