Comments on: New Mac clone maker to open retail store in Calif.

Quo Computer plans to open a retail store to sell non-Apple computers with Mac OS X installed, in the Los Angeles area next week. Does it face a similar fate to that of Psystar?

[whobob]

Why can't I buy their damn operating sytem and put it on my toaster if I want. It's like telling me I can only play my records on a particular vendors record player (reveiling my age here)

I've used MAC's since the Mac plus but I fail to see how buying an operating system from apple is stealing anything from them if I don't buy their hardware. The same people that were condemning Microsoft for their anti-competitive bundling support Apple to the hilt. It's like there is some massive Apple controlled cult that supports Apple at all cost.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Apple believes strongly in the quality of the overall experience. If they cannot control the entire process from OS to hardware, then the perceived experience may color the way the customer looks at the OS.

It could also help because some of these clones have superior specs than the Apple units of the same price level.

The customer satisfaction varies widely though. I took my Touch in for service under the free warranty and was told I had to pay $45 to send the unit in. I took it to an Apple location and they want to charge me $45 for a warranty repair? That isn't exactly a good customer service experience in my book.

[zyxxy]

Apple believes in controlling your wallet. Nothing else.

Take iTunes for music. I mean the software. Even without DRM, it stinks. I rip a CD into iTunes. I want to attach album art. Whoops, I have to login to the iTunes store to get artwork. I cannot just grab an image off the web and paste it. What is up with that? Oh I know, they want to drive traffic to the iTunes store! But wait, they don't have the artwork for my album, because they don't sell it! Now what? Hey, Apple doesn't care, they didn't make any money off the album sale.

Hey cool, here is a plugin for WMP that lets me sync to my iPod. Cool! So now I can manage my music any way I like and still sync the music and artwork to my iPod. Plus, WMP doesn't care where the artwork comes from.

[nickh2]

"I cannot just grab an image off the web and paste it. What is up with that?"

Of course you can.. I have done this loads of times to get the original covers for obscure blues albums.
Look on versiontracker.com, there are dozens of freeware widgets that grab artwork from a various places such as Amazon.

[Macbrewer]

All these years and you still don't even know it's not an acronym?

Why are all the geniuses using PCs? ;-)

[Stupidscript]

@Macbrewer

LOL! Your comment about whobob's incorrect "MAC" useage (s/b an abbreviation for "Macintosh", i.e. "Mac", and not an initialism or acronym) was quite funny, given your closing comment:

EVERYONE who is commenting on this article is using a "PC", which, as you must know, is an initialism for "Personal Computer". Some "PCs" run Apple's operating system, others run Microsoft's operating system, and still others run yet another operating system. ALL are "PCs". The "Macintosh" label is a marketing term that does nothing to remove Apple's computer products from the "PC" group.

ALL PCs are pieces of crap made out of 3rd party junk running at a fraction of their potential efficiency. They are cheap systems intended for non-critical use by non-professionals. That Apple charges double or more for their own concoctions, and GETs it, speaks more to their marketing prowess and to people's need to feel "special" than it does to their PC-building skills.

Unless you're using a miniframe or even a mainframe, you're using a "PC".

And if you are running OSX or Windows, you are using a consumer-level product regardless of how trick your hardware is. Serious professionals in the computing world use Posix ... and OSX ain't Posix, no matter how much hype Apple poured into promoting its BSD underpinnings. (OSX sure ain't BSD!) It's been made so proprietary by Apple that it might be considered a third cousin, twice removed from Posix, but it's certainly not in the same immediate family.

You Apple/Microsoft users go ahead and remain proud of your purchasing decisions.
It makes for an entertaining lunch hour.

[shycelticwitch]

Mac vs. PC. Same parts, similar software. The difference? The way those parts are put together and the stability of the software. Apples and oranges, people. ::::(takes bite out of orange while polishing apple)::::

[Vegaman_Dan]

As it has been found out, often time the parts on the Macs are far cheaper than the PC versions. What's different is that Apple has chosen those units and built the OS knowing that hardware's capabilities and limitations. You can tailor the product to work with known quantities.

[pithenumber]

the Apple way of installing a CPU: put CPU into socket
the DIY way of installing a CPU: put CPU into socket
the Dell way of installing a CPU: put CPU into socket
the HP way of installing a CPU: put CPU into socket

huh?

[liquidmark]

@Vegaman_Dan

"As it has been found out, often time the parts on the Macs are far cheaper than the PC versions"

Except for the fact that Apple uses mobility components in everything but the Mac Pro. Mobility components tend to cost TWICE as much as desktop components. So no, the parts don't cost less. >_>

Also, Apple does some things very differently from other manufacturers. For instance, the multitouch trackpad on the aluminum Macbooks and MBP's are volumes better than the average touchpads used in most laptops.

You think those multitouch trackpads cost less? Nope

[professionaladventurer]

$900 desktop (or just under), I am guessing that's without a monitor. Why wouldn't you just buy a Mac?

[Vegaman_Dan]

I'm rather surprised that such stout Apple supporters as kcotham and others would be so afraid of allowing the public to have OS X to use on non-Apple computers.

If a clone maker sells a system with OS X on it, that gets one more person using OS X, right?

Apple makes money from the sale of OS X. That's profit for Apple, right?

If a person who buys a clone is happy with OS X, they may end up buying a real Apple system later, right? That's GOOD, right?

Why are you so against people wanting to try OS X out?

Talk about elitism- you're doing more harm than good to people on the fence on deciding what OS they want to use. You're all looking like elitist rich snobs who are afraid of the commoners who might want to try the product out too.

Geez, get over yourselves. Let the product succeed or fail on its own.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Open Tech, the company producing the Quo line, has actually been doing this for quite a long time- the new aspect is that they are opening the brick and mortar store. They have avoided lawsuits previously as they sold their equipment as kits, giving customers the hardware, the sealed OS X box, and instructions. Apple had no legal grounds to go after the company for that.

If the new product is done the same way, then Apple will still be without any rebuttal.

[marcusmaedl]

You are right on the money. Let the market decide.
Many have tried. Even back in the 80s or 90s for a short period, (legal) non Apple hardware was sold with OS9 (or was it OS 7...?)

So far they all failed but it sends the right signal to Apple. Keep innovating and innovating at reasonable prices....

Keep stunning me and I will keep bleeding with a smile!

No clone will ever be able to do that.

[monkeyfun14]

@Vegaman

The real reason is they know it would let people know of the OS flaws when it is used on other hardware combined with it becoming a increased target for malware.

They just want the illusion to stay that OSX is the end all to everything.

[kcotham]

@Vega
They are not buying Apple computers. Apple has historically been a hardware company primarily. Apple uses its profits from its hardware sales to support their software business. The whole reason there is a Mac OS in the first place is to help sell Apple computers. They were almost ruined by a legitimate deal with clone makers. Why would they risk that with illegitimate clones? You have your head too far up M$'s but to see the difference. Just because Apple makes an OS does not mean they are the same type of company as Microsoft (who only makes software) or say Dell, who only makes hardware.

More people using Mac OS would be good, arguably yes. But Apple would no longer be able to assure the end user a good user experience if thousands of combinations of possibly questionable quality components had to be supported. Look at Windows.

Problem is, once people start getting used to using Mac OS on a clone, not enough will do as you suggest and buy the real thing. After all, there are so many people out there that put up with WIndows. Quality of experience is not a primary concerned for the uninitiated.

Just because you haven't bought a Macintosh and are to cheap to, doesn't make the rest of us that have "elitist righ snobs". If you want to try a Mac, save up and buy one instead of buying a new Windows piece of crap every other year.

Try taking your head out of your derrière and thinking on more than one level if you can.

[kcotham]

@mon

You haven't every owned a Macintosh so how would you know? Keep your idiotic sniping to yourself.

[mothra213]

People need to remember that Apple is a hardware manufacturer, that makes operating systems for their devices. It would be the same thing as Ted's shoes slapping a Nike logo on their generic shoes. They're violating their Intellectual property plain and simple.

[Vegaman_Dan]

I don't think the analogy works since in this case, Ted's Shoes are buying Nike's logo from Nike itself with Nike's approval and then handing the logo and sewing kit to the customer to sew onto their shoes if they so choose.

[monkeyfun14]

Apple is not a hardware manufacturer they don't make one damn piece of hardware in their PCs if anything they are an assembler.

[kcotham]

@monkey
They are mainly a design firm now. They used to design, make, and assemble their machines. But global economics has made that too expensive I suppose. My G3 was made from components made in the US, Japan, and God knows where else, but assembled in the US. Things are different now than they were in 1998. Apple is not alone in this. As far as I know, no "manufacturer" actually makes their own computers. It's all contracted out.

[meowser007]

What a cheap shot. Apple needs to take them down. If want to do something cool. Invent your own stuff instead of copying others.

[pj-mckay]

Did you read any of the article? No, obviously!

Nobody is copying anything. They are putting legitimate software on legitimate boxes. I get it.... you actually think your hardware was designed and built by Apple. That 's funny.. I'm in tears now.

[alt117]

i would bet that most or all of the outraged Apple defenders have illegal software on their machines right now.

does that copy of Windows in bootcamp or VM violate their Eula? you can't just copy the license from your old dell. All your software legal and paid for? Any movies or MP3's? I remember when Leopard came out, a client of mine passing around the disk to everyone in the office so they could install it.

So spare me the outrage. if you think it's wrong, don't buy from them.

[ikramerica--2008]

Without any grounds or evidence, you defame anyone who disagrees with you as a thief?

Seriously?

[Vegaman_Dan]

@ikamerica--2008:

"Without any grounds or evidence, you defame anyone who disagrees with you as a thief?"

Well, honestly that is what you've been doing this entire story thread...

[digiguy23]

Most of you will never own a successful business., because you won't protect you ideas and product. Apple has every right protect their work. Computers are a luxury, not a necessity.

[thorpedonj]

Another Mac clone maker! HURRAY!!! This is fantastic news! Although, It is sad to see Pystar file for bankruptcy! :-( I personally was excited about their products! I really was waiting for them to ship a MacOSX compatible laptop! :-( However, this news of Quo is even better.

I have spent the past few weeks researching a new laptop that I could run OSX on. What a nightmare! To find one that has all the right components, hardware wise, is a nightmare. I am thankful for the OSX86 project, and the HCL posting and findings, but this is something that Hackers do, not the average joe - (ME).

Is everyone aware that there are almost 7 mac clone makers in the world? For the sake of time and simplicity, I won't list all the companies worldwide, but the pure fact that there are emerging companies in the world that are making computers that run OSX should say something to Apple, one simple thing:

Lower your prices to mainstream PC costs.

The day where a company can charge over 1000$ for a "low cost" computer is over. It ended years ago...
It's time Apple "wake up" and smell the coffee of the real world and stop over pricing their products. Until they do that, people will either purchase a hackintosh computer from people like Pystar, or simply do it themselves! Its not that hard to put OSX on a PC. There are so many osx86 distros to choose from now, it's silly! However, it's still against the EULA to do so.

Oh, it is NOT illegal to install OSX on a non-Apple product. In 1984, the Supreme Court issued a subpoena simply stating that it was illegal for Apple to restrict their OS from other computers. Again, don't believe me, It's out there, look it up. So, technically, if one installs OSX on a non-apple product, they are NOT breaking the law! Apple just won't support it. That's all. Simple as that.

Apple also has been given a HUGE window of opportunity to increase in size and market share for the past few years, primarily due to Vista, Microsoft's biggest mistake. Well, that door is coming to a close. Windows 7 is now in it's RTM phase, and this fall, it will ship. The door has closed. MS learned from their blunder of Vista and has fixed it with 7!!!

I would love to have a laptop that runs OSX, but I don't have the $$$ for one. Who does these days?
Oh, I can get a student discount now (50$ off - wow...) And Apple FINALLY is shipping a 13 inch macbook for 999$ WOW. How about 499$????? I have get a 15 inch dual core with 4 gb of ram for that price! Who knows what else for 999$....

When Quo ships a laptop that runs OSX, I'm ordering one! I'd rather buy one from people who follow Apple's products, and understand apple's hardware, than try to install a OSX86 distro, and not have a fully functional laptop (go read the aftermath stories online, and you will see what i mean)....

In short, Apple should take advantage of these companies that are making OSX clones. It would increase their marketshare and slowly crush Microsoft to the ground. But will that ever happen? NOPE!
Apple is too stingy and greedy. They make all their money from the hardware, not the software.

But mark my words - There is nothing apple can do to prevent Mac Clone makers from growing!
When the day comes when Apple is losing serious money to these companies, they are going to have to re-think things threw,,, Then licensing OSX might become their only option for survival..

Until then, OSX on non-apple hardware will continue to flourish and thrive.

[Macbrewer]

>>Why is are these Mac fans so afraid of freedom of choice?

We aren't. We just don't want to see our upgrade prices go though the roof. These cloners are a rip-off because they buy OS X UPGRADES and put them on their machines ILLEGALLY.

Ever price Windows at retail without hardware purchase? It's absurd how much they want.

Apple already makes a BETTER product.

Sooner or later Apple will have to license. No one wants Windows.

If you think that Macs aren't priced fairly though, you haven't done any comparison shopping or you know very little about hardware. I have seen, on MANY occasions since the Intel switch, the same or better speced Apples selling for less than Dell's sorry gear.

[monkeyfun14]

How do you know Apple makes a better product or not?

Apple has never been tested with maintaining compatibility which is the real reason you zealots are up in arms.

OSX can simply not remain perfect under multiple hardware configurations.

And no one wants Windows? You all have been saying that since OS *insert number here* and yet Windows is still dominant. Obviously there is a demand for it.

[monkeyfun14]

"Oh for the love of God! When will someone put a stop to all these get-rich-quick thieves? They're like cockroaches, step on one, another pops up in its place. Apple needs to switch back to the POWER architecture or something to put an end to all this stealing."

Really? Point one out.
Only time I see claims like this are when a PC kills a Mac in every spec but one and then you fanboys automatically claim the Mac is better.

[Vegaman_Dan]

@Macbrewer:

The OS product that Apple sells in their retail stores is a full installation and not an upgrade. That's a common myth that needs to be pointed out to avoid confusion to the CNET readers. If it was an upgrade only, then you could not install it on a blank unformatted hard drive, which is not the case. It installs a full version without any previous version being required.

Windows and OS X are similarly prices when you actually compare them side by side in an honest comparison.

But to be clear, there is no 'upgrade' it's a full OS installation.

[Truthfuldemise]

Wait wait wait wait. Have any gamers chimed in? Any system builders? Anyone see the Bull**** that Macbrewer is brewing here? Apple makes a BETTER product? Than me? I think not.Yeah, they have all the fancy machines to put it in a pretty shell but if that makes it a BETTER product then you're just paying for cosmetics. Personally, I think the prices that Mac charges for their desktops are ridiculous when I can build a comparable machine myself for cheaper, and then put Mac OSX on said machine. And I believe numerous times that sources have been cited stating that EULA's are not the law. I even think someone brought up the 1984 decision that it was illegal for Apple to dictate what hardware it's software was to be run on? Nobody argued against those points though... Or how bout the point that Macs, Windows boxes, and Linux boxes are ALL "PC"s... Nobody argued with that guy either... Or how bout the fact that Microsoft's Monopoly isn't a monopoly and it was fairly earned because they are the only company who wrote a good commercial OS for the IBM PC platform? And that the best version of IBM's OS/2 Stole code from Win 3.1 and that's why they had to stop making OS/2.. My grandfather worked for IBM when that happened, btw. If Apple made software for the common IBM PC platform and Windows did everything and anything to strogarm them out, there would be a problem with monopoly.. But as it is Apple does not compete with Microsoft directly as, like you all seem so fond of saying, Apple is a HARDWARE Maker and not a Software development house like Microsoft is. And how does Microsoft have a Monopoly? Last I checked I could put Linux on just about any PC out there (Including the Macintosh PC). Hell, when I bought my Lenovo laptop linux was an option. Can't I put Solaris or FreeBSD on any system I want as well? Hmm..

Oh, and to touch on something else... Since when is Apple a Hardware Manufacturer? Doesn't Intel make their processors? Doesn't nVidia make their graphics adapters? Doesn't a company in Korea make their actual physical LCD Panels (I actually don't know, so enlighten me) which they then just assemblie into a metal/plastic shell? Again... The argument that they are a hardware assembler seems to be a strong one with the exception of the Ipod and Iphone, which is where Apple's real money is. Also, have any of you noticed that people like macbrewer only tackle strawman arguments but when a real good argument pops up they choose to ignore it? Also, didn't someone mentiont hat on Macmall it said nowhere that the OS X you buy is an upgrade? It did say Retail version right? And.. wait... lemme pull out the EULA for the copy of Mac OSX 10.1 that I have from my ex's macbook... Hmm, doesn't say upgrade anywhere now does it? ANd wait, didn't Sony lose one of these EULA lawsuits once? And how bout the fiasco where Microsoft sued some college kid for reselling his copy of Office because it was against the Eula...

OH MY GOD GUYS.... You guys probably ridiculed Microsoft for protecting their EULA but here you uphold the idea of Apple defending it's EULA... Are you guys Biased? Oh, and don't the Open Source people and the GPL have some say in what Apple does with it's software since last I checked Mac OSX uses quite a bit of Open Source code? Oh and that Russian Company? You really think that Vladimir Putin is going to let some American company come into his country and tell a Russian company what they can and can't do? EVERYTHING that the russian company is doing is legal under Russian Commerce Law... so shove it. The only way Apple can combat it is to stop selling copies of Mac OSX in Russia, but that still won't stop it.

Now I defend neither side of the conflict. I defend neither argument. I am in this as I am in politics, moderate... What I do defend is people arguing in an unbiased manner with fact in hand and I defend the idea of addressing good arguments as being good.

That said, you gonna make fun of me for being a *nix user or something? Or not respond to me at all? Because all I've seen from the hardcore Apple camp in this argument has been avoidance of good arguments, rudeness, and ignorance of fact and legal precedence.

[ikramerica--2008]

monkeyfun, you are a riot.

Apple is constantly tested with "maintaining compatibility" by making their latest versions, in theory, work with previous Apple hardware, third party hardware, and software from everywhere.

Why must OSX work on every computer built? How on earth does that prove anything? Does Windows XP run on PPC machines? Does that mean it is crap? Hardly. It simply means it wasn't built for them...

[monkeyfun14]

@ikr

Microsoft runs on millions of different pieces of hardware

What does OSX run on a few hundred maybe?

[belchmelch]

just great... We are now going to go back to the days when Apple included ROM chips in their PCs. Anyway, Apple knew something like this would happen when they moved to Intel AND removed ROM dependencies.

[ikramerica--2008]

And then someone will "reverse engineer" and "emulate" that ROM (also known as patent and copyright infringement), and we will have the same people saying it's okay.

To get this current hack working, you already have to screw with the boot process to circumvent hardware checks. Moving to a hard coded ROM won't make one lick of difference to those determined to violate Apple's property rights.

[sciontcya]

"It's exciting. We are trying to stay as close to Apple as we can with our products,"

LOL - yeah, you stole the OS and put it in a POS plastic crap box that makes even a DELL look good.
Exciting, indeed.
Cha-rist.

[monkeyfun14]

Stole it? Im sure they paid for the copies.

Also btw Apple doesn't have the most aesthetically pleasing computers OEM's have had it for a while now take a look in a best buy once in a while.

[ikramerica--2008]

They did not pay the full price for the OS, only the price of the Leopard upgrade disks you buy in the pretty black box. Installing an upgrade without having the original product is theft...

[Vegaman_Dan]

@ikamerica--2008:

Wow, for a company that hasn't even released a system and only has a press release, how is you know exactly how they do business, what they buy, what hardware is included and so on? Either you are part of this company, or....

YOU"RE MAKING THIS STUFF UP.

I'm betting on the second one. :)

"They did not pay the full price for the OS, only the price of the Leopard upgrade disks you buy in the pretty black box. Installing an upgrade without having the original product is theft... "

Again, there is no OS X Upgrade- the installation discs give you a full clean installation on an unformatted HDD. That isn't an upgrade, that's a full install.

You're out of your league here, buddy. Cut your losses and run.

[Spimby]

If I understand this correctly and Apple can mandate by EULA that their software (operating system) only be used on their hardware, then I suppose the record companies could include a EULA with every song/album that mandates the songs can only be played on RIAA approved playback devices?

Interesting theory that I'm sure the dark forces of the universe love.

[jbelkin]

Unlike other companies, Apple stands behind their products - they will accept & help you FREE with resolving issues up to 24/7 with a LIVE PERSON. How many other companies offer that? Plus, you do NOT get iLife when you buy a clone ... so NO free genius bar support, no ilife and no work class design* - why would you even want a clone?

It's one thing to drive a kit car Ferrari but a real mac costs a few dollars, why would you trade $1,000 of value for saving $99? Unless you are an idiot.

BTW, I'm presuming the guy did not say he's "gong" to do and that's a typo.

*Have you heard the fan on a PC or a PC bashkit?

[alt117]

"so NO free genius bar support, no ilife and no work class design"
I'm looking to save money on the overpriced Mac Pro. Macbook, Mini, and iMac buyers probably need the support, and should also pay for Apple care as well. in the end , it will save them lots of money.

if i can save serious $$, I'm willing to forgo standing in the Genius Bar line, most of ilife is substandard and can be replaced with free or low cost alternatives, and who uses iLife on a Mac Pro. A decent case with the same components for less is fine for a box that sits under the desk, and the Mac Pro isn't much to look at anyway.

if we buy some of these clones, Apple will get plenty of our money for Final Cut Pro.

[Truthfuldemise]

They wouldn't fix my friends iPhone. She dropped it. They said it had water damage. It didn't. It was new. She dropped it. Great customer support right?

[Vegaman_Dan]

"hey will accept & help you FREE with resolving issues up to 24/7 with a LIVE PERSON."

Correction- for a fee they will help you.

My Touch broke. It's under warranty. Apple would only honor that warranty and fix if if I either paid them $45 for shipping (BS since I went to an Apple store where they do the repairs there, but was told they charge this on every service regardless of location), OR I could buy an extended warranty with Apple Care and get the 'free' tech support for $52.

$52 doesn't sound like 'free' to me.

Then there's the water detection scam. They decide not to fix your unit claming it was water damaged- but they cannot show you proof or even the means they use to test it. You have to take their word for it. Right. No thanks.

BTW, I ended up paying the $52 for another year of warranty and yes, if it fails during that time, I'll have to pay ANOTHER $45 to have them look at it. :/

[pj-mckay]

Guess how much trouble I've had with my OS in the past 10 years (lets exclude Linux at this point)... zippo. Why would I want to pay a price for support let alone pay for support of a 'superior product' that shouldn't need support? Correct, I wouldn't. It's just another pitiful argument but one heel of a read none the less.

[AJ Pants]

I find it mind-boggling how companies like this one AND members the general population think they are somehow entitled to use the Apple operating system at their will on any POS machine they have laying around the house. Then they make out like Apple is the big bad guy because they are simply protecting what has taken them 30 years to create. And as far as the most moronic statement of the year, this certainly takes the cake:

"It's exciting. We are trying to stay as close to Apple as we can with our products," Rashantha De Silva, Quo founder, told CNET News. "We are trying to mimic things as much as we can. I'm hoping that Apple sees the value in what we are doing."

You have got to be kidding.

[Truthfuldemise]

POS Machine? Since when is an AMD Phenom II X4 940 on an ASUS M4N72-E with 4GB of Ram and dual EVGA GeForce GTX 280's, 2 TB worth of storage, Blu-Ray drive, DVD-RW drive, OCZ 700w Power Supply, 24 in ASUS display, Razer Copperhead mouse and Razer Tarantula Keyboard, and a Sennheiser Headset a POS machine that I have laying around my house? I'm pretty sure I'll get a better 3dMark score than any mac currently on the market. Pretty sure I can out compute any mac on the market. Okay, maybe not any Mac... but most of them. So if it's a matter of Apple wanting to make sure that Mac software is run on a good machine so that people have a good experience with the OS, why can't I run it on my twinked out gaming rig? P.S. It's also really good at editing very large images in the photoshop, and it's good at browsing the intertron... Oh and it runs linux pretty neat too. Gee, it does everything well.. It even looks pretty... why would I want a Mac then?

[ikramerica--2008]

Exactly. Let's translate:

"We are trying to make our product as nearly identical in specs as the Apple offerings to intentionally confuse the marketplace and damage Apple's reputation and balance sheet. It's a great day!"

[Truthfuldemise]

Also, 30 years to create? Really? Mac OSX was thirty years in the making? As I recall they scrapped 30 years of design in order to make Mac OSX. It was only as good as it was because they were able to rebuild the Mac OS from the ground up, shedding legacy support for anything previous Mac OS 9 and they were only able to do this because there are so few Macs running at an enterprise level. Man, it would be nice if Microsoft could build a new OS from the ground up with next to no legacy support thus shedding the registry and other similar old stuff in their OS... But then how would the University I used to work for run their 15 year old software?

Plus, and I may be wrong... But didn't Bill Gates buy a bunch of stock in Apple right around the Max OS 9 era? That's what I saw in Pirates of Silicon Valley anyhow, which btw paints your god Steve Jobs as an ass who just sat around dropping acid while Woz did all the work.. I don't know if that's true though, but it would explain why Steve Jobs doesn't like buttons... get it? Acid, buttons? No? Drug humor lost on ya? Oh well. I bet nobody will respond to this either because I remember my history on the development of Mac OSX and the involvement of Bill Gates in keeping Apple alive as a company. If someone does reply, it's only because I said nobody would.

[Truthfuldemise]

Well yeah, they want to make things that run on nearly identical but cheaper hardware. But wait... if it's nearly identical why is it cheaper? It can't be quality.. Last I checked ASUS made good Mobo's, and so does MSI sometimes... I could understand if the company was using a Foxconn mobo though, or an Intel mobo.... etc etc im too lazy to really argue... What I did want to argue was AJ Pant's statement of any POS machine they have laying around the house. I do agree that this company shouldn't try to mirror Apple's hardware. They should use better hardware if they're going to be breaking the EULA. I mean comeon? Why break the law to sell inferior hardware?

[groink_hi]

I have a question one one brought up anywhere...

Why does Apple even sell Mac OS X as a retail product?

I can understand they sold X when everyone was running Mac OS 9 and earlier. But now that everyone who had to purchase X without purchasing new hardware, I see no reason to sell the product like Microsoft does with Windows.

What I would do is remove X from the retail market. When Apple releases a major version, release it purely as an upgrade, and require an Apple serial number to purchase the upgrade. That's all that needs to be done! You no longer have to deal the with (mis)interpretations of the EULA. Apple has the infrastructure to do this... For example, you cannot purchase AppleCare from its web site without a serial number. It'll immediately take Psystar and de Silva out of business for good because, quite frankly, they can't get a hold of a retail copy of the software to sell.

[Truthfuldemise]

Because then some of the more outspoken Apple fans who secretly pirate upgrades for the OS would lose out. I know they're out there. I know a few of them. They are very outspoken about keeping the Mac OS serial free and verification free and of course we all know why.

I mean, I'm sure Apple in all it's glory could manage a serial number system that didn't suck, right?

[Vegaman_Dan]

Requiring you to have OSX preinstalled for an upgrade to take effect would be a problem for those people who buy one copy and install it on as many machines as they want.

[Truthfuldemise]

I know afew of those too. Hell, I think that the University I go to does that. And its a state university. Fancy that. lol.

[Maclover1]

All this BS talk. Here is what is going to happen. Demand for this stuff will be really low at best. Apple will drag them through court, they buried in court costs and be gone 1 year from now.

Out side of a very small nich of techie people who really wants a Hacintosh? No one. Joe consumer either wants a Apple computer or a not.

Apple would only have to change the wording and the hardware just enough to jack with any Hackintosh. Likes stop selling OS X in stores, only sell it on new boxes. Then sell an upgrade only that must see the original OS and some chip to verify its Apple hardware.

[pithenumber]

and someone will develop a bypass

the only way to stop clones is to switch back to POWER and that isn't happening since it means dropping support for Windows

[kelmon]

Aren't we getting bored of these articles yet? When Psystar started doing clones it was interesting because they were the first to put their head above the parapet but now we have several companies all pretty much doing the same thing. Are we going to get a new article each time a new company appears? When does this end? Sorry but I just don't find this to be newsworthy anymore.

[BtmnHatesRbn]

Robert X. Cringely has already addressed this issue. This is actually a non-issue in a few years time.

Apple bought a PPC-based chip company that has been developing 5 GHz chips for them in R&D. As soon as those chips are small enough, cool enough, and has multiple cores, Apple will just go back to PPC-based computers.

Also, Apple doesn't care if you, as an individual, makes an Apple clone at home for your own use, and mainly for fun. Read the early company history. That's okay by them. What Apple doesn't like it somebody doing what these clone makers do, that's all.

[Garken]

OK. Enough is enough. Since Apple wants to control the world, its time to put them in their place.Same as other software companies that do not understand that when you buy their product it becomes yours. I am tired of buying something and being told that in the EULA that I am only renting. How would you feel if you bought a car and then the manufacturer decided that you weren't using it in the way they intended and came and repossessed it ? Same with your house.

[Perry_Clease]

You are NOT buying OSX, only licensing it.