Psystar says it is "definitely still shipping" its Mac clones

It looks like Psystar isn't about to let a little lawsuit stop it from selling its noise-ridden, OSX-running computers, with the company now saying that it is "definitely still shipping" its Mac clones, and that it also is making its restore utilities that "enhance the computing experience" available to its customers at no extra cost. As Information Week reports, the company also recently enlisted Palo Alto-based law firm Carr & Ferrell to help it out with its current predicament. As those that follow such things may recall, they've actually tussled with Apple before, and coaxed out a settlement.

[roach @ Aug 14th 2008 12:33PM]

Ha! Ha! Ugly Macs!!

[roach @ Aug 14th 2008 1:22PM]

I think it'1s great that Psystar is making this Mac and sticking it to Steve's ass and his philosophy of "Apple must be packaged beautifully". I can see him cringing at the sight of this "Apple" computer.

It also goes into the face of Fanboys that says all PCs are ugly which is hardly the case being that there are a lot of PC makers out there that also make beautiful PCs.

Now there are ugly Macs and beautiful Macs, just as there are ugly PCs and beautiful PCs.

Ha! Ha! Ugly Macs!!

[Kelmon @ Aug 14th 2008 2:11PM]

Example of a beautiful desktop PC. I'm not saying that they don't exist but I'd like to see a piccy of one, please.

I'm sorted on the laptop front - the Voodoo Envy is really good looking.

[phoomp @ Aug 14th 2008 2:51PM]

@Kelmon
I find Dell's Studio Hybrid to be a nice looking PC desktop.
http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/products/desktop_studio/includes/en/us/desktop-studio-hybrid-superview?c=ca&cs=CADHS1&l=en&s=dhs

[Mike10010100 @ Aug 14th 2008 2:52PM]

On this episode of "When Fanboys Collide," we see a mymacus betterdan urus in a heated battle with a macsrforsucca shutuppa.

Watch how they tear at each other and go for the vulnerable areas, like design and function.

[The Dude @ Aug 14th 2008 2:59PM]

@Kelmon:

OEM cases aren't the prettiest but I don't think they're hideous either. You can easily buy a 3rd party case and swap your OEM guts into it. IF you want good looks and don't mind putting down $125, Antec's P182 case is perfect. If all you want to spend is $45 on good looks, Cooler Master's Centurion 5 (the silver trimmed version) is perfect. Those are just my personal preferences in those price ranges. There are aesthetically pleasing cases below, between, at, and above those prices.

I personally hate all-in-one desktop solutions (I hate being forever locked into the hardware config made at purchase). But you know Dell's XPS and Sony's VAIO all-in-one desktops are sexy as hell.

[Paul Dullford @ Aug 14th 2008 5:03PM]

No. No. First of all, nothing is uglier than the eMate 300.
Second, while it is illegal, it's nice to have a competitor in an industry where Apple holds a monopoly -- Macs.
Now, I know Psystar should have gotten permission from Apple, and probably wouldn't have gotten it. But I'm rooting for Psystar to fight this lawsuit off. This is a case of antitrust in the Mac PC market.

[Kelmon @ Aug 15th 2008 3:54AM]

@phoomp

OK, fair comment - I'd forgotten about the Dell Hybrids. The small size, curved case design, colours and the useless stand does produce a nice looking unit. As I think I mentioned in my comment for the original announcement, the design is quite un-Dell-like and I hope they continue.

@The Dude

I think we have different ideas of what represents something that "looks good". The Antec P182, for example, looks a lot like my fridge and not in a good way. There's definitely the possibility of horrible things happening there, like discovering that in your drunken state you put the remains last night's curry in it. It's going to smell and their may be fireworks...

With respect to the others, the Centurion 5 is pretty dull looking, the Dell XPS does nothing for me, and the VAIO looks like a big digital picture frame, which might be the objective.

[James G. @ Aug 14th 2008 12:36PM]

You can say all the messed up things about the Psystar's "mac clones" but, they are thE man for being so bad-ass.

[fred @ Aug 14th 2008 12:37PM]

Come on, Engadget. Dont you just want to tear into these people?

That post lacks the snarky, "how dare you" style that these Apple hurting b@sterds deserve!

Maybe the Apple fans will pick up the slack.

[Yevon @ Aug 14th 2008 2:46PM]

Absolutely. As everyone knows, Apple is really hurting for money these days.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10017065-1.html

Sarcasm. Get used to it.

[waiownsyou @ Aug 14th 2008 12:41PM]

Silly Apple. Just update the Mac Mini so that it's on-par or more powerful while keeping the same price point and wipe out the competition immediately.

[Jeff Tronti @ Aug 14th 2008 12:55PM]

That is crazy talk. Why do that when you can dispach and army of lawyers. Obviously you don't understand buisiness.

[Macdelaney @ Aug 14th 2008 12:57PM]

Thats exactly what i'm waiting for, i would buy a mac right now, but i like my display (so a iMac wouldn't do it for me) and I would also like to watch HD videos, so the mac mini is not enough. Just update the darn thing, or kill it, so at least we can quit the waiting game.

[majorburns @ Aug 14th 2008 1:25PM]

@macdelaney

there is such a computer. save up a bit and get a mac pro.

[nerdtalker @ Aug 14th 2008 2:04PM]

You mean that long-forgotten cube-esque failure of a mac? Why on earth would they update it with, say, an atom-based solution (which by the way, runs and installs OS X Kalaway out of box), when they can sue everyone and force entry users into higher price point MBs, MBPs and iMacs.

Brilliant!

1. Product
2. Newer competition
3. Make product more expensive
4. !??!?!?!?
5. PYSTAR
6. LAWYERS
7. ??????
8. PROFIT!

[waiownsyou @ Aug 14th 2008 2:08PM]

Enough with the 4chan stuff

[Ignatius @ Aug 14th 2008 2:41PM]

RULE 1 AND 2 OF THE INTERNET OR ANON WILL BE DISPATCHED TO YOUR PLACE OF RESIDENCE.

[Obadiah @ Aug 18th 2008 12:34PM]

Yeah, let's wipe out competition!

[fieldcar @ Aug 14th 2008 12:43PM]

heh, ugly and proud of it. the case is like the $30 bargain bin cases you find on newegg. Loves it.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Aug 14th 2008 12:49PM]

Someone should stuff a Psystar into a Lego Case.

[bartoron @ Aug 14th 2008 1:57PM]

It's actually a $60 case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108072

The exact same case but in a different color -- you know, the same color as a Mac.

[Skemo @ Aug 14th 2008 12:44PM]

Though they are clearly in the wrong from a legal standpoint, I definitely tip my cap for challenging Apple's decidedly Microsoftian approach to their precious OSX. Its only because Apple is "trendy" that they don't catch more flack for being just as protectionist as Redmond when it comes to their software.

[Shunnabunich @ Aug 14th 2008 12:55PM]

True, true. They just use a different method to protect sales, so people don't make the connection right away. Really, though, aside from whatever benefits it has as a platform, it's there to sell hardware, which is a different focus than Microsoft's. Nothing stops you from pirating every copy of OS X you can find...if you've already paid for a Mac to install them on. MS doesn't sell the hardware, so for them the protection has to be in the software.

[Andune @ Aug 14th 2008 2:47PM]

Can i sue Nintendo for not letting me put the Wii OS on my Xbox 360?

The day Apple have to open up OS X for every computer out there wont be a happy one, there is a reason that they stopped doing that.

[Shunnabunich @ Aug 14th 2008 3:31PM]

Not a bad point, but neither Nintendo nor Microsoft sell the firmwares/OSes of their respective consoles as a separate product from the console hardware itself, and Apple does, at least for its desktop and laptop computers. Nobody seems to be crying out for Apple to license out the slimmed down "distros" of OS X that run on (and only come as part of) the Apple TV, iPhone or iPod touch either. I won't pretend to know the legal details, but I don't think Apple could really get away with classifying Mac OS X as "firmware" or the like, because they sell it as its own product that just happens to be artificially restricted (i.e. not out of necessity, as with the aforementioned devices' specific and unique hardware) to certain computers which are, more or less, based on the same overall architecture as other brands of PCs. You'd have to do an assload more work to get the Wii's OS to run on an Xbox 360, or to get "OS X iPhone" to run on a Diamond, than to make Mac OS X ignore its compulsion to check whether it's running on an Apple machine or not, because the Wii/Xbox 360/iPhone/Diamond all have much more specialized sets of hardware. Food for thought, at least. :)

[Eric @ Aug 14th 2008 12:47PM]

That the law firm is willing to take shyster's, er, Psystar's money means nothing as far as the outcome. Win or lose, they make their money. So it says nothing about the merits of the case that they are taking Psystar's money.

[cooper8168 @ Aug 14th 2008 1:39PM]

I guarantee you the firm would not take the case if they felt it had no merit. Psystar's pockets aren't deep enough to sustain a long, drawn-out process and the firm wouldn't risk thousands of unpaid billable hours and the potential hit to its reputation as "Apple Killer" based on the promise of a large retainer alone. Both Psystar and the firm have something to protect.

[Sudo @ Aug 14th 2008 12:48PM]

Stickin' it to the man.

[happy_penguin @ Aug 14th 2008 12:57PM]

They got some balls, I'll give them that.

[dennis @ Aug 15th 2008 10:39AM]

Or autistic spectrum disorder.

[OCEAN 12 @ Aug 14th 2008 1:05PM]

ugly looks like a windows pc, a mac not made by apple, ABSOLUTE TRASH, only apples good at making macs with OSX,


only someone who suffers with windows would us this!

UGLY

[lol @ Aug 14th 2008 1:22PM]

big freakin deal if its ugly. thats all you mac fanboys care about. 'omg it sooooooo has to look good sitting under my desk collecting dust.' this is what happens when you put looks over performance and security first. froo froo expensive crap thats buggy and takes forever to be patched because apparently, it takes apple awhile to get over the fact that no...it just doesn't work.

[wootman @ Aug 14th 2008 11:13PM]

gb2/gaia

[jjreinem @ Aug 28th 2008 2:31PM]

Yes, and putting flames on the side of your car makes it go faster!
If you think that it's worth paying the extra cash for the aesthetics of an Apple solution, well then good for you.
However none of the hardware you'll find in a modern day apple computer is in any way different than the kind of hardware you'll find in a modern PC.

[216 @ Aug 14th 2008 1:06PM]

Kudos to them...STICK IT TO THE MAN, aka Jobs

[gee @ Aug 14th 2008 1:17PM]

I guess you won't make it in business. People will stick it to you too.

[George @ Aug 14th 2008 2:29PM]

It's important to remember that even though you could label Apple as elitist and protectionist for not letting their OS out into the wild, the major benefit of this is that they are able to create an OS that is specifically tailored to the hardware that they use. Therefore, you don't have any of this Vista-like rating system where you can't fully use what you've paid for since you don't have a super-duper graphics card.

Even if you buy the lowest end system, you're guaranteed to be able to run their OS to its full potential.

Disclaimer: I am an Apple user, but not what you might call an Apple "Fanboy"

[phrozunsun @ Aug 14th 2008 1:27PM]

LMAO. Run Leopard on a Quicksilver G4 and tell me it runs the same as on a Mac Pro.

Disclaimer: Yes you are.

[letstakeawalk @ Aug 14th 2008 1:28PM]

"Even if you buy the lowest end system, you're guaranteed to be able to run their OS to its full potential."

*obvious snarky question*

If your statement were true, then why does Apple even offer different versions of its hardware? Apple OSX runs the same (100% potential- right?) no matter what memory, processor, graphics, etc. your system comes with?

Thanks, you just made my theoretical Mac purchase easier. No need to go for the TOTL 8-core Mac Pro because the Mac Mini can do everything just as well...

ROTFLMAO

[ethana2 @ Aug 14th 2008 1:31PM]

Dell guarantees the same thing with preinstalled Ubuntu, and that's with no exclusivity.

..so you can take that argument and shove it.

[Kelmon @ Aug 15th 2008 4:13AM]

Yup, I'm a Mac user and I think you are wide of the mark on this one. The OS definitely runs better on newer hardware (no shock there) and later systems get access to more features. For example, my old PowerBook G4 does not have Core Image-compatible graphics chip so it misses out on Core Image effects and acceleration, but it does still run 10.5 without too much trouble.

[freediverdude @ Aug 14th 2008 1:07PM]

I guess it's the principle of the thing, to protect their copyright or whatever, but I don't see why Apple doesn't just ignore Psystar. These computers really only appeal to a limited niche market- namely people who just want to run Leopard and don't care what the case looks like or whether the form factor is nice. Most people buy a mac for the complete package, the OS plus the cool factor plus the form factor. So this really isn't going to make a dent in Apple's sales, it just appeals to a small subset who want a plain old box to run Leopard ultra cheaply.

[Phlake @ Aug 14th 2008 4:56PM]

The problem with that logic is that it truly is bad business for Apple. Apple is primarily a hardware company, so any lost hardware sale to a competitor is a major blow. If they were first a software company, similar to Microsoft, then reducing hardware sales would have minimal impact of their bottom line. Therefore, OS X is the bait for buying a Mac, not the main focus of sales.

[OCEAN 14 (IM NOT CLAK) @ Aug 14th 2008 1:10PM]

ugly looks like a windows pc, a mac not made by apple, ABSOLUTE TRASH, only apples good at making macs with OSX,


only someone who suffers with windows would us this!

UGLY

[happy_penguin @ Aug 14th 2008 1:27PM]

Yeah... I think clak has better grammar skillz.

[ethana2 @ Aug 14th 2008 1:30PM]

Function over form.

[xValentine @ Aug 14th 2008 9:57PM]

Maybe he's Clak's B*tch or something.

[Tony @ Aug 14th 2008 1:22PM]

Most of you are kids. Living in mom's basement and want everything for $100.00. And most of you will never own a company. Apple is protecting their right's to produce an OS and a Mac. They work hard to sell their products. Why should people steal them.

[ethana2 @ Aug 14th 2008 1:30PM]

If I'm a BSD or CUPS developer, I'm like, soooo off the hook for that, right?