Psystar reveals its HQ, claims first Mac clones shipped

The cloud of suspicion surrounding reputed Mac clone maker Psystar might be lifting at last. Reporters have paid a (brief) visit to Psystar's new, legit-looking office, and the Miami-based company says it's shipping the first wave of "Leopard"-compatible Open Computers. Will the Mac clones actually materialize, or will Apple's legal team strike first?

The story of Psystar, a company that claims to make a $399 PC that runs Mac OS X "Leopard," hit the Web last week in two crashing waves—first, because it was apparently defying Apple's de facto, decade-long ban on Mac clones, and second, when bloggers cried "hoax!" after Psystar repeatedly changed its address and got unceremoniously dumped by its credit card processor.

But the smoke started to clear after Forbes talked to Psystar's CEO, who claimed that the 16-person company had just moved into a 40,000 square-foot warehouse and had hired four more people to meet demand.

Meanwhile, a reporter for the IDG News Service paid a visit to the new, if unfinished, office of Psystar, which is indeed located in a warehouse district of Dorai, Florida. A pair of employees denied reporter Juan Carlos Perez's request for a tour, but "it certainly doesn't look like the company is running a scam operation," Perez wrote.

Psystar has since posted pictures of its new office—complete with a fancy company logo painted on the windows—on its Web site. The company also said that its online store was "up and running" and promised that orders are "currently being shipped."

Of course, the proof is in the pudding, so I recommend we wait and see if customers do, indeed, start finding Open Computers on their doorsteps before breaking out our credit cards.

There's also another loose plot thread in the week-long Psystar saga (has it only been a week?)—namely, whether Apple will take the company to court for violating the terms of the Mac OS X license, which forbids installing the OS on non-Apple hardware.

For its part, Apple has been strangely (ominously?) silent about the whole brouhaha, perhaps waiting to see is Psystar is for real. Last week, some legal experts told Wired News that Apple may not have much of a case against Psystar, which says it will pre-install Leopard on its $399 Open Computer and $999 OpenPro model.

So, what do you think—does Psystar sound legit to you? And if so, interested in plunking down 400 big ones for a Mac clone?

Related:
Psystar Office Exists, but Not Yet Open to the Public [PC World]
Meet The Mac-Clone Mystery Man [Forbes.com]