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| Photo from Psystar Corp. (click to enlarge)
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| It may not be as pretty as an Apple Mac, but it's much cheaper. |
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Finally! A stripped-down Apple alternative
Company's Mac clone may spark lawsuit
Posted
at
3:06 pm
by Eric Fetters
I've previously admitted a personal bias toward using Apple computers. The first personal computer I used in school, way back in 1982, was an Apple II. I've used Apples in many of the newsrooms in which I've worked, and I like both their deceptively simple designs and their made-to-use interface.
But they're not cheap.
Indeed, Apple fans seem split between those who have clamored for years for a lower-priced, but still well-equipped Apple computer to come on the market (the Mac Mini is an attempt at this) and those who think an "Apple for the masses" would cheapen the brand.
Well, a Miami-based company called Psystar has introduced an Apple clone for the masses. It's not calling it a Mac clone, for legal reasons, but it boasts that the computer will run Apple's operating system. And it's just $399, at least several hundred less than a similarly equipped real Apple unit would cost.
For about $1,000, Psystar has a clone to the higher-end, $2,000 Apple models.
Before you grab a credit card and order one, however, there are some big caveats here. Psystar says it will preinstall the Apple Leopard operating system, but you have to buy it separately - for $155. There's also the fact that no one seems to know whether Psystar will keep selling these units, because Apple has been fiercely protective of its turf.
Psystar on Monday had to quickly change the name of the computer to avoid trouble. But Apple's terms of use for its operating system prohibit from running on non-Apple machines.
Then there are questions about who is Psystar? A blogger for The Guardian, a major British newspaper, was skeptical about the company after his digging. Gizmodo also thinks they might be a bit "shady."
But the apparent existence of a knock-off Apple and Apple's silent response as of today have the Webosphere (my new favorite, possibly made-up word) all atwitter.
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