Hosted by site sponsor WebMate.







White & Black MacBook Q&A - Revised December 29, 2009

To be notified of new Q&As, sign up for EveryMac.com's bimonthly email list.




What version of the MacOS is pre-installed on the MacBook?

MacBook models prior to the release of the "Late 2007/Santa Rosa" models on November 1, 2007 shipped with a version of MacOS X 10.4 "Tiger" and subsequent models shipped with MacOS X 10.5 "Leopard". For the particular build number, please refer to "MacOS: Builds Included with Intel Macs" from the Apple Support Site.

For the maximum supported version of MacOS X for all "recent" -- G3 and later -- Macs, please refer to the Maximum Supported MacOS listing.

Can the MacBook run existing MacOS X applications?

A good percentage of MacOS X applications written for PowerPC-based systems can run on the MacBook, and other Intel-based Macs, using the "Rosetta Universal Binary Translator", but as one would expect, these applications will run more slowly than they would if they were "native" for Intel-based processors.

The always excellent MacInTouch [no longer online] prepared a list of "Universal Binary" applications that will run natively on the MacBook and other Intel-based Macs. The same website also has a list of applications written for the PowerPC with readers opinions regarding their performance using "Rosetta". You may wish to consult these lists to ensure compatibility with any particular application of interest [no longer online].

For more on Rosetta, please refer to "What is Rosetta? What does it support?" from the "Macintel" Q&A.

Can the MacBook run MacOS 9/Classic applications?

Apple provides no support for running MacOS 9 or the "Classic Environment" on Intel-based Macs like the MacBook. The MacBook relies on the "Rosetta Universal Binary Translator" to run software for MacOS X for PowerPC, and this emulator cannot run "Classic/MacOS 9" applications.

If you have a mission critical application that only runs on MacOS 9, you likely would be best served by maintaining a PowerPC-based Mac. However, you may also be interested in reading "Are there any third-party programs to run MacOS 9/Classic applications on Intel Macs?" from the MacOS 9/Classic Support Q&A.

Can the MacBook run Windows?

Yes. For those unfortunate ones condemned to use Windows, the Windows on Mac Q&A provides answers for just about everything you need to know about running Windows on the MacBook or any other Intel-based Mac.

Can the MacBook run Linux?

Yes. The MacBook is capable of running a number of Intel-based distributions of Linux through Apple Boot Camp or by using "virtualization".

For more on Boot Camp and Virtualization, please refer to the Windows on Mac Q&A.




Permalink | Report an Error/Typo | Sign Up for Site Update Notices




<< White & Black MacBook Q&A (Main)



Established in 1996, EveryMac.com has been created by experts with decades of experience with Apple hardware. EveryMac.com includes, and always has included, original research incorporating detailed, hands-on inspection of packaging, computers, and devices as well as extensive real-world use. All information is provided in good faith, but no website or person is perfect. Accordingly, EveryMac.com is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the authors thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Copying, scraping, or use of any content without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.