Mac Clone
 

Mac Clone.

Just thought you might be curious.

uh oh, someone is about to get sued, though I would love to toss OS X on a freaking PC so I can pick and choose my hardware. for me, iMac doesn't cut it, Mac Pro way over kill....

maybe this will urge apple to make a barebones mac that people can toss whatever optical, HD, and video card they want!

And then your "it just works" goes out the window!

I, for one, prefer the simplicity of not having to worry about driver versions, missing dlls, hardware incompatibilities and the like.

Well here is the bottom line, with no bias.

Their PC is:

1) Cheaper, but lacks features
2) It IS upgradeable
3) If you add those features it is the same price
4) It does have better hardware specs

So its a good call for those people who don't need all the features and want to save a few bucks and may want to upgrade.

Apple wake up and smell the copyright infringement! The people want a mid tower base model mac that isn't a Mac Pro!

/I want one!

i am a sucker for the "cheap way out" ordered the 399.00 one will let you know how it works out.

Pretty interesting. I'd love to try one, but I'm saving for a camera lens. By the time I'd be ready to try psystar's computer, Apple will have squashed them.

Their store is down, due to the fact they can't process credit cards at the moment......

I wonder if they got a nice cease and desist letter from Apple lawyer bots

I want to add extra USB ports, (and no, hubs do not work with my music keyboard or EyeTV Hybrid). I want more power than a
mini offers and ability to swap and upgrade drives without having to use a myriad of external enclosures. Apple continues to upgrade the MacBook, yet has not gotten it through their thick skulls that we want a prosumer level, half-height MacPro!!

Maybe the threat of such "custom boxes" will change their tune. Apple should read the writing on the wall. You can stop a vendor pretty quickly, but you can't stop the geeks that find ways around Apple-only hardware.

Gotta admit, the start up probably doesn't scare Apple all that much. But the fact that so many people are interested in their products ought to be a strong indicator to Apple that they need to diversify their line just a tad more. And, perhaps more to the point, they need to reconcider just how far they are willing to go with the "thinner is better" ideology they have espoused for the last three years. Perhaps they should let the Mac Mini be a bit bigger and thus more powerful and a bit cheaper...

I am surprised that its an American company that tried this stunt first and not the Chinese, as they seem to have the world markets cornered on fake goods...

and I don't think it sounds like a good deal... $399 without the OS, no firewire and no graphics card... looks like only 2GB of RAM Max...

once you have put the bits you need on it its £715.... and you have the added hassle of knowing your on your own with any software/hardware issues..

personally... I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole... I hate fakes and bad copies ... it undermines a lot of industries that work very hard on development and bringing a product to market... (it is, unfortunately, something I see more and more of in my work)

It is most likely a hoax

http://gizmodo.com/380488/psystar-ex...ks-like-a-hoax

If it weren't a hoax, my only question would be this. OSX is not sold on it's own, the stuff you buy over the counter is actually an upgrade. If Apple were forced to open up it's OS to other manufacturers, how much would it charge?

Edit: Read the article. If the place doesn't exist, then what about the people who have placed orders already? I thought we had someone on this site who had done that?

Maybe appleman design should think about cancelling that credit card.

If you check most dictionaries, the word "hoax" is often synonymous with fraud or scam. However, modern usage often pairs the word with more innocuous terms like joke and trick. Just to be clear, this reads like a scam! I wouldn't be giving any information (credit card or otherwise) to Psystar (interesting how close the pronunciation comes to shyster)!

Even if it is a hoax, the amount of "interest" this hoax/non-hoax garnered should kick Apple in the rear regarding their product line gaps. It is obvious that there is a demographic missed by Apple--those who wish to have a half-height, expandable MacProsumer that is priced like an iMac minus an LCD screen. I have my own Dell monitor, 7 peripherals that need a USB port, and I am counseling with my geek friends regarding a possible hackintosh if Apple continues to miss this obvious opportunity.

Yeah, I would love to buy a smaller version of the Mac Pro which was stripped. C2D or quad core processor, apple motherboard, case, powersupply. Then I can slap in any retail optical I want, hard drive and video card and have my system and add in any add on PCI cards I wanted as well to add more things to my machine.

That would seriously help apple out, and perhaps attract other people locked into other markets. Then maybe software developers will start developing more apple products.

It is a win:win:win to quote Michael Scott

Remember this from last year, tlarkin? (and no, I won't Rick Roll ya) ;)

Yup, lol you should have rick rolled me, got me back for earlier haha

I really hope apple sees the genius behind it!

I personally think that a "half-height, expandable MacProsumer that is priced like an iMac minus an LCD screen" is a pipe dream. Part of the reason that Macs "just work" (which is to say that they work more often than Windows does) is because of the limited hardware variants that Apple has to support. If they open the door to any and all internal cards and components, then they will have a world of support issues on their hands. Their development cycle will slow to a crawl!

Many people on these forums like to poke fun at Microsoft, and some of it is for good reason. However, one thing that you have to credit them for is the fact that they are taking on a bigger challenge. They are not engineering their software to run on 6 different platforms. They are engineering their software to run on a virtually unlimited number of platforms (all of the different internal hardware combinations make for quite a few variants).

I think that is where Apple got it right. They are smart to limit the hardware variations to a select few. It reduces the scope of the problem and makes for a faster development cycle. Even so, Apple still has hardware issues (as can be noted in these forums). So stop for a second and imagine the hardware compatibility issues that would crop up if you completely open the box!

Ummm, a hard drive is a hard drive, an optical drive is an optical drive and there are really only two video card companies out there Nvidia and ATi. Apple already uses all those parts. I fail to see where you are coming from, unless you mean no third party.

We are talking about an Apple prosumer machine that apple makes.

Unless you were referring to the main link, then just ignore my comment.

Sorry, I think I misunderstood your position. I thought you were implying that Apple should make an open box (such as the one that Psystar supposedly makes) that the user could configure as they see fit. My post was a counterpoint to that position. If I misinterpreted your position, I apologize.

I contend that an open box would be a nightmare for Apple to support. Note that while Apple does use Nvidia and ATI video cards, they do NOT use or support all of them, only a select few. Opening the system up to any old video card would be a challenge.

Again, I was specifically referring to an open box, not a system that Apple offers in limited configurations. I agree that a lower-end and somewhat smaller Mac Pro would be a nice addition to the product lineup.

Yeah, it should be noted that while only ATI and nVidia are making architecture anymore, there are bunches and bunches of implementations of them.

But at the same time, if Apple were to make an "Open Box", I don't think it would really be completely open. They'd probably post a list of all supported hardware, and you could pick from that list. Which is pretty much what the Mac Pro does now.

Which brings me back to an earlier point, that someone else made. Apple needs to make an affordable half tower. Thus we can have upgradeability for $800 instead of $3000. I don't know if there is a huge market for it, but with how much attention Psystar got, there must be one. And, it wouldn't really hurt Apples product line up. Those who want big, bulky and upgradable would get the half tower. Those who want little, sleek, stable and locked down, buy the Mac Mini.

As close as Apple Comes are the Imac's but there fused to an Apple Monitor. Nice computer but many would like an Imac box that they could add monitors and perhaps other hardware to. Mac Mini's don't rate because your stuck with motherboard video only. Their fine but a little pricey.

This comes down to how enforceable Apple's license agreement is for Leopard. I don't think it has much legal strength. I wonder how else Apple plans to make Prystar obsolete...a firmware upgrade perhaps?

Ahh, yes, that WOULD be a nightmare. I was indeed referring to the guts of an iMac put into a half-height, expandable MacPro enclosure.

The best way to stop another upstart like Psystar from getting off the ground is to offer something to answer the apparent demand. Currently, despite user rants, Apple has not delivered. Hence, Psystar got a good dose of viral marketing buzz. Apple? Zero.

There is a part of me that is hoping that a rock was dropped on the anthill that is Apple. A bunch of scurrying about wondering why everyone is so hot for a unit like this? Perhaps we are pricing too hight? Why aren't they satisfied with the Mini? What are we missing? Personally, I wish Apple would just TALK to us. :P

Not a clone
 

This thing, whatever it is, is not a clone. As Rob remarked a clone is identical.
When I worked for IBM and the non-IBM PCs appeared there was a strict division between machines that were simply copies of the PC (clones) and machines that could run PC-DOS and maybe Flight Sim and Lotus 123 but did not infringe on our hardware IP (compatibles).
This Psystar box would qualify as a compatible in an Apple context.

But wouldn't this case be different since Apples biggest gripe is going to be the use of OSX on these boxes? I mean, I know it's not technically a clone, but I don't think it will stop Apples legal team from attacking when the first one ships.

What is more important to Apple, money or user base?

I am not sure if it is a hoax at all anymore. Seems they are back up and running and can account for their address changing...

Also, looking into it further (but I am not a lawyer) the only thing stopping them from legally putting it on the machines is the EULA, which violates some anti trust laws. It is like MS saying only Dells can run windows, or Honda saying you can only use this brand of gas in your car, etc.

However, Apple's IP and the laws that support that may be able to counter argue it.

I think that this may be something interesting to watch.

/needs popcorn

From a ZDNet article on the subject:

And now the address is 10475 NW 28th. I could understand posting the wrong address on your website once, but twice? I still think that this is a scam! The picture of the office could have been done with Photoshop quite easily. I would be interested to see if anyone has gone by there in person to confirm if the place exists as pictured!

The anti-trust violation that Psystar is supposedly citing against Apple is called "tying". It is the idea that the sale of one item is conditional upon the purchase of another - the OS and the hardware. I'll guess we'll have to wait and see if Apple can defend that. First, Psystar will have to come out of the shadows and prove that it really exists!