New "MAC" computer

[spidey27]

For those of you who missed it, the interest of the Mac world this week focused on  South Florida, where a company called Psystar has put up a Web site selling a product called an Open Computer. The product is essentially a white-box Mac with Mac OS X Leopard preinstalled, for less than 1000 dollars.  :spidey

[Rico]

WOW!?!?  Is that legal?  Link??

[spidey27]

Ask and you shall receive :spidey


http://www.psystar.com/psystar_openmac_osx86_reinventing_the_wheel.html

[Bryancd]

More validation of the power of the Mac OS, thank you very much!

[davekill]

I could say "Resistance Is Futile"

but..
IMHO Microsoft windows OS is the Borg with it's layer upon layer of assimilated products patched together with upgrades and security fixes. It's has become a Titanic of an OS and the user's feet are getting wet - they just don't know they're sinking.

How many windows OS's are there to run Microsoft's many products and what ever happened to Vista?

[Rico]

Vista is still going.  It's on almost every new Windows based PC made.  As far as this particular machine, if you spec it out close to the hardware guts inside a "real Mac" it really isn't much of a cost savings at all.  So I would probably go with a "real Mac" if I ever decide to go down that path.

[Bryancd]

Report waves caution at shadiness of would-be Mac clone maker
By Slash Lane

Published: 01:00 PM EST

A brief investigation into Psystar Corporation reveals the self-proclaimed Mac cloner maker to have no operating history prior to this week, and further suggests the company may be little more than one-man basement operation.

Given the company's claims of a $400 Mac system and a vow to battle Apple over its Mac OS X licensing terms, the Guardian's Charles Arthur decided to do some digging on the integrity of the much talked about Miami-based solutions reseller.

The results? Not promising. Although the Psystar.com website was registered back in 2000, Google and other search engines turn up absolutely no references to the company prior to this week's news that it would offer an unauthorized Mac system.

"I called the Miami Chamber of Commerces and its Better Business Bureau," Arthur wrote. "They've never heard of it."

What's more, Psystar appears to have hastily relocated on Tuesday to an industrial park within Miami's north-west side, according to an address change posted to its website. On Monday, the company's address was listed as 10645 SW 112 Street -- a three bedroom home built in 1957 along a row of suburban houses (below).

As part of his investigation, Arthur also put in calls to phone numbers listed on Psystar's website. After a dead end at "Human Resources," he was able to get an unnamed individual on the phone by selecting the option for "Customer Support."

That individual, however, referred all of the reporter's questions to Psystar's press email, from which replies have not been forthcoming. When asked if there were many individuals like himself working in the company's support division, the individual then claimed that he was not a support representative and was instead "just answering the phones."

"But you know what's most interesting?," Arthur added. "Apple's complete silence on this. It hasn't said a word. I suspect that it's waiting to see if anything emerges from this."

Update: The most recent industrial park address for Psystar belongs to a packing supply firm called USA KOEN PACK whose manager has never heard of Psystar.

Update 2: AppleInsider reader Shane writes in to let us know that quick glance of the source code for Psystar.com reveals the company's webpages was slapped together with help from this web template.

[Rico]

Oh, by the way - everything is an add on charge when you spec a machine out.  There is no $400 Mac available.  To add the Mac OS costs an extra $155.  Add better hardware and like I said above, this is no deal at all.  I would avoid them.