Psystar Issues Hack to Put Apple’s Snow Leopard on Generic PCs

Psystar has announced the release of Rebel EFI, its new software hack that enables users of any PC with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, i7 or Xeon Nehalem processor to install modern operating systems, including Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

“Psystar Corporation will begin selling the software it uses to run OS X Snow Leopard on generic Intel hardware,” the official announcement reads. “Available for download directly from Psystar.com, the Rebel EFI suite allows users to easily install any OS on their computer. Available today, Rebel EFI allows machines with Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, i7 or Xeon Nehalem CPUs to install any modern operating system, including Mac's newest release of OS X. Users would simply download the new software from Psystar.com, burn it onto a CD and follow the onscreen instructions to easily install the OS.”

Heading over to Psystar’s website, Softpedia found more details regarding the new hack. “Featuring Psystar's newest technology for allowing for the smooth interfacing between operating systems and generic Intel hardware, Rebel EFI allows for the easy installation of multiple operating systems on a single system,” the product description reads. “The authenticated version allows for the permanent installtion [sic] of these OS's on your system, as well as providing the [Darwin Universal Boot Loader], supported hardware profile features and related drivers, and support for the application,” Psystar says.

Priced at $89.99 and available via The Psystar Store, the Rebel EFI is currently listed with a “special” $40 discount, while the Mac cloner also offers it as a free download, but with limited hardware functionality and a two-hour trial period of use. Screenshots of the program in action over at Psystar’s website show that Rebel EFI also does thorough hardware scans (second picture down).

As avid Softpedia readers should know, Psystar and Apple have been embroiled in a legal dispute over Mac OS X use since July 2008. The “Rebel” hack undoubtedly adds as just another wrongdoing in the company’s portfolio, with Apple specifically stating that no other computers except for its own are allowed to run Mac OS X. While some EULA terms have changed a bit for Snow Leopard, this policy remains in place at Apple.