Power Computing all over again...Psystar out-features Apple desktops
Upstart, questionably legal, Psystar is now shipping Mac clones with built-in Blu-ray and NVIDIA 9800GT graphics cards. For those of us with some gray hairs, this might bring back the memory of Power Computing, the Texas-based original Mac clone maker that vexed Apple over and over again back in the 1990's by releasing computers that out-specced Apple's own.
Power Computing was also able to utilize technologies like VGA connectors and off the shelf power supplies and cases to sell lower prices than Apple's own computers. At the same time, they were also able to get the fastest PowerPC chips into the machines months ahead of Apple's. Therefore, their machines constantly out-performed Apple's and cost less.
The company never realized their full potential. Unfortunately, they were really a victim of their own success. The conventional wisdom at the time was that half of Power's customers were new to the Mac platform. The downside of that is that the other half were cannibalizing Apple's sales. This obviously wasn't sitting too well with Apple. Was Apple's hardware team to blame? Was there too much bureaucracy at Apple to beat the streamlined Power Computing cloners? Was Apple R&D not properly being accounted for in the licensing scheme?
Then Apple aquired NeXT to build the new MacOS...and we all know what happened..erm...next....
Apple and new interim CEO Steve Jobs ended the cloning in September 1997 when they bought Power Computing for $100 million in Apple stock.
So does this leave Apple in a similar situation now? Will they have to buy out Psystar? Not really...
Although there are some similarities between then and now, there are also significant differences. First of all, you can get a BluRay drive for your Mac Pro as well as adding a 9800GT video card...which is about as easy as buying a clone and setting up the Mac OS on it. Psystar isn't going to hit the high end customer like Power Computing did.
Also, since the Mac platform is now run on Intel based chips, just about any PC can run the MacOS. You don't really need a special Psystar box if you have some technology skills. You can shop around or build your own Hackintosh that will blow away any Mac Pro for less than Apple, and even Psystar, charges. But it takes time, skill and effort.
The market that Psystar could serve isn't that big. The low end, low tech skills crowd that Apple has little interest in servicing may find some usefulness in Psystar's offerings. At the same time, these customers will of course have to hope that Apple doesn't release updates that kill Psystar's EFI workaround or that their hard drive doesn't need reformating or replacing. With Apple threatening lawsuits and threatening to change EFI so that Psystar's machines no longer work, most of the low tech crowd will probably stay away.
Apple could kill the clone makers by sending their expensive army of lawyers after them (like they have) or they could kill them by offering a midrange Mac at a price point that makes sense based on the platform. Don't expect a change of gameplan anytime soon.
Power Computing's farewell ad.
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Comments (26)
While I would never actually buy a clone machine, I think that if Apple were forced to open up the OS then the competition could be very healthy. As their market share rises, Apple risks getting caught in the same anti-trust mess that snared Microsoft, and this could be the only way for them to reconsider their position.
antitrust? at one digit global marketshare? hmm.
I'll tell you this much, if i had a option to pay $50 extra for blu ray, i wouldn't take it, why? have you seen how much even a black blu ray disk cost? blu ray is nice to have but i wouldn't pay a penny extra for it, not now maybe a year down the road but not now
Only a complete fool or certified hacker geek would waste their precious time and money on a knockoff computer of questionable legality from a tiny company with hardly any staff and even less tech support. Once Apple eats them for lunch in court, all this silly talk of cloners will be over.
And it makes no sense for Apple to license or otherwise allow their OS to be made by others, as there is no money to be made unless you have a majority share of the market, and then you have to deal with the myriad computer manufacturers, driver conflicts, and other issues that have rendered MS Windows such a piece of crap. The real value in the Apple ecosystem is the combination of hardware and software. How many times do we need to learn this lesson?
No wireless, no bluetooth, and the no-name bluray drive is a $310 option. Sorry, I can buy one for my Mac for less.
Plus, decidedly old-school 8 GB RAM ceiling? This is far from a Mac Pro.
I think the writer meant imac. As the mac pro has 8 cores @ 2.8 Ghz (2 quad cores) each standard. While the pystars maximum is 4 cores @ 2.4 Ghz (1 quad core).
A normal PC can't compare to a Mac which has a lot of things like Bluethooth2, Wireless N, Alluminium, faster USB2 than PC (see anandtech), faster FIreWire than pc, much better engeenering (see iMac) and a lot of things. So stop this crap about pc clones now.
Not all mac have firewire anymore :(
Blu-ray + 9800GT isn't much more than a Mac, and given that Apple and Psystar are making a private agreement, Psystar will top doing business with Mac clones, whatever Apple has to do to stop it.
It should not be difficult to build a firmware (dongle) into every Mac that is requirement for it to run OS X. Then no other wannabe encroacher could do the dirty deed. It's important to keep all the Windows hardware makers out in the cold so that they rise or fall with the market's love or hate for Windows. You choose sides and you live or die according to the way the battle plays out. Apple does not need cheapskate PC producers who are turncoating away from a failing Microsoft.
There is no antitrust issue for Apple to answer, even if it became the sole OS vendor. They support the Windows OS unofficially. I don't see Sony or Canon or any other company allowing competitors to use their OS products for cameras, camcorders, MP3 players etc. There are a million precedents for Apple restricting Mac OS X to Apple products.
As with the iPod and iPhone, all DRM will eventually be cracked. Apple is a hardware company, so their concern is more sales lost to Psystar than people installing OS X on other machines.
Go Psystar! Competition is always good. And stop telling BS that Macs are superior to usual PCs. Macs are just the same with a Apple logo on it. And please don´t tell me about the new alu casing, the new macs have quality issues like never before: broken displays that don´t start, 60% oh the new MB have slanted function keys, lose trackpads, lose case on the backside etc. I know 8 people who sent their new MB back because of quality issues. Mac OS X is the only advantage Apple has. Monopoly is never a goid thing, so stop complaining about Psystar. They are only doing all Mac users a favour.
Wow... that's interesting... none of the people I know that have purchased the new MacBook have seen any problems like you have said. Surely a few of them should have fallen into your 60%, wouldn't you think? I mean... I know at least 15 people... and they're all pleased... (with 2 being upset about the missing firewire port, but they're getting along OK...)
To say that OS-X is the only advantage Apple has is a little small-minded. The MACINTOSH is Apple's advantage... a Macintosh is a semlessly-integrated marriage of hardare and software, not "just" OS-X. It's another platform... not just some generic x86 box like everyone else builds, even though it's based on the same thing. It could use swiss cheese as a CPU for all I care, as long as it does what a Macintosh is supposed to do.
We've sold 200 units in the last week since it came out, if your 60% number is even close we'd have seen 120 units returned..and so far....well, none have come back.
How is Psystar doing ANYONE a favor, once they are forced to cease and desist, anyone that has already bought one will be able to get NO customer support from ANYONE.
This is like buying a pirated copy of Iron Man from someone on the street, what if it doesn't play in your DVD player? Not like you can contact anyone about it.
Can confirm slanted keys on new MacBooks. Infact when I wanted to return it to the shop for a new one, ALL MacBooks they had in stock had this problem! Thats 100%
They even got a call from Apple who said this was "normal". It's the new look of mac and should NOT be replaced!!!
I live in Norway by the way and bought it at Eplehuset.
PS: apologies.. to clarify..
Bru-Ray is available under OS X - but only for data read/write.
http://www.macworld.co.uk/mac/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=23332
ie not able to playback movies under OS X.
Still... Psystar are just playing the any news is good news card here. Its only a "backup" device under Psystar.
Its $310. No big deal. I could go out and buy one for that price from Amazon.
For the record, I do agree that it would be awesome for somebody to build a LISCENSED Macintosh "clone" computer. However, a Psystar machine does NOT fit this criteria...
Back when Apple had allowed people to build clone machines, they had to conform to Apple's hardware standards so the user experience would stay consistent wether you used an Apple machine or not. I seriously believe that if Apple were going to open up OS-X to run on non-Apple hardware, they would probably follow the same guidelines today... (Not just open up a liscense to run OS-X on generic hardware as everybody seems to want...)
That being said, it's clear to see that the OpenPC is just a consumer "hackintosh", not a true clone. A true clone would be able to install OS-X right out of the box without any modification.
I think you COMPLETELY MISSED THE POINT of my post...
The article stated that the Psystar machine was a Mac "clone". My comment was in reference to how wrong this statement was!!! NOWHERE did I say Apple SHOULD allow someone to make clones. Instead, I could've sworn I was reinforcing why they WON'T allow clones... Maybe if you read my post correctly you'd get this....
As a PROUD owner of a Mac Pro 8-core, a G5 iMac, a 12" G4 powerbook, a Mac mini, and a 24" intel iMac, I have NO PROBLEM giving Apple my money, and I will probably continue to do so. I can afford to buy any machine I want!!! If Apple allowed someone so build a LISCENSED machine that matched the Apple hardware specs and gave the same user experience (just like the ORIGINAL Mac clones in the 90's), THEN I might be interested in buying one... but they don't, so it's pointless...
Do you even remember the clone situation from the 90's??? I lived through it... and I STILL bought the Apple computers...
Put down the bong for a few... maybe then you'll be able to comprehend what you're really reading.
Go Go Psystar! The mac fanbois and 20-something, blog-obsessed technophiles are incapable of forcing Apple's hand. Blind devotion has held the Mac back and created a comfortable niche for a profit hungry Apple. But it has done little to improve the general computing landscape.
It is nice to see someone has balls enough to challenge the Apple over what can only be seen as a ridiculous money racket. I hope Psystar can encourage Apple to do what its pitiful little 3% fanbase, I mean userbase, has been unwilling to do. We all know what that is...
So when multitouch comes to EVERYTHING in the next couple years are you still going to say Apple has done NOTHING for the computing landscape. Take a look at Windows 7, look a little familiar?
I see you got all your marketshare figures off of last year's Cheerios box...
I'm not gonna waste my time educating you on how Apple has changed the "general computing landscape." Live in the bliss of your utter ignorance...
Wow, drink from the Ballmer Kool-Aid much?
Them "Balls" is gonna get neutered pretty soon and that 3% fanbase, I mean userbase, is actually close to 10% moron.
People never learn from past history. Don't be a sucker and buy this junk. These guys come and go and people are left without support, warranties, etc.
...since OSX can't play Bluray movies yet. Until Apple enables Bluray playback this is a moot point. Oh, and if I need storage I'll just go and drop a $150 for a 1TB USB external. I'll get more value out of that than buying some POS Psystar box. I hope Apple steamrolls these fuckers.
Amen, brother...