Possible Psystar Mac laptop clone in the works
By Laura June 
posted October 29th 2008 2:52PM
posted October 29th 2008 2:52PM
It looks like Psystar really hasn't been hit by either the economic downturn or the lawsuits Apple has brought against it regarding those "OS X-capable" machines. Adding insult to yesterday's injury -- the announcement of desktops with built-in Blu-ray and NVIDIA's GeForce 9800GT-- it also looks like the company is actively developing a Mac laptop clone, according to an email obtained by AppleInsider. A Psystar spokesperson claims that, "Although there is no mobile open computer at the moment, I can tell you that it is something that is in development," and adds "No release day or price has been set for any potential mobile product line. However I can assure you that at release it will be very competitively priced." Well then -- assuming the quality of the laptops will be comparable to those desktops -- we can hardly wait.
unless of course, its as pricey as the real deal...
You know you dont have to update any time Apple release new gadgets... im still happy with 10.3.9 on my old ibook.
It is time for Apple to start selling the OSX on flash drives WITH the Mac, therfore if anyone offers to sell a Mac clone, they can sue 'em
If you want to upgrade your OS you ahve to exchange the drive.
your supper secret business plan or something?
Is anyone else as curious as I am as to where and how Psystar is getting its funding? Sure it has sold some of its Open Computers, but nowhere near enough to fund their development and the lawsuit with Apple. And I find it hard to believe that a venture capital firm would provide much capital to a firm with a business model that guaranteed a lawsuit from one of America's richest companies. No matter how meritorious Psystar's antitrust counterclaim is (and I believe it is strong enough to get to trial and possibly win), it still takes money to keep the lights on.
Microsoft secretly want to destroy the Apple model. They know that when Steve Jobs leaves and the Clone Wars return, it will be the end of Apple...
nooooooooooo!
hehe The last thing Microsoft want is people having the choice to buy OS X on non-apple computers. Its probably that Silver Case Maker From Hell who is behind it...
Remember the days of the few System 7 Mac clones out there? Those were baaad.
well, they could have funding from all those windows fanbois out there. i know several people who would give psystar a great deal of money (like at least 10 dollars lol) just for keeping at it with apple
Probably apple. Might be using them as a guinea pig to see how well a Mac netbook would sell.
Boards of Canada is right - Psystar is just as a big that to Microsoft as it is to Apple (perhaps even bigger as it targets the lower market).
I expect Apple is pulling out of those negotiations right now and walking up to a California judge right about now.
Will PsyPhones and PsyPods be next?
lol this is so funny. they are just getting under apples skin every step of the way. microsoft probably paid them to do this
love it.
LOL +1
@ Mikey.
"Is anyone else as curious as I am as to where and how Psystar is getting its funding? Sure it has sold some of its Open Computers, but nowhere near enough to fund their development and the lawsuit with Apple."
I'm not challenging that statement per se, but I am curious what you base it on.
Have you read anywhere that reveals how many Open Computers or whatever they're called the company has sold?
If well speced and priced right I would be very interested in checking out a laptop from them.
as a lawyer myself, I would pick up their case pro-bono publico. It would open up my career and the loop holes in the License agreement are gaping.
That being said, I am not a lawyer, but a 50 year old man in my mother's basement. just goes to show that anyone on the internet can say anything and make it sound good.
SHAWWEEEEET!!!
Lame duck gripes "There is my point. Their line of credit SUCKS. S U C K S! It is so freaking horrible."
get your story straight dude. Apple has NOTHING to do with the whole credit issue. that is Juniper Bank 100%. they are the ones that are turning you down. so don't take that out on Jobs and company.
lets get real folks. Psystar went out and bought retail boxes with an End User License granting the buyer the right to put the software on a machine for personal use. NOT to redistribute it or resell it. which they did by putting it on their machines. They tweaked the software so that Software Update would call to their servers to get both Apple updates and their tweaks to make the OS work with their equipment which is illegal. They used Apple trademarks to sell their machines. Illegal. They got called on it. So they whined that the EULA rule is stupid and they shouldn't get in trouble for breaking a stupid rule.
They should NOT be allowed to use that defense to get out of the suit against them. They knew the rule and broke it without shame (and bragged about it). They should be slapped down for it. And after that, they can deal with the 'stupid rule' issue and if they win, at that point they can go back to the cloning business.
Only Psystar can make an MBA killer. It'll have 2 USB ports, matte 12" screen, and actually run OS X without issue.
You know, if they make a MacBook equivalent that includes a FIREWIRE 400 PORT then I might actually consider one. I don't like the idea of Mac clones but I am very annoyed that Firewire 400 was dropped from the consumer line with no replacement or compensation.
I really like the idea of having a cheaper alternative for using Mac OS X. The superior Apple hardware is spiel kinda dead now since for the most part they use the same chips and components as PCs. I don't care what the box that runs Mac OS X looks like! As long as it's fast and runs well I'll cover the ugly thing up and use the nice new dell monitor I have.
The good news for people that feel the way I do is that Apple probably figures it can not win against Psystar or they would not be playing so nicey, nice and trying to negotiate while Psystar not only continues to sell open PCs but also offers Blue Ray and is now talking about selling laptops.
YEAH! :>)
I think it's funny that everyone is saying "If it's cheaper, I'll buy it!"
You know you get what you pay for, don't you?
The keyboard on a MacBook is superior to any I've used on any other laptop, and that was an Apple innovation. The Psystar clone will probably have the cheap standard keyboard you see on every HP or Dell.
The display on a MacBook is a high-quality LED/glass thing of beauty. The Psystar clone will have a dim Taiwanese LCD with dead pixels.
The glass trackpad on the MacBook allows gestures, functions as a button itself, and is ultra-responsive. The Psystar will probably have one of those Thinkpad eraser-nub things, and two mechanical buttons that get gunked up in a few weeks.
The MagSafe AC adapter has saved many a MacBook from destruction. The Psystar clone will have a clunky, standard power supply.
The MacBook has the easiest upgrade for hard drive or RAM of almost any laptop on the market. The Psystar clone won't let you upgrade at all, most likely.
The MacBook is made of a solid piece of aluminum, and it's extremely lightweight, sturdy and damage-resistant. The Psystar clone will be made of cheap plastic with a metal casing inside, causing it to be heavy, clunky, and easily damaged.
The MacBook warranty is an all-inclusive one-year from purchase that can be extended to three years. The Psystar will be 90 days, at best, and you'll have to mail it in to their shop in Florida to get any service.
You think Psystar is going to use quality components? Think again. They're in this for the short-term, easy buck. They'll crank out a piece of crap laptop, and then ignore it once they've sold out and users are complaining about it being noisy, slow, easily damaged, or just plain junk. It's not even going to be Dell or HP level of quality. This is frakking *Psystar* we're talking about. Their current Mac Clone is a cheap piece of junk that sounds like a jet taking off!
Go ahead and buy it. In two years, when I sell my MacBook for 10% less than I paid for it (resale value remains high with Apple products), and you're on your third Psystar clone, we'll see who got the better deal.
"You know you get what you pay for, don't you?"
I paid for a 1st Gen Mac Mini and it was a sack of shit.