Is it possible to downgrade to Mac OSX 10.4.6?

Question

I've just purchased a new Macbook and am expecting it to arrive next week. I assume at this stage that it will ship with Mac OSX 10.4.7 installed.
My problem is that a particular audio interface which I use for recording is not supported under 10.4.7, and no one is sure when this company will release a compatible driver.
Am I able to downgrade the Macbook to 10.4.6? Will this have any adverse consequences?
Macbook (White) 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo, 2 GB RAM    

Answer 1

Actually, the version of Mac OS that ships with a particular model doesn't usually change right away when a new OS update ships. For example, the last model iBook G4s started shipping with 10.4.2 and that didn't change until after 10.4.4 was released. The iBooks never shipped with 10.4.6 even though it was available when they were discontinued.
Apple spends a bit of time putting the "image" of software that gets installed on each model computer and there's a long process to change it (including giving a new master to the factories). I haven't seen anyone here, yet, say that their MacBook shipped with 10.4.7 installed. I would guess they won't change the default image until 10.4.8 or later is released.
In general, you cannot install an earlier version of Mac OS X than what shipped with your computer. There is no retail version of Mac OS X 10.4.x for Intel available, since it's shipping with all the Intel-based Macs. The Mac OS X installer that comes with each type of computer is model-specific. For example, the Mac OS X 10.4.6 installer that comes with a MacBook Pro will NOT install on a MacBook or an iMac. Here's a couple of Knowledge Base Articles that may contain some pertinent information:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25497
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25784
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303315
The last article lists 10.4.6 as the version that ships with MacBooks and the list has been updated since 10.4.7 came out.
-Doug