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Questions swirl around Mac clone maker Psystar
The Psystar Open Computer, the source of a huge Internet kerfuffle this week.
(Credit: Psystar)
The more we learn about Mac clone maker Psystar, the more questions arise.
For those of you who missed it, the interest of the Mac world this week swung from 3G iPhone rumor-mongering to 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, and a violation of Apple's licensing agreement for Mac OS X.
The Guardian did a little digging Tuesday into some of the basics around Psystar, such as its exact location and ownership. The company's main business appears to be IT consulting for small and medium-size businesses, such as setting up networks and telecom equipment and providing technical support.
The psystar.com domain name was registered in 2000, according to a Whois search, but the site does not appear to have been active before this past weekend, when news of its existence flooded the Internet. The domain is registered to Rodolfo Pedraza of Miami, who is probably the Rudy Pedraza who spoke to Ars Technica about his company on Tuesday.
According to Florida business records (PDF), Psystar was registered as a company on July 6, 2007, at 10645 SW 112th Street in Miami, a residential neighborhood in the Olympia Heights (2:05pm - Sorry, wrong neighborhood) area south of the city center. That was the address listed on Psystar's contact page on Monday, but at some point on Tuesday, Psystar changed its official address to 10481 NW 28th Street, a commercial district near Miami International Airport.
Several Gizmodo readers went to both addresses on Wednesday, and found no trace of any company named Psystar. A CNET News.com reader wrote in Tuesday night pointing out that a screen-printing company called CottonImages.com lists their address as 10481 NW 28th Street.
A spokesman for Cottonimages.com denied any knowledge of Psystar to Computerworld on Wednesday, and said no company by that name was located at their address. UPDATED 1:30 p.m. PDT--Gizmodo notes that Psystar's address has changed again, this time to 10471 NW 28th Street. Maybe the 10481 address was just a typo, but it's not clear. UPDATED 4:25 pm--Believe it or not, they changed it again. Psystar is now located at 10475 NW 28th Street. This is really weird.
I tried to call Psystar executives Wednesday morning and was directed to submit any questions to an e-mail address at Psystar. The company doesn't appear to have been prepared for the onslaught of attention following the discovery of the Open Computer on its Web site, as its online store was briefly down Wednesday morning. It's now back up and taking orders.
Perhaps foolishly, once the Web store came back online I placed an order for an Open Computer with Leopard preinstalled. I got the basic model for $554.99, although they kill you on shipping with a $93.41 shipping and handling fee for UPS Three-Day Select.
A gentleman who answered the "sales" extension at Psystar's toll-free number told me there is a 7- to 8-day build time right now for the Open Computer. When I asked him what accounted for the delay, he said the company had received many orders in the past few days. He also said he had only started at the company a few days ago.
In other Psystar news, the developer who created the firmware emulator that allows the Open Computer to bypass Apple's restrictions on Mac OS X is peeved that the company is using his technology without his permission.
Netkas, who created the EFI v8 emulator, says he released the software under a strict noncommercial license. For a while, Psystar had not even acknowledged his contribution, but the company has added an "open source" section to its site noting his authorship of the EFI v8 emulator and saying, "Psystar will promote Open Source projects in every way possible."
Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that the author of software that is designed to violate a company's licensing agreement is annoyed that another company is using that software in violation of his own licensing agreement?
Anyway, that's the latest with Psystar. I'll update this post later if I get a response to my e-mailed questions, or if anything else surfaces.
Tom Krazit, a staff writer for CNET News, focuses on all things Apple. He has covered traditional PC companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, chip companies such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, and mobile computers ranging from Research In Motion's to Palm's. E-mail Tom.
Pedraza, Rodolfo
3401 SW 104 CT, Miami, FL 33165, US
Just corner lot home.
<DOS>
1) the selling of OSX like this is against the EULA which will give the apfelsaft lawyers a field day.
2) the company is breaking another bloke's EULA for some open source software. More lawyers.
3) The actual location of this company is seeming to be more and more dubious as every day passes due to the constant WHOIS changes.
4) No one actually has one of these computers to verify their claims.
In all what do we have? Is it a hoax? Possibly. Is it someone who went "ooh! Why hasn't anyone tried making Apple compatible PCs yet? I want some of that!" and promptly makes all this without reading the small print on EVERYTHING (which is what you need to do when you even THINK about making a business to rival a gigantamonopopoly such as Apple).
I think it might be the latter, cos it certainly seems like the owner of this company has NO IDEA what the hell he's doing. I'd give it a month or so before they get the banhammer by apfelsaft.
If no one knows where you are how can they serve a subpoena?
I'm very curious to see if anybody actually gets one delivered or even has their credit card charged. If this company hasn't actually taken anyone's money they're still in the "prank" zone as opposed to the "fraud" zone.
We'll see.
Well, it makes me wonder.
I suppose we will be reading stories that this is indeed the case. I hope not; for their sake. Sounds more to me as if this "company" didn't expect national attention, and may very well wish they hadn't if what I suspect to be the case is TRUE.
I'll wait eagerly to see what develops.
Funny, these little "repair/IT" shops pop up all of the time, and end up making the same bone-headed mistakes time and again! Kind of makes you wonder...huh?
You're either an Apple employee, or a real lowlife. Of course lately, the two seem to be synonoumous.
clone (back in the day), forget that it IS the integration of the
software, and hardware that makes Macs unique.
Of course you can install Leopard on another type of branded
computer, or you can install the open project version of OSX.
However, in both cases, you end up with missing elements. The
Leopard version will expect certain things to be available to it
for current, and future use. The open version will not be the
actual Leopard system that contains proprietary interfaces.
Now back to the laughter. Someone had a bright idea, or so
they thought, and no real experience, or knowledge, on how to
proceed. Now they've violated the rights of at least two
entities. The idea probably came after setting up Leopard on a
custom computer for a client, or themselves, then thought they
could take it further. Live and learn.
Am I the only one who finds it absurd that companies are allowed to claim they are only licensing binary executables and not selling them? Is GM or Toyota going to say where and how we can drive their cars after we buy them?
Every manufacturer that sells products must invest in their design, whether they are creating a file of 1's and 0's, or a piece of hardware. The idea that an entity can control how people are allowed to use the product that they purchase is absurd. We're not talking about publishing copyrighted information, just using a product in a manner that the seller didn't intend. If you buy a book, you can use it for whatever purpose you want, as long as you don't publish its contents. Copyrighted software should infer no other restrictions upon its' use.
Once I buy a product, I can do whatever I want with it, if you don't like it, don't sell it to me. And this idea that a EULA is enforceable just because you use the product it is shipped with is absurd. If they want a binding agreement with their customers, they should be forced to obtain signed contracts with every individual one of their customers, and provide a contract signed by an executive of the selling company.
All EULAs that aren't signed by all relevant parties to a transaction should be declared invalid, and the software industry should stop acting as though they have special rights.
allowed to claim they are only licensing binary executables and
not selling them?"
No, there are others who also don't get it.
"Is GM or Toyota going to say where and how we can drive their
cars after we buy them?"
Apple isn't saying you can not drive on the information super
highway.
Apple isn't saying you can't
Prystar theifs stole his work and are trying to make money off of his work work without his consent. they paid him NOTHING. It amazes me how dumb some people are.. even after all these years online someone like you post a comment thinking you have a clue when.. lets face it you don't even come close.
'Contact' tab on the web page now gives yet a third address: 10475 NW 28th Street.
Could Rudy & Robert have invented a corporate-office transporter beam as well?
I think if Psystar can work quickly to capitalize on all this free publicity they could be very successful.
The long term question is how will Apple respond to clones. I don't think they should try to stop the clones. I think Apple should look for a business model where they can make money on the OS.
crap, defending this scam.
or do you just loathe apple so much that you praise anyone who is
doing something you perceive as possibly harmful to apple.
although that perception is laughable. a couple scammers in a
garage aren't likely to have much impact, especially when they'll
soon be busy stamping out license plates.
When technology changes, old marketing strategies die. Psystar may go under tomorrow but the handwriting is on the wall for Apple. Charges, counter charges & law suits didn't stop the deluge of affordable equipment before and may not have much effect now. Apple's hardware pricing is so out of whack it may be time for history to repeat itself.
:).
Apple is not allowing it.
Or maybe Apple is behind it to test the market...?
"If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is."
Whoever is behind "Psystar" probably has another famous maxim posted on their walls: "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute!"
PearPC Mac on x86 emulation project. After a storm of controversy and confusion CherryOS vanished into the smoke and mirrors from whence it came.
Psystar could be another CherryOS. It's probably better to just wait and see. The last thing I wanna do is put up money and don't get anything out of it. Apple's legal team is probably in full mobilization mode right now.
Hey, if Mac compatibles under $500 are possible, I'm all for it but if not...oh well, there's always the used Mac market. Just as long as it's not a scam. Does smell fishy though.
Psystar, which came into existence less than a week ago, take
their OS and sell it on non-apple branded machines. It's
madness! There has never been another company as protective
of its hardware/software, and how its being used. I think steve
would have a baby before he let some punk sell a mac clone and
get away with it. He had no problem turning what could have
been thousands of iPhones into iBricks, i don't see any reason
why he would feel any different. In fact this time someone else is
making profit that could have been in his pocket there's no way
this product will not come into an attack by Apple's Legal
department and Apple's software firmware updates. I had one
late last night and i didn't even bother reading what it was for so
i could assume it was a fix to the Psystar "bug"
Vipal Rubber Corp
10475 NW 28th St
Miami, FL , 33172-2152
Phone: 305-640-0330
FAX: 305-640-0310
Their standard Ground Service: 25.00 for shipping the open source computer is all you needed to pay.
UPS is so fast, unly unless you really needed before 3/5 days would you ever upgrade from the standard "grond."
Have you bough anything that shipped through UPS in the last 3 years? they are so fast, sometimes, even paying just ground, I get orders in one day! California company may have wareshouse in NJ, I'm in Brooklyn, but still - ONE DAY!!!
And for I.N. - two days, ground, Cali - 4 days. this is all Ground, WHY PAY EXTRA UNLESS YOU REALLY NEED IT?
And with a 10 day build time - uhm, your telling them - they goudged you - lol They'll ship it reall fast, next month! LOL
that is the language of the internet and most larger server farms. I
would think a server farm of compromised servers would be far
more valuable to spammers and hackers.
Apple is UNIX based. It's a tough nut to crack without social
engineering.
I say some posters on this thread have their licensed right to reproduce revoked!!!
Sorry, couldn't help it....now back to more serious posts.
- What's with the witch hunt?
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by chuckjuhl
April 17, 2008 11:58 AM PDT
- What is with the witch hunt?
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Reply to this comment
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See all 131 Comments >>Apparently none of your readers are old enough to recall that Dell was started by a college dropout in his off-campus apartment. Michael Dell was marketing IBM clones in Popular Electronics magazines and computer shows well before he had a "Factory" or office - or even anything more than a mail drop! If Dell had been hounded like Psystar, it is unlikely the Michael Dell would have been anything but another college dropout, instead of the CEO of the most successful PC manufacturer in history.
As for Apple? Perhaps your readers are so uninformed as to not recall that Apple too was marketing its Apple I at computer shows and in Electronics magazines before they had a "real" office or factory - or any inventory for that matter. They too began in a garage.
Perhaps your readers are old enough, or at least informed enough to know of a little company called Google? Well, guess where Google was when it first started marketing itself as a commercial enterprise - in a GARAGE!!! A borrowed garage at that.