PC maker looks to sell $399 Mac clone
Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:36AM EDT
See Comments (18)
The OpenMac would come in a big, decidedly non-Apple beige box with a 2.2Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 250GB hard drive, and (for an extra $155) Mac OS X pre-installed. But the Miami-based company that's hawking the machine had better brace itself for the wrath of Apple's legal department.
But according to Ars Technica, the OpenMac supposedly will run Mac OS X "Leopard" natively, thanks to a series of emulators and drivers that fool Apple’s OS into thinking it's running on Apple hardware.
Indeed, getting Mac OS X to run on various non-Apple gadgets is a favorite pastime of tech hobbyists and hackers. But Psystar’s attempt to sell the OpenMac commercially is sure to draw the attention of Apple legal, especially since (as Ars Technica points out) the Leopard license specifically forbids installing the OS on non-Apple hardware.
Still, the story harkens back to the tale of Power Computing, the company that made Apple-authorized Mac clones back in the '90s. Personally, I thought it was a great idea—why not give us consumers more (and cheaper) choices for buying Mac hardware?
But Steve Jobs clearly isn't a fan of the Mac cloning business; Apple snapped up Power Computing in 1997, after Jobs returned to Cupertino, and that was that.
So, what do you think? Would you be interested in cheaper Mac clones, even if they don't come in sleek aluminum cases?
Related:
Company claims to sell Mac clone for $399 [Ars Technica]
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2 Posted by kupriaa1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse
and people complain about Microsoft- this is a racket
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3 Posted by kupriaa1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse
MSFT FTW
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4 Posted by maori_yelir on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:05PM EDT Report Abuse
Apple has terrible hardware. While it might be reliable and styli----- 's anywhere from state of the art. They use crappy, slow parts and charge way too much. If you made a PC with the same specs as a $2000 dollar Mac you would pay less than half of that. As for the OS I can't speak for Leopard but I was never a fan of OSX. It doesn't let you customize enough. It's either their way or get out and that is the same way they are with hardware apparently.
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5 Posted by mikesoderstrom85 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:20PM EDT Report Abuse
@maori_yelir Do you have any idea what you are talking about? Have you ever used a mac? I am guessing not, because if you had, you would know that macs are much more reliable than any Windows based PC. You would also know that if you matched a Mac with a Windows that had the same specs, they would cost about the same, if not the mac actually being cheaper. Lastly, if you had any idea what you were talking about, you would know that Leopard is OS X. It is #5 in the line of OS X systems. And, it works beautifully, just as it's predecessor, Tiger (OS X.4), did before it. Yes, it is Apple's way or get out, but who cares. They have the best software, and are the most reliable. Stop complaining and buy a mac.
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1 Posted by stalker+of+the+web on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:39PM EDT Report Abuse
Knowing Apple they will make an update for their OS that will disable the clones. My feeling is these machines might be a little twitchy because they are using emulators. Dell a while back asked to Apple if they could install the OS system on their systems. Apple Balked at the idea. There are some interesting legal issues about fair trade about OSX only being for Mac.