Apple said it was doing this because the technology behind its iPhones and iPads are better-suited for Mac computers than the Intel processors Apple's been using to power Macs since 2006. Their microprocessing brains, formerly made by chipmaker Intel, were being replaced with Apple's custom-designed M1 chips instead. Sadly, that all changed this past summer when Apple CEO Tim Cook walked onto his company's virtual, livestreamed stage and said Macs were changing forever.

That's one of the only ways to play well-regarded virtual reality games like Valve's sci-fi shooter Half-Life: Alyx, which CNET sister site GameSpot just named game of the year for 2020.Īnd if some component, like the video card, just isn't doing enough, I'm able to upgrade the machine with little hassle.

During the day, I'd move between my MacBook Air and Hackintosh for work, using all the specialized Mac software I've come to rely on to track my to-do lists, manage my calendars and find clever GIFs to use in idle banter.Īt night, I switched the Hackintosh over to Microsoft's Windows, which powers more than 73% of the world's computers. (Apple declined to comment for this article.) But the result was that I had a desktop Mac computer on my terms. It's not something Apple supports, and it may be a violation of the MacOS software licensing terms. I'd turned my DIY computer into a Hackintosh. The project took about $800, many nights of squinting at computer code, and a couple of frustrated bangs on my keyboard, but eventually I'd done it.Īpple's $699 M1-powered Mac Mini is a low-cost machine with surprisingly speedy chips.

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