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Apple is looking to prevent any chance of netbook compatibility for its forthcoming Mac OS X update, reports suggest.
According to a story from specialist consumer site OS X Daily, Apple will directly disable Intel Atom processor support within its next Snow Leopard update, OSX 10.6.2.
Apple has declined to comment on the speculation, though the OS X Daily support says the move will stop “Hackintosh users” – a pejorative term for tech enthusiasts who have hacked various Atom-based netbooks – to run Apple’s Snow Leopard.
“You can’t help but suspect this move is Apple’s attempt at shutting down the growing and popular Hackintosh Netbook community,” read the rumour, “since Apple has no product line that runs the Atom itself.”
The speculation comes in the wake of news that Mac clone maker Psystar will start selling Mac OS virtualisation software to third parties – a set of tools that enables PCs to run Snow Leopard.
