Answer supplied by Álvar García:

This issue will only affect now users with an old version of Java/MacOS. The original release of Java 1.6.0_51 from Apple (build #4508) had a bug that affected some user interfaces such as the HIPE installer.

In particular, some users have found that the InstallAnywhere GUI hangs leaving all buttons frozen; this may happen either when installing, or when starting HIPE after an apparently successful installation. This can, in principle, occur with any HIPE version. You can check for this issue following these steps:

How to detect a failed update. Run: /usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.6 -exec java -version in a terminal. If the output includes "M4508" you have the bad update.

How to fix: Users need to manually download and install the following Java update:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1572 (10.7, 10.8+)
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1573 (10.6-only).

If you have installation problems other than the one reported here, please consider installing instead Virtual HIPE, which runs a Debian Linux installation of HIPE on a VirtualBox Virtual Machine. This should run on any OS/Platform combination, present, or future. You can find full download instructions at: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/documents/12133/1028864/Virtual+HIPE+Quick+Start+Guide

The Herschel Science Centre has also produced a useful short videotutorial that shows you how to install and configure Virtual HIPE. You can find the videotutorial here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VqNT1QkpVQ