With WinXP Hacked for Macintel, Apple Announces 3 New Competitions
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- 2006.03.20
Finally, the other shoe drops
Apple computer's new dual-core Intel iMac has successfully booted a version of Windows XP, so Mac users can now enjoy the benefits of having two boots - one for each foot. "The left foot is for Windows, and the right one is for OS X," writes Paul Thurrott in his weekly technology column, Why I Can't Make Up My Mind About Apple.
An enterprising hacker-like person (this isn't really a hack, it's an exploit) developed the method and won over $13,000 in prize money, according to vnunet.
The success of the contest, similar to the X-prize contest, the DARPA autonomous vehicle challenge, and several new NASA initiatives, has inspired Apple CEO Steve Jobs to try a similar approach.
"This spring, we'll be sponsoring several competitions to jump start new applications and new technology," according to Jobs. "We're hoping to develop algorithms, though, not hacks or exploits."
PodPortPro Competition
The first competition to be sponsored by Apple is the design for the new PodPortPro, a device which will effectively turn an iPod into a functioning portable computer. Slated to include USB ports and a video-out port for a computer monitor, the PodPortPro will include leftover G3 processors and just enough RAM to boot.
"We're starting with $72.50 in seed money we raided from the third floor coffee can," said Jobs. "Hopefully others will contribute when they see what a great product this will be." Early supporters will get first dibs on the inevitable flood of security patches that will follow release of the device.
Extreme iPod Competition
The next challenge involves determining under what extreme conditions an iPod will still boot up and run. "We're asking people to chuck their existing iPods over the balcony, take them in the shower, bake them, put them in dryers, and drop them in toilets," said Jobs. "We'll pay $650 for every iPod that survives an 'extreme' test."
If the iPod dies, Apple accepts no risk, and the user must buy a new iPod. "We figure this program will pay for itself in six to eight minutes."
MacGyver Competition
The final competition is getting a Windows-based PC to boot up as a Mac using nothing but a scratched copy of Tigger, a pirated Windows XP install disk with no codes, and a paper clip (sorry, duct tape is not allowed). "If you can get this thing to boot up, we'll buy you lunch in our really cool cafeteria," said Jobs. "We might even spring for a candy bar for dessert."
"By the way, this one is a hack, because it's done to a PC," said Jobs.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution a zillion years
ago and keeps reminding us of its past glory in footers like this
one. It also redefined the word "Pod" in everyone's mind when it
developed a great MP3 player and called it iPod. 
Recent Lite Sides
- What if Apple thought like a PC company?, 11.01. Apple has innovated and blazed its own trail. But what if it had followed the path taken by the PC copycats?
- How Microsoft can turn Vista lemons into lemonade, 10.22. How Microsoft could profit by no longer allowing manufacturers to sell new PCs with Windows XP installed.
- iPods that never passed beta or focus groups, 09.13. "What most Apple fans don't realize is that there were a few iPod variants that never made it out of beta testing and the focus group stage."
- Pigs fly, snow in Death Valley, and Dvorak uses a Mac, 08.03. What has the world come to when John Dvorak, founding member of the Axis of Macevil, walks into the temple of All Things Macintosh?
- More in the The Lite Side index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 15" iMac G4/800 MHz, Jan. 2002 - The iMac is redesigned with a flat panel display and G4 CPU.
- Group of the Day: G4 List is for those using Power Mac G4s or G4 upgrades.
- January 7 in LEM history: 97: Mac OS 7.6 - 99: What color iMac do you want? - 00: S900 chronicles - 02: Who let the iMac out? - Expo keynote - iMac G4 - 14" iBook 600 - iCab fastest low-end browser - Addressing battery problems - 03: 12" PowerBook G4 - 17" PowerBook G4 - Changes in Jaguar - 04: Waiting for the tipping point - 05: Headless Mac an upgrade path for low end users - 08: Could OS X DRM drive users to Linux? - Netscape dead, but its children live on
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- 9.6% Mac Market Share, Quanta to Supply New iMac, New Mac mini a Go, Macintosh at 25, and More, Mac News Review, 01.05. Also what's missing from Apple's product line?, unattended online backup with MyOtherDrive, first USB 3.0 storage solutions, Find Any File, and more.
- Large Form iPod Coming?, Touch Screens a 'Huge Mistake', EarBud Yo-Yo, and More, iNews Review, 01.05. Also iPhone now at Walmart, iPhone trounces BlackBerry Storm for satisfaction, iPod video conversion software for Mac, and more.
- Intel's Quad-core Mobile CPU, Prevent OS X 10.5.6 Crashes, 'Netbook' Name Under Fire, and More, The 'Book Review, 01.05. Also the Age of the Notebook, build a cardboard laptop stand, MacBook reviews, bargain 'Books from $170 to $2,299, and more.
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- Personal Computer History: The First 25 Years, Dan Knight, 01.05. A brief history of the first quarter-century of personal computing.
- Apple Has Always Been a Niche Player, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 01.05. "Despite the myths, Apple has never been a dominant player in the personal computer industry."
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
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