hackPad, is it possible?

Inspired by "hackintosh" computers, my dislike of the Android OS, and the fact an iPad is out of my price range...

Is it possible to take a lower price table, such as the ever popular Kindle Fire, and hack it to run IOS?

I'd bet it won't work since the Kindle is a dumbed down pad when compared to others.

Highly doubtful. OS X runs on pseudo-common hardware that you can mimic to build your own "hacintosh". iOS runs on iOS-specific hardware that you can't mimic.

Also, I think for the hacintosh they take advantage of the fact OS X is based on open-source software. AFAIK, iOS source isn't widely (or legally) available, if at all.

peter wrote: Highly doubtful. OS X runs on pseudo-common hardware that you can mimic to build your own "hacintosh". iOS runs on iOS-specific hardware that you can't mimic. Also, I think for the hacintosh they take advantage of the fact OS X is based on open-source software. AFAIK, iOS source isn't widely (or legally) available, if at all.

That's what I thought, iOS won't play with other hardware.

iOS is about as open as OSX - the problem is the drivers for the specialized hardware and the difficulty of anyone but the manufacturer making them, the same problem that will stop you from putting GNU/Linux on most of the tablets out there. That's why you can build a hackintosh but not a hackpad.

If you don't like Android look up MeeGo and other Maemo derivatives, those are the closest portable OSes to desktop Linux distros, there are a few tablets you can hack them onto.

used ipads are getting less expensive. Saw on a discussion board, a bloke sold off his gen1 pad for $200. There are rumors there will be a ipad mini announced this fall. If so, I think it will be more like a large ipod touch and go for $299.

It's a waiting game now for price drops on the used market as soon as the gen4 ipads are announced.

You dislike Android OS? All versions? That's fine if you do but the different version are usually different enough to make people like one over another... Just sayin' if you didn't like one, doesn't mean you wont like another older or newer version.

How about a Rooted droid pad? I'd wouldn't want to spend my time and money making a semi-flexible OS (<- Droid) to a less flexible OS (<-iOS). Just my opinion, though.