For a clever user to be able to design and build a "handheld" computer, that's okay. But above all the uncle is able to install him Big Sur macOS, is the "pear" in vinegar. A few years ago I tried to build a "Hackintosh" and gave up when I got to the damn drivers. That hung more than a spike. I ended up putting Windows 7 in it and herding.
So I take my hat off to what this kid has been able to do. Do not miss the video where he shows his «Little Frankeinstein».
Being able to install macOS on non-Apple computers is nothing new thanks to the process Hackintosh. You just have to have a PC with certain components "compatible" with macOS. But a smart user decided to install macOS Big Sur on a rather unusual machine. Ike T. Sanglay Jr. has built a small handheld PC that runs the Intel version of macOS Big Sur, which is the latest available to users today.
The internal hardware, as you might expect, is not great, but it is still a PC that fits in your hand. Ike used a LattePanda Alpha SBC (single board computer) with an Intel Core M3 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 240GB SSD, and a microcontroller. Arduino Leonardo.
macOS Big Sur running on an Intel Core M3
To bring everything together with the screen, keyboard, and all cables, the YouTuber used a 3D printed special housing. There is also a single fan inside to cool the Intel chip. With the hardware ready, the next step was to install macOS Big Sur just like any other Hackintosh PC.
Ike has successfully booted the custom handheld on macOS, but unfortunately, the YouTuber doesn't show whether macOS runs smoothly or not. Some macOS features may not work, but at least, it's installed and not crashing, which is a lot.
Sanglay shows in the video how macOS Big Sur is there running on it aurdino. The battery indicator does not appear to be working, but the interface appears to be fully operational.
Obviously, for practical purposes it does not seem like a device that works for anything, but Ike admits that he did it just for fun, as a personal challenge, and he has succeeded.
Also, it is quite interesting to see how computer software has evolved to the point where it can be installed on smaller devices such as a handheld PC or even an iPad, an iPad Pro M1 that could run macOS Big Sur, instead of iPadOS, if Apple wanted to.
