Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is buying from Pystar illegal?
- Thread starter tbluhp
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The base model iMac is cheaper than a comparatively speced Psystar crapola.
Because you do want Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FireWire, and a decent processor, don't you?
Because you do want Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FireWire, and a decent processor, don't you?
It's "illegal" in the sense that installing OS X on a non-Apple computer violates the EULA, which is a civil matter.
It's "legal" in the sense that it's not a crime and you won't go to jail.
Clear as mud, huh?
It's "legal" in the sense that it's not a crime and you won't go to jail.
Clear as mud, huh?
Actually, its not cheaper. You can get the psystar with the same processor, 2GB of ram in stead of 1GB, 320GB (7200rpm) hard drive instead of 250GB (5400rpm), a grapics card with 256mb dedicated memory instead of integrated, and all for $200 less.
Just thought I would let you know.
The iMac's video RAM is not integrated, and you can't compare them spec for spec because Psystar doesn't offer cards with equal performance to those of the iMac.
Huh? Who said they used 5400RPM drives? The iMacs use 7200RPM desktop drives, not laptop drives. Also, the graphics card on the iMac also uses dedicated memory. Oh, and the iMacs screens are much better than the crapola 19-inch screens that Psystar supplies.
Legal or not, it's slightly less well-thought-out than buying a new car right this moment from any of the Big 3.
You saying that an integrated card is better than a dedicated one and that the performance is better when using shared memory? lol
When you don't get a repair under warranty (because the company is bust), your credit card company won't help you (because no credit card company will accept payments to Psystar). And the latest legal development is that Apple is very interested in anyone giving money to the company.
Sorry, "them" was an iMac and an OpenComputer because they don't share any of the same card models.
if you want a hackintosh, build it yourself. owning a hackintosh should be a DIY kind of thing. personally, i equate buying a computer from psystar to the people who buy overpriced clothes from urban outfitters just to look like they shop at thrift stores instead of just scouring the racks at salvation army themselves.
I wouldn't recommend anyone buying from Pystar (building your own is another subject), however, do you really believe the iMac's 8800M GS is more powerful than the following (offered by Pystar)?
GeForce 8800GT 512MB
Dual SLI GeForce 8800G
GeForce 9800GTX 512MB
Dual SLI GeForce 9800GTX 512MB
GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB
Dual SLI GeForce 9800 GX2 +
Vernor v. Autodesk is a interesting read in regards to the sale vs. license issue (the court concluded that the transfer of AutoCAD packages from Autodesk to CTA was a sale)...
To clear some things up as far as Apple's EULA.
Breaking the terms of the license is not criminally illegal.
Breaking the terms of the license is not criminally illegal.
The court in that case also remarked that some of the people selling software to Verner (someone must have sold to him in order for him to resell) were apparently in violation of their license agreement, and AutoCAD could go after them. That was companies buying upgrades with a license requiring to destroy the old copy, and then selling on the old copy to Verner (which was not his problem).
Anyway, the First Sale Doctrine only allows you to sell the original, unmodified software, and the buyer is held by the same license terms that the original buyer was held to. So selling MacOS X installed on a Psystar computer is not covered by this, even selling MacOS X completely legally installed on a Macintosh isn't (but the license seems to allow this), and installing the software on a Psystar computer would be illegal, whether you bought MacOS X from an Apple Store or received it from Psystar.
Ask your lawyer first...
This came just in on groklaw:
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20081204231414746
It is about Psystar's software license. And according to groklaw, it is like no other license they have ever seen. Do not go anywhere near it, unless you consulted your lawyer first (as in a lawyer paid for you to give you legally binding advice).
This came just in on groklaw:
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20081204231414746
It is about Psystar's software license. And according to groklaw, it is like no other license they have ever seen. Do not go anywhere near it, unless you consulted your lawyer first (as in a lawyer paid for you to give you legally binding advice).
Surely the legality thing is a non-issue (other than your own conscience) because you could easily claim that you were ignorant to the fact you were breaking Apple's terms. (Looking at the Psystar website, how would you know - if you do not visit MacRumors - that you would be breaking some laws or even that Apple makes Mac OS X and it's supposed to be only run on Macs?). There is no way that Apple can do anything about your purchase without you getting your money back.
However, I personally would not go near it just save a couple of hundred $£. At the end of the day, those Psystar computers look like cheap Dells and you just know that they're not going to work as well as a proper Mac - there is also no guarauntee that everything will work as it should and there will likely be no warranty or support in the near future once Apple has had its way.
And I wouldn't touch any company that is dishonest or in clear violation of someone else's terms with a barge pole...
However, I personally would not go near it just save a couple of hundred $£. At the end of the day, those Psystar computers look like cheap Dells and you just know that they're not going to work as well as a proper Mac - there is also no guarauntee that everything will work as it should and there will likely be no warranty or support in the near future once Apple has had its way.
And I wouldn't touch any company that is dishonest or in clear violation of someone else's terms with a barge pole...