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Hardware Apple Hopes To Kill Psystar's $399 Mac
Jason Mick (Blog) - April 15, 2008 10:31 AM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 183 comment(s) - last by wordsworm.. on Apr 19 at 10:22 PM

Psystar's $399 Mac clones are no more, thanks to some legal pressure from Apple.  (Source: Psystar)
Steve Jobs and Apple are not fans of cheaper Mac clones

The numbers look too good to be true for Apple Inc.'s Mac followers -- A 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB of DDR2 667 memory, a 250 GB hard drive, DVD, and Integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics, all for a lowly $399.  To put this in perspective a Mac Mini with a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, equivalent memory, a 160 GB hard drive, DVD, and the same graphics processor, will cost you a hefty $949.  Of course the $399 Mac came in a full-size case, and the Mac Mini came in a shrunken footprint, but obviously for some Mac users, the decreased size wasn't worth $550.

Well it turns out it may well have been too good to be true.  The Mac compatible computer, produced by Miami-based Psystar went temporarily offline, amid threats from Apple's legal legion.  Psystar, also known for its Voice-over-Internet, security and networking systems perhaps should have known better when it advertised to users a chance to buy a computer "capable of running unmodified OS X Leopard kernels".

Apple has long fought such moves.  Briefly during Gil Amelio's tenure at Apple a number of Mac clones were allowed, as it was seen that the insistence on proprietary sales was one cause of the downfall of Macs, from their once leading position in the home computer market.  However, with Steve Jobs quickly reassuming leadership of the company, the clones were out the window, and he began a campaign of purging and did not stop until every last clone maker was destroyed.

Still, in the shadowy underground of Apple-loving hackers, following Apple's switch from PowerPC to Intel processors, some users found ways to patch or emulate OS X to get around Mac’s Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI), one of Apple's main barriers to cloning.  Other similar barriers were removed, and ever since a small Mac hardware hacking community has arisen.  The Cupertino-based Apple and its CEO Steve Jobs have tried to silence this movement, but their constant cat-and-mouse battle with the hackers has had little impact.

However, Apple found a perfect target to vent its frustrations on when, when Psystar dared to try to make a business undercutting Apple's own marked up hardware.  Psystar came with the EFI V8 emulator which tricks OS X install disks into thinking the computer was an official Mac.  Apple couldn't directly assault Psystar as there was nothing overtly illegal about its hardware.  So they dug.  And they quickly discovered a caveat -- Psystar offered to preinstall users' copies of OS X on the system.  Leopard’s End User License Agreement (EULA) states:

This License allows you to install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labeled computer at a time.

Apple's lawyers, armed with this clear violation of the EULA promised to challenge Psystar and coincidentally, the site just went down only to come up renamed.  Whether Apple's legal team can lay Psystar's $399 Mac to rest remains to be seen, but its clear Psystar is going to fight what it calls an "illegal EULA" to the bitter end.

While Apple is broadly appreciated as one of the most innovative tech companies, it has also been widely criticized for its draconian legal and business tactics -- from bricking users unlocked iPhones, to killing the leak site Think Secret, and trying to legally block the Big Apple, New York City from using a logo with an apple (which bears little resemblance to either version of Apple Inc.'s logo) in an environmental campaign.

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Same garbage
By eye smite on 4/15/2008 10:46:12 AM , Rating: 5
Thanks to things like this, apple users wonder why apple isn't more popular. Steve Jobs just loves shooting himself in the foot.




RE: Same garbage
By Operandi on 4/15/08, Rating: 0
RE: Same garbage
By eye smite on 4/15/2008 11:02:38 AM , Rating: 5
Immensely popular with who? How many of the populace in this country owns or uses a Mac daily? Seriously, I don't see Apple with a vast market share across the world or even N. America. I would say your statment is on the delusional side.


RE: Same garbage
By RamarC on 4/15/08, Rating: 0
RE: Same garbage
By darkpaw on 4/15/2008 11:50:01 AM , Rating: 5
Yet another Mac fiend quoting bad data. If you look at the actual NPD report, it only includes retail sales. 14% of retail sales is a lot different from 14% of the market share.

The larger revenue split just goes to show that Apple is ripping off their customers!


RE: Same garbage
By mforce on 4/15/2008 6:19:56 PM , Rating: 5
And even that percent of the retail sails is probably just in the USA. But the USA is not the world though and I'm sure there are many places where Macs are probably around 1%. Here in Romania almost no one has a Mac and there are probably more people that have Linux as I have said before here.

Macs have their market but it's highly unlikely they'll grow past a certain percent if they don't open up more. Of course things are looking pretty good now for them and maybe they're just satisfied with the way things are.

I used to admire Macs once and though they were so cool but having worked on one I can say I'm not impressed. It used to have its own hardware and OS. Now it's just an overpriced PC running OS X which is nothing more than fancy UI on top of a Unix shell.

Sure the iMac is cool looking and so is the Mac Mini being so small but at the end of the day it's getting the job done that counts for me and not how cute and small it is.

I'm no MS and Windows fan , far from it but I can't really say Macs are better for me it's one proprietary system versus the other even more proprietary Macs. With Windows at least you get to choose the hardware you want to run it on. I won't even go into Linux and open source here.


RE: Same garbage
By Reclaimer77 on 4/15/2008 6:24:49 PM , Rating: 5
Remember that market share can only be determined by PC's sold with Windows already installed. However its impossible to determine how many people a year are buying PC components and building their own Windows machines. PC's have a much bigger market share then those numbers indicate. Because as we all know, you can't build your own Mac.


RE: Same garbage
By AssBall on 4/16/2008 4:52:03 AM , Rating: 2
A devil's advocate argument...

How many companies want to buy 100 to 1000+ Macs that are harder to integrate into their IT model. Yar, you still have the companies that thing that photoshop/digital rendering is better on an Apple, but really... those are the companies out of touch considering current economics.

The fact is that MS owns at OEM.


RE: Same garbage
By mondo1234 on 4/16/2008 8:45:26 PM , Rating: 2
I have owned mostly PC's, but I also have a Linux machine and a Macbook.
I dont eat McDonalds hamburgers because they have sold billions and billions.


RE: Same garbage
By mixpix on 4/19/2008 2:06:21 AM , Rating: 2
But since there's one on every corner and they're open all night probably makes them a little more of an option.


RE: Same garbage
By FITCamaro on 4/15/2008 12:51:21 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
Apple has a significant chunk of the higher end of the marketplace


The only thing higher end about the market share Apple has is the price. The hardware is equivalent to the lower end of the marketplace. A C2D, 2GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, and integrated graphics for nearly $1000 is hardly high end.


RE: Same garbage
By afkrotch on 4/15/08, Rating: -1
RE: Same garbage
By FITCamaro on 4/15/2008 1:00:50 PM , Rating: 5
You don't even have to go that far.

A basic C2D system with 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, 512MB 8800GT, and Vista Premium is less than $1000.


RE: Same garbage
By jimbojimbo on 4/15/2008 1:48:43 PM , Rating: 3
Is that a slight against the PC or against the fact that you can't use it in a Mac at all?


RE: Same garbage
By othercents on 4/15/2008 4:30:39 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
BMW is 'popular' but still outsold by Chevy

Wow you're comparing Apple to BMW and PCs to Chevy? So that means I should get rid of my Suburban, which functions well when I am driving around 5 kids and 2 dogs, purchase a less functional, less reliable, and over priced X5 just because I can afford it?

Oh wait a snap.. Apple is like BMW. Now all we need is those catchy "I own a MAC" bumper sticker, so that other people know you have arrived.

Other


RE: Same garbage
By Christopher Barr on 4/15/08, Rating: 0
RE: Same garbage
By MrPickins on 4/15/2008 1:31:35 PM , Rating: 4
Or you could just secure your PC and have very little to fear from the internet. Oh, and you can do that for free.

And "superior platform" is a subjective term. I feel that the mostly open PC platform is superior for the ways I like to use a computer.


RE: Same garbage
By HighWing on 4/15/2008 1:47:41 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The premium we pay is worth every cent. Not only for a superior platform but more importantly, for relatively worry free internet use


I'm guessing you don't really check up on tech news that often. First off, I believe only recently on here even it was reported that the mac was the first computer to be cracked at a recent security expo. Second, just because no one wants to waste the time to bring them down DOES not make it superior. Sooner or later, I'm sure some bot-net group is going to get tired of the mac users snubness and bring them down hard. Third, controlling the hardware you run on also DOES NOT make it superior, because by doing that yes you can ensure that you software will never crash, but as is the case you severally limit your consumers options. Case in point, if any part breaks on my computer I can go to ANY electronic store and get a replacement for about $100 +/-. Can ANY mac user clam the same thing? So tell me again how a mac is still superior?


RE: Same garbage
By murphyslabrat on 4/15/08, Rating: 0
RE: Same garbage
By Lazarus Dark on 4/15/2008 7:21:04 PM , Rating: 4
I haven't had a virus or spyware in two years since I switched to Avast antivirus and firefox. Both are free. Your point is invalid.

Okay, Macs "just work". I'll give you that. Until they don't. And then you're screwed. My fiance has a mac and it gives me a headache whenever it starts screwing up, cause it's impossible to fix.


RE: Same garbage
By Operandi on 4/15/08, Rating: 0
RE: Same garbage
By retrospooty on 4/15/2008 9:55:07 PM , Rating: 5
I have to disagree with you there... Tech enthusiasts hate Macs. You cant even build your own, you have to but Apple's dullboy hardware. Mac's are for the non-technically inclined.


RE: Same garbage
By honeg on 4/16/08, Rating: -1
RE: Same garbage
By retrospooty on 4/16/2008 9:41:57 AM , Rating: 2
I work in IT, an I know many many Sysadmins, and all job levels from entry level to VP's. I have never EVER known any of them to use a Mac, for personal use or otherwise.


RE: Same garbage
By honeg on 4/16/2008 12:17:37 PM , Rating: 2
I work in software development (in the Bay Area), and I know plenty of sysadmins who swear by their macs.


RE: Same garbage
By Oscarine on 4/16/2008 1:53:31 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I work in software development (in the Bay Area), and I know plenty of sysadmins who swear by their macs


That just says everything right there...


RE: Same garbage
By eman7613 on 4/16/2008 4:42:07 PM , Rating: 2
While not many people own Macs, I know TONS of people who like them, but don't even comprehend the difference between a p4 512mb Dell and a 8 core 6gig Mac Pro, so they go with the cheaper computer. Ultimantly it depends on how you go about popular, whether it be that people like it, or that people buy it. But in the end this isnt Job's shooting himself in the foot.

Most people are idiots, especially when it comes to computers. Jobs really doesn't want to deal with a bunch of idiots coming into an apple store expecting assistance with a computer & operating system that they themselves did not sell. He is trying to build up a reputation of "Just working" which is a lot harder to do when you just have to work on everything.


RE: Same garbage
By AlphaVirus on 4/15/2008 11:12:33 AM , Rating: 5
Perhaps you did not read the article.

A mac clone costs $400 compared to a similar apple mac which costs $950. An extra $550 just to say you have an Apple product is more than enough to piss anyone off. If I was a mac user, I would honestly take it back and get the clone.

If Apple had not stopped the clones they would fall quickly. As that is their cash-in, overpricing everything because they know sheep will buy it.
quote:
What cave do you live in?? Macs are immensely popular.

Keep staying in whatever cave you live in, in our cave we have a system called 'self thought' where we can make our own decisions. We can add whatever hardware, software, and games to our systems that we want.

Have fun in your immensely popular sandbox.


RE: Same garbage
By Operandi on 4/15/08, Rating: -1
RE: Same garbage
By zsdersw on 4/15/2008 2:58:15 PM , Rating: 5
Big, sturdy cardboard boxes are popular, too.. to those living on the streets.. but that doesn't mean they're popular to everyone else.

Macs are popular in their niche(s) .. and that's it. I'd hardly call that similar to a general statement of popularity.


RE: Same garbage
By Operandi on 4/15/08, Rating: 0
RE: Same garbage
By jlips6 on 4/15/08, Rating: 0
RE: Same garbage
By jlips6 on 4/15/2008 9:16:33 PM , Rating: 3
here's where you say:
"I'm not your buddy, pal!"


RE: Same garbage
By stryfe on 4/16/2008 10:20:09 AM , Rating: 2
I'm not your pal, guy!


RE: Same garbage
By bfellow on 4/16/2008 11:37:42 AM , Rating: 2
You know why their stock value is high. It's because all their stuff is way overpriced.

Don't tell me about Macs being "secured" either. They are equally susceptible to application bugs like the one's in Apple's own Safari and the ever-buggy Apple Quicktime!


RE: Same garbage
By exanimas on 4/16/2008 3:16:30 PM , Rating: 2
(Guess I'll continue)

I'm not your guy, fwiend!


RE: Same garbage
By prenox on 4/16/2008 10:43:23 PM , Rating: 2
Their stock is high because of the iPod, not because Mac's are flying off shelves.


RE: Same garbage
By Noya on 4/15/2008 6:45:09 PM , Rating: 2
Why, because they spend millions on catchy TV ads?


RE: Same garbage
By retrospooty on 4/15/2008 9:56:56 PM , Rating: 2
" I don't own a Mac and doubt I ever will I'm just pointing out a fact; Macs are popular"

Apple is popular, mostly for ipod and iphone. The Mac platform itself has not been popular for the past decade... Sales went up recently, but still not even 10% as big as PC is.


RE: Same garbage
By Oregonian2 on 4/15/2008 4:28:16 PM , Rating: 5
Wouldn't piss Mac owners off, they'd be proud of it. Their machines being spendy is a status symbol (one of the main points of buying Apple -- which I have done too with iPods). If Apple sold their unit for $400 it would be labeled cheap-trash even though it was the very same unit -- but instead it's a piece of fine engineering to be $950. People judge quality by price and so for high quality the price must be high as well. Marketing 101.


RE: Same garbage
By darkpaw on 4/15/2008 5:17:15 PM , Rating: 2
Yah, just try and convince someone that bought a monster cable for $200 they wasted their money.

They spent so much it has to be better!


RE: Same garbage
By rudolphna on 4/15/08, Rating: 0
RE: Same garbage
By gradoman on 4/15/2008 10:05:57 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
my experiences with OSX (leopard) was more like being lost at sea in a dinghy during a Force 5 hurricane, and surrounded by Sharks trying to eat me.


What were you doing on the Mac that it was so horrible? I've been through a few hurricanes, none was 5, but I can assure you, my experience with 10.4 (haven't tried Leopard) has not been anywhere near that bad. Itunes, however...

You know, you only need to step into a design school, like say, Parsons (The New School) to see the artists working away in a predominantly Mac environment.

quote:
Mac users, you never/rarely see PC users spouting that bullcrap. nobody likes one of those.


Look at the forum. It's overrun with very similar comments that distill to: Macs are overpriced garbage not worth doing anything on and I can build my own damn comp that has better specs for cheaper.

Anyone daring enough to say they prefer a Mac is instantly skewered.

Macs are overpriced. There is no denying that. I see my girlfriend using her old Powerbook G4 for a lot of graphic design stuff and at Parsons, I saw plenty of students (she graduated 2 yrs ago), using them. She is interested in buying one of those Mac clones for her work as they are much cheaper and she's not too keen on sitting here trying to get a comp to work with OS X instead of getting work done.

Nobody's forcing you to use one or to buy one, but don't sit there and exaggerate about how awful an OS when it's probably no better or no worse than another.


RE: Same garbage
By maven81 on 4/16/2008 10:18:51 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
You know, you only need to step into a design school, like say, Parsons (The New School) to see the artists working away in a predominantly Mac environment.


Hah!

I went to SVA in NYC. They had mac labs with (at the time) top of the line mac systems and monitors. Why? Because when people came in for open night to see what the school is like they got attracted by all the shiny stuff, and decided to go there. (at the time they also had completely worthless but cool looking SGI O2 boxes for the same reason). They later came to their senses and switched to BOXX workstations for all the heavy duty rendering.
(by the way the best artists that came out of there were people that had never done art on a computer before, a mac or a pc. Which should be obvious... the computer doesn't make you a good artist).


RE: Same garbage
By AlphaVirus on 4/16/2008 5:21:09 PM , Rating: 2
What type of OS does the BOXX system use?


RE: Same garbage
By 67STANG on 4/15/2008 11:12:54 AM , Rating: 5
Mac's user base consist of 2 generalized groups:

Art/Video/Print Production
Kids and adults who don't know better

I'm sorry, but that's not a stereotype, flame or a troll-- it's the real deal.

That's not to say that Mac's aren't gaining popularity, they are. The reason for this is because of today's society: Men are becoming more like women, women are becoming more like men. Most women never knew how to work on a car, now a lot of men don't either. The same can be said about computers.

Apple's advertising targets the "I don't know much about computers except for what computer commercials tell me." crowd quite effectively.


RE: Same garbage
By cobalt42 on 4/15/2008 11:45:48 AM , Rating: 3
I'm not disagreeing with you in general, but there's another category since OS X's inception: those who want both a UNIX-like operating system (for code development or scientific apps) and support for commercial apps that don't run on Linux (like MS Office). This applies even more for laptops, which for years had problems with basic functions like suspend.


RE: Same garbage
By talozin on 4/15/2008 12:24:52 PM , Rating: 5
I'm not disagreeing with you in general, but there's another category since OS X's inception: those who want both a UNIX-like operating system (for code development or scientific apps) and support for commercial apps that don't run on Linux (like MS Office).

I was pretty dubious about OS X when I was first introduced to it -- I'd been a Sun/Linux/Windows guy since I got out of college, and the only reason I wound up with a Mac was because my new job mandated it. (Yes, really. And no, I'm not in the art, film, or music industries.) I was pleasantly surprised -- it represents a nice alternative to dedicated Unix hardware (generally over-priced and under-capable) or the various flavors of Linux/xBSD (cheap and fast, but extract a toll in maintenance and application compatibility). You get Unix and you get it with a relatively painless desktop experience.

Yes, the hardware's on the pricey side -- it's not terrible compared to good-quality Windows boxes, but it's nowhere near as cheap as building your own. And the OS isn't a panacea -- I have Windows for gaming, and Linux on my house's fileserver. But having worked with OS X for a couple of years now, I find that the other computer niches in my life have almost all been converted over to Macs, and I don't seem to mind.


RE: Same garbage
By afkrotch on 4/15/2008 12:37:24 PM , Rating: 3
The problem with Macs is incompatibility. Throw them into a Linux/Windows network and you'll find they hate talking together. I'm a system admin and I find Macs to be the most troublesome POS in our network (until they were completely removed).

I personally don't see the usefulness of them outside of home users. That's it. Screw art, film, or music industry crap. You can't tell me there isn't such programs on the PC.


RE: Same garbage
By talozin on 4/15/2008 12:48:56 PM , Rating: 1
I'm a system admin and I find Macs to be the most troublesome POS in our network (until they were completely removed).

It's weird you should say that, because my experience as system admin for a mixed Mac/Linux/Windows network -- both at home and at work -- has been pretty much the opposite: generally, when something acts up, it's Windows.

Every network is different, I guess. Just goes to show why system administration is still an art, not a science.


RE: Same garbage
By afkrotch on 4/15/2008 12:57:03 PM , Rating: 3
I'm sure most of the problems have been resolved since I last had to work with them. Macs not talking to Windows, Macs not using NTFS, Office incompatibilities, etc.

Since they are all gone, the most troublesome POS in our network is Office 2007. Piece of crap software. Each new patch seems to bring out a new set of problems. Latest patch breaks Outlook. The fix? Open up Word first, then close it. Then Outlook works. Seriously WTF!?!


RE: Same garbage
By honeg on 4/16/2008 1:19:14 AM , Rating: 1
The problems you listed can be summarized as

"OS-X ain't Windows"

Well, of course. If you had more Macs than Windows machines, you'd be bitching about Windows. Windows not talking to Macs, Windows not using HFS, iWork incompatibilities, etc

Take two of the most closed OSes in the world, and its no surprise they don't play nice together. Funny thing is, Macs play beautifully with Solaris, Linux and BSD. Try saying *that* about Windows. Cygwin anyone?


RE: Same garbage
By BSDGuyShawn on 4/15/2008 1:00:35 PM , Rating: 3
I manage a heterogeneous network as well (Windows, Linux, and OS X). Our entire IT Department has moved to Apple MacBook Pro's and PowerBook's. So has our design department with the exception of one MacPro. We have a few other individuals that are also on OS X. We even have several XServe RAID's on our SAN and 1 XServe.

We never have problems with our OS X machines, it usually ends up being the Windows machines, as mentioned by others, with the problems.

I have always been more of a UNIX guy, and that is why I now use the Mac's exclusively.

I will not bad mouth Windows, I do not believe the personal computer market or society would be where it is, with respect to technology, without it.


RE: Same garbage
By stephan metier on 4/15/08, Rating: -1
RE: Same garbage
By stephan metier on 4/15/08, Rating: -1
RE: Same garbage
By darklight0tr on 4/15/2008 11:58:56 PM , Rating: 2
Totally agree here. I support both Macs and PCs in our environment and the Macs are by far the biggest troublemakers. The 150 or so Macs produce almost as many trouble tickets as the 1000 PCs.

Apples Active Directory support is just atrocious, and the Macs will frequently decide that they don't want to log on to the network. Also, Apple released a patch that caused Photoshop CS2 documents to be lost or corrupted when opening the file up on a server. The solution according to Apple and Adobe? Copy the file locally, edit it, and copy it back! How's that for network support? I can give many other examples too.

PCs certainly aren't perfect, but when it comes to networking they are way ahead of Macs.


RE: Same garbage
By P4blo on 4/15/2008 12:56:14 PM , Rating: 4
Apple are like computer pushers :) They're targeting the best people to overprice to, the ones with more money than sense. The ones who have no clue as to the true operational value of the unit, they just know that it looks so damn nice, shiny and stylish - they gotta have one. These are the same fashion victims that buy Gucci or Prada junk and pay thousands for something worth a few quid.

That only really leaves the design / graphics industry and they're on borrowed time. There's absolutely nothing you cant do on a PC just as well if not better (and certainly cheaper). I think soon these companies will start to realise they've been had.


RE: Same garbage
By honeg on 4/16/2008 1:29:47 AM , Rating: 1
quote:
The ones who have no clue as to the true operational value of the unit


The "operational value" of my Mac, as a software development platform, is far higher than any of my previous windows or linux machines. The total cost of ownership is lower (hence value is higher) because I don't have to waste hours fighting to make it work, as I did with the other platforms. I have windows and linux installed on it, and I rarely use either, because there is very very little I need out of either of them hat OS-X doesn't give me. I'll spend an extra 10% to get OS-X because I recoup the cost in a few hours of work.


RE: Same garbage
By rcc on 4/15/2008 4:42:05 PM , Rating: 2
lol, and they call Mac users smug and opinionated.

I'm not a Mac user, but you are about 60% wrong. And that's not a stereotype (ok, it's getting close), flame, or troll, welcome to the semi-real world.


RE: Same garbage
By honeg on 4/16/2008 2:00:41 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Kids and adults who don't know better

I'm sorry, but that's not a stereotype, flame or a troll-- it's the real deal.


That is a stereotype. A lot of people just want a computer that is easy to use, does what they want, and keeps working for a decent amount of time, without a lot of hassle. These people know exactly what hey want out of their computers, and Macs deliver it better than Windows machines do.

Also, you completely missed the third group - people who spend their lives working on computers (developing software or keeping things alive), and choose Macs because they JFW.


RE: Same garbage
By afkrotch on 4/15/2008 12:28:12 PM , Rating: 1
No, Apple needs a market full of expensive generic clones that they have control over, yet don't bother patching the bugs. No big deal, cause no one really bothers screwing with the small userbase.


RE: Same garbage
By FITCamaro on 4/15/2008 12:58:52 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
The last thing Apple needs is market full of cheap generic clones that they have no control over.


Yeah because then they'd have to deal with the same things Windows does.


RE: Same garbage
By kelmon on 4/16/2008 4:10:35 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Yeah because then they'd have to deal with the same things Windows does.


I'm confused - are you suggesting this is a good or bad thing? Apple needs to get its act together with ensuring that its own products are bullet-proof but I certainly don't think that it's good that Windows has more problems to deal with. Introducing new problems is never a good idea.


RE: Same garbage
By FITCamaro on 4/16/2008 8:15:19 AM , Rating: 2
My comment was a sarcastic one.

I was saying that they're against systems outside their control because then people will start wanting support on other hardware. Which means they need to support more drivers. Which is the world Window's lives in. You can run Windows on any x86 compatible hardware. As such, there are thousands of drivers out there that Microsoft has to try to make sure the OS works with. Drivers are the root of a lot of the problems people experience with Windows. If Windows only ran on hardware Microsoft designated, there would be far fewer problems.

OSX exists in a world where all hardware it legally runs on is perfectly compatible because it was written with that hardware in mind.


RE: Same garbage
By phxfreddy on 4/15/2008 6:53:19 PM , Rating: 2
This so tarnishes Apples glistening reputation.....
....
You know, the one that is like mucus on a fresh minted doggy doody


RE: Same garbage
By INeedCache on 4/15/2008 9:56:38 PM , Rating: 2
I'm just waiting for New York City to show Apple where it's at. I think Apple barked up the wrong tree with that logo stuff.


RE: Same garbage
By leidegre on 4/16/2008 1:57:46 AM , Rating: 2
Apple do know how to make money, no questions about it. I use both a PC dekstop and MacBook3,1 simple becuase it's good fit for me. But the price of Apple stuff is really bad.

Apple must make huge profit on hardware, becuase they sell mini-DVI adapters for ~$33 (which aren't even compatible with flexible DVI standards) which is just stealing, and memory upgrade? I would have to pay ~$671 for Apple store to get me more memory, I bought 4 GiB Crosair memory for ~$117. And the list goes on, but the strange thing is that they sell software rather cheap compared to other alternatives. Office (for Windows) $499, for OS X $149 and iWorks $79 so that's a nice shift.

I'm pretty sure Apple is making a pretty good profity on their hardware sales (and if that is your primary income you would think they want to protect that). Still, it serves them right to maybe re-think what they are doing, becuase this cheap hardware is at least as good, it might not look as appealing on the outside, but not everyone cares about that.


RE: Same garbage
By marsbound2024 on 4/16/2008 11:35:02 PM , Rating: 2
Darn Creative... I mean Apple!


Site works, still on sale, change of name
By noxipoo on 4/15/2008 10:41:33 AM , Rating: 6
http://www.psystar.com/shop/openmac.html

open computing now, but it's still clearly a mac clone.




RE: Site works, still on sale, change of name
By eye smite on 4/15/2008 10:49:25 AM , Rating: 2
Kudos to Psystar for staying with this. Wonder how long it will take Apple to fire shots on this one.


RE: Site works, still on sale, change of name
By omnicronx on 4/15/2008 11:23:20 AM , Rating: 2
I don't think they can ;) Anyone can copy Mac hardware now since it uses Intel processors. Theres no reason to believe that the same components mac uses are not freely available to those that want to assemble a board. As long as the components that have been picked have suitable drivers, anyone can just buy a version of leopard from apple and install it on their Mac compatible computer.


RE: Site works, still on sale, change of name
By B3an on 4/15/2008 2:12:19 PM , Rating: 2
We all know this. The reason Apple can take legal action is because this company is installing Apples OSuX on these machines, and Apple dont allow that on any other machine unless it has a genuine Apple Logo on, a tiny logo you pay $500 more for.


By Pythias on 4/15/2008 3:35:31 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
Apples OSuX


Priceless. I'm naming my next child B3an. Then I'm teaching it how to box.


RE: Site works, still on sale, change of name
By omnicronx on 4/15/2008 5:02:34 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The reason Apple can take legal action is because this company is installing Apples OSuX on these machines, and Apple dont allow that on any other machine unless it has a genuine Apple Logo on
According to their EULA.. not neccessarily the law. Some would argue that only end users are even subject to the EULA, is psystar really considered an end user? and is their EULA even enforcable?. knowing apple, the answers to both could easily be NO!

The EULA to me means little to nothing, as many of us break one every day and don't even know it. Just think, have you ever installed vista on vmware? Well if you did, you broke the windows EULA! Whether microsoft could go on a suing rampage is a totally different story.


RE: Site works, still on sale, change of name
By throx on 4/15/2008 9:49:32 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Just think, have you ever installed vista on vmware? Well if you did, you broke the windows EULA!


From my Vista EULA:
You may use the software installed on the licensed device within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system on the licensed device.
Reading r gud.


By darkpaw on 4/15/2008 11:10:18 PM , Rating: 2
This was a recent change (within last 6 months). Originally, the EULA only allowed virtualization of Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate. I generally like MS, but that was stupid and it's a good thing that they changed it. IIRC, it was also against the EULA to virtualize XP home as well. Of course Apple doesn't allow virtulizing OSX at all (unless of course you're already on a MAC!).


RE: Site works, still on sale, change of name
By zombiexl on 4/15/2008 10:51:01 AM , Rating: 2
Thanks for the link. I'm considering ordering one. Being able to test software on a Mac would make it easier for me to make cross platform apps. And for 554.99 (with leopard installed) it's not a bad price.


By gradoman on 4/15/2008 11:06:11 AM , Rating: 2
I was about to ask if anyone has had any experience with one of these Psystar computers as yet. Would be cool to order a cheap alternative that doesn't require digging around the internet for ways to install OS X on some random computer.


RE: Site works, still on sale, change of name
By Mitch101 on 4/15/2008 1:41:45 PM , Rating: 2
At this price I might actually try a MAC. If anything this should open the eyes of Mr Jobs that maybe just maybe there would be more demand for a MAC if the price wasn't insane.


By AlphaVirus on 4/15/2008 3:31:08 PM , Rating: 3
Thats the problem, even at a high price people are still buying it. I usually blame things such as the Mac vs PC commercials, MTV shows (The Hills, Runs House, etc), VH1 shows, and a couple of other things. If you check any of the listed items, a regular consumer will notice it and say "Ooo isnt that an Apple, I heard they dont get viruses, I want one"

It doesnt make it any better that the average person that watches these stations are girls that can cry "Ferrari!" and the parents get a Mercedes to make them shutup.
A little overexagerated but, you get my point. :)


By zombiexl on 4/15/2008 10:55:31 AM , Rating: 2
Did you see they have a mac Pro clone too? Although based on available configs it appears to be single socket.


By gyranthir on 4/15/2008 11:54:03 AM , Rating: 2
nice, the EULA is not enforceable. If this doesn't cause Apple to change it. Someone else will probably take up the flag to change it.


By cidman2001 on 4/15/2008 12:24:47 PM , Rating: 5
I like this move even if they seem to be doomed to getting buried by Jobs & Company. You can max out this system with every available option for $2169 and have a system that puts anything Apple has to offer to shame. Great deal!

I've been following this story from the beginning and have seen many erroneous reports (like this one) that the website has been shut down by Apple attorneys. The more likely story here is that there is so much interest in this story, it has crashed their servers.

If you think about it, this is a great viral marketing plan for Psystar and a looming PR nightmare for Apple. Consider the volume of traffic being generated, and consider that these systems are still a pretty decent deal even if you opt to go with a Windows, Linux or no OS version. In all likelyhood Apple will stick it to them hard, but the genie is out of the bottle. Psystar will be the hero and Apple will be the bad guy. What they have effectively done here is let the world know that there is a workaround for Apple's draconian hardware licensing and given them the blueprint on how to do it. I say good luck to Apple as they try to stuff the genie back in.

http://vmgblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/coolmac-osx-on...


By johnsonx on 4/15/2008 5:28:23 PM , Rating: 2
I'd be worried about buying one of these though... couldn't Apple fairly easily break these things with a software update?


By eye smite on 4/15/2008 5:41:23 PM , Rating: 2
And AGAIN.......

Kudos to Psystar for staying with this. Wonder how long it will take Apple to fire shots on this one.


By crystal clear on 4/16/2008 9:56:42 AM , Rating: 2
This will kill the mac clone !

the terms of the EFI V8 licence, which expressly forbids the use of the emulator for commercial purposes.

Read my comment Psystar is finished


Apple, apple, apple
By Micronite on 4/15/2008 10:48:38 AM , Rating: 5
Apple should really take advantage of the fact that Vista hasn't taken off and open up their OS to standard x86 systems. I realize it's a dangerous world out there with drivers, but Microsoft managed to make bank without producing hardware.

I could easily see them offering OS X at a premium when installed on non-Apple systems.

Sometimes I think Apple is its own worst enemy.




RE: Apple, apple, apple
By 306maxi on 4/15/2008 10:52:17 AM , Rating: 5
Perhaps the Apple image wouldn't translate so well if lots of people have one. I mean if you can't tell a non-Mac user that you've got a Mac and how it's so much better than what they have then what's the point?


RE: Apple, apple, apple
By Polynikes on 4/15/2008 11:11:09 AM , Rating: 5
Yeah, Apple doesn't want to destroy their loyal clique. Without them, there's no "Apple products are hip" aura.


RE: Apple, apple, apple
By Murst on 4/15/2008 10:54:02 AM , Rating: 5
Apple already has enough problems w/ their OS without having to worry about hardware.

There's no way in hell they'd be able to compete w/ any OS out there if they had to support billions of hardware configurations, when they have problems supporting a handful.


RE: Apple, apple, apple
By djc208 on 4/15/2008 2:51:57 PM , Rating: 4
It's also a lot easier to develop and design all those nifty features and interfaces when you don't have to spend as much time trying to support the entire hardware spectrum and patch every security hole.

Windows is like that old saying: "Jack-of-all-trades, master of none".


RE: Apple, apple, apple
By darkpaw on 4/15/2008 4:41:38 PM , Rating: 3
There is one thing that Windows has mastered, gaming.