$300 MacBook Netbook with Snow Leopard OSX 10.6.3

UPDATE: This article now updated to support OSX 10.6.3

Apple might have tried to disable the Atom processor and hackintosh netbooks with their last 10.6.2 update, but we've found a solution! All is good again ... Follow this guide, then update to the latest 10.6.3. Voila.

This simplest guide will guarantee to get you up and running with OS X 10.6.3 Snow Leopard in 30 minutes on $300 Lenovo S10 (IBM) netbook computer. This guide also works with Lenovo S10e, and S10-2 (although sleep does not work). Everything is automated. You don't need to to do much once you start the process. Seriously.

Lenovo S10 with OSX running

There are many reasons you might want to run OSX on a netbook: 1.) OS X is a far more stable operating system than Windows XP (what is installed on most netbooks), 2.) OSX is a lot more streamline and faster than XP on a netbook, 3.) personally, it's a much more pleasant user experience. Some will have the impression that a netbook is not powerful enough to run OS X. We'd like to dispel the idea that OS X is slow on a netbook.  It's much faster than you think, trust us.  We will make this guide as simple as possible.

Why we choose the Lenovo S10?
We've played with 4 different netbooks from 4 different brands (Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo).  Our conclusion is that the Lenovo S10 is by far the best choice if you want to run OS X on a net book for the following reasons:

1. Almost everything works out-of-the-box under OS X on the Lenovo
2. It's easiest to upgrade the RAM and Hard Drive, takes about 2 minutes to do both.
3. At $300 on amazon.com, it's the best bang for the buck.
4. Sturdiest construction with the most amazing wifi antenna.
5. OSX Snow Leopard features that don't work with other netbooks all work with the Lenovo S10.

What you need:

• Lenovo S10 or S10e (tested on S10 model 4333 with 1 GB RAM and latest firmware 14CN94WW update). The Lenovo S10-2 also works, but sleep does not yet function.
• Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard DVD, or an .iso image. We encourage you to actually buy a copy of OS X.
• 8+ GB USB device (for installation only)
• System with Mac OS X to prepare the USB installation medium.

Easy installation with OSX Enabler app:
Once you've upgraded the firmware, download OS X S10 Snow Leopard Enabler 1.1.13 or latest version from here. Open this .dmg file on an existing Mac and follow the included simple instructions on preparing the USB installation medium by applying the Enable to your USB drive. DO NOT APPLY THE ENABLE TO YOUR ACTUAL MAC HD. Once you have the USB drive prepared, then

1. place in the USB and boot your Lenovo S10
2. at the boot prompt, press Fn+F11 (this is how you hit F12 on the S10) to bring up the boot menu
3. Select "USB HD" as the boot device and hit enter.

Your system will now boot off the USB into OS X install process.  Follow the prompts and in 30 minutes, the automated process will finish and you have a brand new Snow Leopard install! Congratulations. Now, go to the Apple menu and choose "software update" to get the latest updates.

What's functioning under OS X on the Lenovo S10:

1. wifi (LAN not working)
2. Audio, speakers and headphones
3. internal mic
4. webcam
5. USB ports
6. SD media card reader
7. trackpad with 2 finger scrolling
8. Manual deep sleep. (10.6.3 broke auto sleep)
9. external monitor connection. You can drive up to 1920x1200 on a secondary monitor simultaneously.
10. 3D acceleration

Not bad for a $300 Mac. Beats spending $1200 plus on a real one.  Plus OS X netbook is way portable.

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UPDATE: