The Apple Watch isn’t a powerful device by 2016’s standards, but it’s got more than enough heft to run a desktop operating system.
A software developer has installed Microsoft’s Windows 95 OS on his Apple Watch, and it actually works.
Nick Lee revealed his curious success on Medium, calling Windows 95 “one of the most revered desktop operating systems Redmond has ever produced”.
Check it out:
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“With a 520MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage, the Apple Watch packs a lot of computing horsepower into a very small package,” writes Lee.
He continues: “On paper, its processor alone is about 25 times faster than the average [Intel 80386 CPU), and 512MB was the size of a hard drive in the mid nineties, not memory.”
Lee managed the feat by patching files within the WatchKit app to load his own application code, rather than Apple’s.
He’s helpfully posted this code to GitHub, and you can find instructions on how to install the software yourself in his Medium post. However, bear in mind that you may damage your device in the process, not to mention voiding your Apple Watch warranty.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.