OS X-installing EFiX device gets a price, release date
By Donald Melanson 
posted Jul 5th 2008 8:05PM
posted Jul 5th 2008 8:05PM
The folks at EFiX don't exactly have the best record of sticking to promised release dates, but the company's CEO and lead engineer, Wilhelm von Vnukov, now tells us that the V2 edition of the OSX-installing device for desktop PCs will be available on Monday (July 7th), "I think," with the V1 version set to follow three to four weeks later (still no word on the promised device for laptops). According to the website, the only difference between the two is the addition for support of "several motherboards" on the V2, as well as "experimental support for some prototype motherboards." What's more, the company has also now confirmed that the price for the initial batch will be €80 (or about $125), although availability seems to be confined to Taiwan and Bulgaria at the moment, with a number of other countries (including the United States) listed as being "in negotiation." The company is also promising that the price will be substantially lower once the device enters mass production, although it's unsurprisingly not making any promises as to when that might happen.
Taiwan and Bulgaria? Seem like odd places to start.
Considering the likely hostility apple will take towards this device, starting sales in those places (to people who will likely ship them to the mainland US) seems like a wise idea.
Look at modchips. Same stuff.
I might get one to mess around with.
Anybody else think its odd these thinks are named after German rockets?
Yet they are launching in Taiwan and Bulgaria? That's just screwed up.
I assumed it was the standard "V for version", not "V for Vergeltungswaffe" (which would be V-2).
Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant and vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.
Wikipedia FTW
No, it's not odd at all. Every version of OS X has been named after a German tank (Panzer, etc.)
Meh. It'd be nice to have OSX on my PC. I'm pretty happy with Windows though.
use whatever suits your needs, i see no reason for a low rank
But What If You Actually Like Window?
Apple will probably find a way to stop it (if the company actually gets their act together)
its an efi emulator what can apple do legally to a company emulating something that they don't have the intellectual property rights to
your answer is nothing!
$125? OS X costs $129. Whats keeping the price of this thing so high?
1) It's a piece of HW.
2) As stated, it's not in mass production yet.
R&D, manufacturing, shipping, keeping the low-down on the down-low, and hey - guy's gotta make some guap if he's spending his time for other people. It's the way of life.
What is stopping people from copying the files off of this and putting them on Demonoid? This is just a flash drive with an OS X installing program on it, right?
No it has no files on it. Apples don't use BIOS like PC's do, they have something else called EFI. This item will simulate you having an EFI motherboard.
I really don't understand what the big deal is. It's been possible to install OS X on a PC for a long time now.
It's automation. It locates all necessary hacks and drivers it needs for your system, all automatically why installing the retail version. Check the article links and learn.
Sorry. Replace "why" with "while". Like drinking and driving, talking and typing don't mix well.
Never forget that "Apple", "special hardware" and "expensive" are synonymous terms.
Or just do a google search for OS X86 and get information on the specials disks that can be made or are already made to use OS X on a regular PC.
I thought the guys at EFix said initially they were not going to sell them here in the USA?
E-B-A-Y
Taiwan is one of the best countries to start in because it's where most of the worlds computer parts are made, so they get a good supplier there they can cut the cost of making it and also Taiwan export the parts
geesh... if you want to run something other than windows on your pc... install ubuntu.... it's free, too
people wont buy this so they can install something other than windows, they will specifically buy it to install osx.
@andres
I think he meant you should skip this altogether and install Ubuntu, which you can download, burn, and install for free.
yes, yes. but not everyone runs osx just to run something different, they probably have their reasons and linux isnt a direct replacement for osx.
Yeah maybe they want Final Cut Pro or something.
Somethings are OSX only.
So, If I am understanding this correctly this little device allows any pc (that is compatible) to have os x installed onto it. This device is all that seperates a pc from a mac? Doesn't this seem impossible to sell in america because apple and steves ruling hand!
If these get sold what would be the point of ever buying a mac again?
the fact that having a device constantly sticking out of your laptop is a bit of a downside.
Because i like the way my MBP works and looks right now. I personally think that it looks better than most window's based laptops and the form factor is just astoundingly good for my purposes. Then there is the "oh s*** factor" that comes with anything that isn't natively built for the platform - i cannot have my laptop decide that a driver isnt just right for a program in the field or in the middle of finals.
I took part in OSX86 as it was beginning and it was fun then, heck, i still have it for some playing around and maybe it has gotten to be a bit more stable, but it just didn't seem stable enough for me to invest in.
So i guess i am just an idiot who likes to drop a lot of money on a laptop and got ripped off by apple but I still think it was worth it and i still recommend MBP to all of my friends. So that is why it is still a good idea for some of us to purchase macs.
@Lamp:
first of all the initial launch is just aimed at desktops, so chances are a latop install wouldnt fair so well.
With that said, if your desktop has internal usb ports (most do), I would assume that you could place this device inside the tower and it would be out of the way of your other peripherals.
Or perhaps even Windows.
I think what hes thinking of is a curtain, which isnt quite the same thing as EFIX
So.......How do I even know if this will work with my system? There are hundreds of thousands of possible hardware configurations so what are the chances of this working with my computer?
go to their website. it gives a list of all the compatible hardware
I checked the site and it doesn't work with my motherboard (EVGA 780i) or my graphics card (GTX 280) so is there any hope of me ever being able to use this?
If it says it wont support it, then it probably wont.
See if the OXS86 guys have anything for your hardware. I tried it on my desktop and it could dual boot just fine. It just sat there though, because I play games and why would I dual boot into another OS for no reason.
It's still fun to play around with. I have to it it looks pretty good.
I'm not sure. maybe one way to find out would be to download an osx86 iso and see if you can get it to boot on your machine. If you can do that then maybe it will work. but then again that may not mean anything.
It's for all the broke dicks that can't afford a real Mac... if it's even stable @ all LOL!!!
oh well...
My PC would eat your Mac for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also as a snack...an apple perhaps.
How are you guys liking your latest C2Q Extreme processors?
How about GTX 280 GPU's?
What's that?
Deafening silence?
I see...
Oh, man! I'm so glad you posted that, hamidxa! For a second, I was afraid this was an article about EFiX, and not your ego. What a relief!
Twit.
I have a different reason- try dumping a cup of water in your Macbook(Pro/Air). Probably won't live to see tomorrow (and at the very least you'll have to spend a day or two drying it out). Also, can your Macbook last you a nonstop trans-Pacific flight? Those are two reasons I like Panasonic laptops over Apple.
Time to Start building a new comp
i just ordered a bunch of stuff off of tigerdirect to do just that :)
why would someone get this? you can just dl a cracked iso off a torrent site.
I'm not trying to be a fanboy here, but if you add the cost of this plus a copy of OSX, plus iLife (which is included with all macs), plus the price of a new PC, wouldn't it be just as much if not more than a brand new iMac or Macbook (granted, the cheaper models)?
This seems like it will only appeal to people with an existing, relatively new, PC who like to really tinker and hack. A decent size population, granted, but not one big enough for apple to worry about cutting into its bottom line.
I'm with the first guy, if you want to experiment with other OS's without buying a new machine try Ubuntu, its cheaper and easier than trying to shoehorn Mac OS onto a PC. Otherwise, just get a real mac.
Think about the mac pro.
what is the point? you can do this without any extra hardware if you have compatible kit...osx86 is pretty mature now, i'm running leopard on a thinkpad x61 for giggles at the moment...
I doubt it will ever officially make it to US. Grab it as soon as you can if you see one on eBay.
I actually applied to be a reseller of there product, and if i wanted too sell the Efix limited sales it would cost me 80euro per unit. When it goes into Mass production i asked how much would it cost per Peice ordering 100-200 units. He said same price 80euro. So i really dont know how resellers are going to make money by selling this at already a high price.
Price: $125.
Cost: Your soul.
Your soul ? Not the inflated price of mac pro though eh ?
How is this thing suppose to work with all those Apple bug patches?
I really hope the large design of this does not interfere with me using the nearby USB ports.
Um, Ill take linux instead?
Looks like I'm buying this...
Has anyone heard of boot-132 loader for Hackintosh?
More powerful than EFiX, open source, and most importantly, free...
Wlll, I'm upset it only supports gigabite motherboards. I've got a Asus p5n-e... what do you recon? i'vd NO luck with any other versions e.g kalyway etc... :(