Psystar's Open Computer arrives at CNET
Psystar's Open Computer has arrived.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
The Open Computer has landed at CNET Networks.
My colleagues over at CNET Reviews in New York have managed to get their hands on a review unit of Psystar's Open Computer, and they've got all sorts of pictures to share. For those of you who just woke up, Psystar is selling computers with Mac OS X Leopard as a preinstallation option, which is not part of an official program run by Apple and involves the use of some trickeration in order to get things up and running.
Click here for an unboxing video, or here for a slideshow. Rich Brown of CNET Reviews says he'll have a formal review of the Open Computer up this evening, so make sure to check back for that as well.
All sorts of questions about Psystar's legitimacy arose about the company after it was inundated with orders, forcing its Web site offline and causing its initial payment provider to cut ties with the company. But the kinks appear to have been worked out.
I ordered an Open Computer as just a regular customer, not as a reviewer, and received a call this morning from Psystar that my order is ready to ship if I was willing to switch to a black case. Apparently the white cases are in heavy demand; there would have been a 10-day back order if I wanted to keep the white case.
And now that the lingering doubts appear to have been satisfied, we can start to focus on the real question: What sort of legal issues is Psystar going to encounter down the road, and how exactly is Apple going to handle that?
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom. 
http://www.cnet.com/4326-13777_1-6617575-1.html?
tag=ss_prv
at first :-{
buys one will get what they deserve... a Mac machine that runs like
it's on Windows...
What were they thinking? Apple made the technology beautiful...
now these yoyos want to FIX what ISN'T BROKE.
Hope Apple shoots them down like a Russian spy plane.
/P
Annnnyway, maybe it's not so much about trying to fix something that ain't broke as much as it's about Mac technology to ppl who...oh, I dunno, might be able to afford it? Or to ppl who think Macs are only for photographers, graphic designers or musicians (and a LOT of ppl do)...
But yeah, God forbid Apple have any competition...who knows what kind of world we'd have if everyone could afford a Mac.
ever made.
Some more than others.
What it comes down to are the "have not's" wanting the OS
experience of the "haves," but on their terms.
Boo-hoo.
Thanks, but no thanks.
/P
copy of OS X on it that you could have built better yourself. Kind of
like buying a fake rolex watch, except that in this case everyone
knows it a fake. Brilliant.
Oh,and there's that little detail about the unlicensed software that
it uses to boot OS X. Minor detail.
As far as Apple, yeah... I have no problems with taking my own risks, but an ordinary user buying one of these and suddenly finding his machine 'bricked' (for lack of a better term)?
Even worse, updates are rather vital to keeping a system (even one as strong as OSX) secure.
Something fishy about an un-updateable system being sold OEM-style.
/P
No iLife preinstalled...bloatware you say?
I hope that psystar's around long enough to support and replace anyhthing that goes wrong.
All this circumvention just to run an OS? Buy a Mac, get the RDF free*.
RDF is the real markup :)
Give it a chance before you shoot it down. Or better yet, buy one and try it yourself so you will have real life experience to go by instead of heresay.
All Apple need do is offer OEM versions of OSX to Dell, Compaq, IBM, and Gateway and just let them turn their generic PC systems into Mac clones via adding in EFI firmware.
There might be other reasons for concerns, but components are unlikely to be one of them.
They are an OEM with their own OS.
reworking their computers to build a "Hackintosh Monster"!
Look at the thing! It lacks any sense of design, taste, or care.
Even the packaging is disgrace!
It is obvious this company grabbed a plastic third world piece o'
crap from their local Radio Shack or Best Buy, hot wired a few
internal components, then chunked it in a box for you morons
to purchase. Even if the thing runs like a bat out of hell it should
be beaten down like the ugly retarded malformed bastard that it
is!
This degrades the quality of Apple's brand to the point that
Apple MUST sue the beJesus out of them to make them cease
and desist. I just hope they do it sooner rather than later!
Sheesh, what's the big deal? You ppl act like someone killed a family member. Besides, "third-world" is hyphenated. So is "hot-wired". Why wait for Apple to do anything? It sounds like you have enough rage in you to do it yourself.
Damn...now if ppl would just get this angry over gas prices...but naw...that's not as important as THIS!!!
The point is: what was the bottom line including shipping, and taxes?
Depending on where you buy and the deal you get, you may pay no sales tax with free shipping or $100 in shipping charges and 8% to 10% in sales tax. Sometimes, you even get mail-in rebates.
I want to compare with the Mac Pro I bought on Amazon two weeks ago. Free shipping and no sales tax with a $100 mail in rebate.
The objective is to compare apples to apples to see if giving up software updates is worth it.
Personally, I don't have the time nor the money to spend on the latest gizmo just so I can try it out.
I'll stick with a Mac. If you have cash to waste on buying a device you don't need simply to "try it out", it must be nice to be you!
Check out their web site.
http://news.com
So what if the thing looks like crap, I never buy a system for the way it looks, but for what it can do. This might be a good thing for Apple, to get people to "try out" their OS before making the big investment. I personally never used Apple (besides a IIe many moons ago), but I'm sure giving the opportunity to get the feel for one at a very low price I would go for it.
Someone mentioned (in a joke) that Apple might be behind this to test the waters, and this might explain why they (correct me if I'm wrong on this) are so quiet on the subject.
If what is said about the number of orders these guys received, Apple would be stupid not to explore this avenue. Get rid of the flashy design etc and focus on an entry system that can provide new users (customers) the Apple experience at a fraction of the price, and if they like what they are seeing, they will upgrade to the bigger ticket items.
Apple has the opportunity here to work with these guys to increase their presence in the global market.
The Mini is a great machine for the price, but internal expansion is limited to only (laptop-class) RAM and disk.
They are doing very bad things to the market. Price pressure is driving quality down. We need computers to cost a few dollars more not less.
Again I ask why run OS X without Apple? Go run Linux if you don't want Windows!
Are you locked out of using it with updates? You have to do it manually instead of using automatic, so that isn't really an issue. Will you be bit by unannounced application update for iTunes that coincdentally bricks the system? Apple has done this before with the iPhone, so there is a precedent. Somehow I expect there will be just as much support in the aftermarket community to have workarounds for this.
Apple may need to seriously take note of this company and what they are doing to make the OS X platform affordable for everyone.
issue: QUALITY vs. PRICE!!!
You buy all the Psystar machines you want, and HURRY UP!. Can't
wait to see you sell them on e-Bay in 6 months after Apple shuts
them down!
software that ships on a Mac. After you purchase the lowest
end Mac mini, at 599 (200 dollar difference), which includes the
customer support, and free replacements for lemons ... does it
really cost less? Or will it cost more?
What happens when someone gets the keen idea of "upgrading"
the machine, and parts of the platform stop working even the
installed OS?
You pay for what you get. Caveat Empor, I believe ("Let the
Buyer Beware"). All in search of a bargain, that does not appear
to be a true bargain at all.
"You pay for what you get. Caveat Empor, I believe ("Let the
Buyer Beware"). All in search of a bargain, that does not appear
to be a true bargain at all. "
It shows that Apple may indeed be worried about this having just been confirmed publically as charging excessively high prices for hardware that does not match up to what is available. Psystar has taken on the challenge to build a higher quality system with more capabilities at a fraction of the price Apple charges.
People will have to make their choices accordingly. Apple has nothing to fear from Psystar directly, but if they allow this company to get away with it, how will they stop others from doing it? There would be no logical reason to not have Dell and HP release their own versions as well. Where does that put Apple then? They would still make money on the OS sales, but the hardware could potentially tank as a result.
It should be interesting either way to see how Apple reacts to this challenge.
- 9 $ solution to problem with noise for "Open"!
- by Dalmatian28 May 2, 2008 6:52 PM PDT
- Hi...I use to make living of building and selling PC's. They complain (Gizmodo.com) how Psystar Open Computer is too loud...that is a 9$ issue! Go to Fries and just by slower (lower dB) fen...it takes five minutes to change! Those fens spin slower but push more air. You can always go liquid for 50+ $. If that is the biggest issue...hey I want one. I am not surprised that article writers are bias when it comes to Apple (they seems to be bought by Apple long time ago)...what I don't understand is their customers. This will force Apple to lower their prices and they will benefit directly! Why are they taking this so personally???? They defend someone that took advantage of them and charge them 4 times production cost! Where is the logic???
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- For many of us price is irrelevant.
- by ralfthedog May 3, 2008 12:27 AM PDT
- Money is cheep. Down time has a very painful cost. If Apple starts selling cheaper computers, they will use cheaper parts. MTBF will go down.
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- Not even comparable
- by Thomas, David May 3, 2008 11:27 AM PDT
- First, in no way are any of the Psystar configurations truly
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (79 Comments)If your number one concern is cost, get a Dell. If your number one concern is, "This must not fail", Get a Mac.
comparable. WiFi, and Bluetooth are essentials that Leopard
assumes will be available. CNets own review had issues there
with a USB device, and was not able to make it work.
These cheap machines are just that, cheap machines. What is
truly pathetic, is the attempt to assume that somehow a mac
mini isn't good enough. For nearly everyone out there,
translates into most, a mac mini IS good enough. OSX takes far
less resources to run, than its Megalithic counterpart.
For those wanting a CPU that is good enough for gaming, give
me a break. You don't need the MacPro for that, an iMac will do
just fine. So who needs a MacPro? I'd say those who video
editors, and audio editors. Sure, it's nice for everyone else, but
who are we kidding. Someone eluded to that Apple sells 3k+
machines. The highest in personal computer they make starts at
2.8k.
Ah screw it. Get one, then explain how cool you are because
you think you saved something, or whatever, but then you'll
always complain about some feature not working, not available,
not anyones fault but Apples because they should design things
in such a ways as to work with your configuration. Oops, I think
that's what Microsoft keeps trying to do.