Psystar Demos 'Open Computer' on Video

[BenRoethig]

I have no doubt that you can't build a equivilant mac pro for cheaper than you can buy a proper mac pro.

Actually, only the single processor variant was cheaper than the cost of the retail parts and that's without operating system or software.

However to be fair the open computer is not supposed to be an alternative to the mac pro, it's supposed to be an alternative to the mini.

Not too many who are in the minis market would be interested in a hackintosh. In fact, with the exception of the pitifully small laptop hard drives they come with, of them would be perfectly happy with a Mini (or sub-$1000 iMac with similar specs). Who this is really for is enthusiasts who want to switch to Mac OS X and traditional buyers of the $1299-$1699 PowerMac who had the run pulled out from under them by Apple. I settled and downgraded to a computer that doesn't meet my needs, but for some desperate times mean desperate measures.

 

[BenRoethig]

I agree completely. But IMO there is no reason to go for a tower model in 2008 if you aren´t in the category that you mentioned or other fields that require loads of processing power and expansion options.

And they're already well served by the iMac. However, there are many who aren't well served by the iMac and pulling an extra $700-1000 out to pay for even the single cpu Mac Pro just isn't an option.

 

[subsonix]

 

[dsnort]

Speaking of dictionaries, you mean "assonance" not "alliteration."

Oops, you're right, assonance is the correct word.

And these emotions you associate with the EULA/purchase of a computer, do you think corporations share such feelings?

Doesn't matter, it's about how you view yourself.

And yes, some corporations do share them, though not all.

 

[The Monkey]

Oops, you're right, assonance is the correct word.



Doesn't matter, it's about how you view yourself.

And yes, some corporations do share them, though not all.

I guess my point is that I don't think Apple shares them (personal opinion of course). Do you?

EDIT: I agree that some corporations do have such values, I just don't think Apple is one of them.

 

[Electrolytic]

There is something fishy about psystar, I don't think they're for real...
Address changes, faulty web site & credit card transaction issues, name change & someone at psystar would only give his first name at first...

I do hope this opens Apple's eyes to the fact that they need a mid-range mac for the masses...

I'll buy one!!!

 

[Baumi]

Doesn't prove anything

This video doesn't prove anything about Psystar as a company. Everyone knows it's possible to build a Hackintosh, and all the visible components in the video, including the cases, are standard off-the-shelf products anyone could use to build a system.

The whole fuss about Psystar being a hoax is about the company as a business: People haven't been able to find any mention of it until a couple of weeks ago, yet they somehow step right into the limelight wth a surprisingly diverse product portfolio. (And no apparent list of clients.)
Their office address on the website moved about in mysterious ways: Out of a residential area to several buildings in a commercial area, none of which seem to be connected to a company by that name.
I could go on - if you want more, just check the articles on The Guardian's blog and Gizmodo.

The point is: People aren't wondering whether one could build a computer that runs Leopard. They know this can be done. What they are wondering about is, whether the guys behind Psystar aren't just trying to grab their money and run. A video with three computers on a desk doesn't address that worry at all.

 

[MBHockey]

Ok, that video was ghetto and I couldn't even make a video worse then that.

At least look a tiny tad bit professional.

I think I'll stick with a Apple's line for now.

haha, i wrote that on the video comments. Very unprofessional. All they're doing is taking all of osx86 project's work and marketing it. What a joke.

I just can't wait for Steve to show up at their doorstep and bitch slap some sense into them.

 

[ClassicBean]

If they put the same effort into making their computers as they did into producing their video, they're destined to fail.

 

[Tallest Skil]

Psystar has no reason to fake it.

And most of us don't believe that they are.

It's the fact that they're selling them that has us all up ons.

 

[bdkennedy1]

Without verification from any satisfied customers, we still can not endorse the product

Since when does a rumor site think they have the cojones to endorse a product?

That's like going to the dollar store to buy a Mac.

 

[bdkennedy1]

yet they somehow step right into the limelight wth a surprisingly diverse product portfolio. (And no apparent list of clients.)

Anyone with enough money laying around can start a business tomorrow. Their problem is they started advertising too early.

 

[shikimo]

They're SO gonna get it!!!

What are they THINKING?

They might get away with cheapo Ubuntu or whatever it is called...

What you call 'cheapo Ubuntu' is a kickass way of computing without using propriety system software...don't go lumping it in with these clowns, who clearly deserve your scorn.

Oops, you're right, assonance is the correct word.



Doesn't matter, it's about how you view yourself.

And yes, some corporations do share them, though not all.

Of course some businesses conduct their affairs ethically, and we can't go around disobeying laws and contracts because we don't think a company meets our personal ethical standards, but do you really see an EULA as an ethical commitment on either end? I like to think I'm pretty honest and I always try to make good on my word, but EULAs are garbage, both legally and ethically; to me, they are closer to hostage-taking than honest business agreements, overbroad attempts to control things that cannot be controlled without any thought for the two-way nature of legal contracts...and the only alternative is to effectively return to the pre-computer age! I don't see the EULA aspect of this situation as any kind of an issue.

Now, the fact that this person or these persons are unprofessional merdeurs with the business sense of boll weevils is another matter .

 

[Tacitus]

I think the more interesting thing about all this is not that someone is producing a clone using a hack that emulates EFI in the BIOS, but what happens in a year or two/three when all PC motherboards are using EFI. That should be when Windows 7 or whatever it is called is released.

Installation of OSX should then be even more straightforward. Unless Apple comes up with some sort of authorisation mechanism, at that point they'll be hard put to keep the clones out. Maybe by then we'll see some sort of limited licensing, since their revenue from other sources might be sufficient to allow them to do it.

 

[Baumi]

Anyone with enough money laying around can start a business tomorrow. Their problem is they started advertising too early.

Yes, but they claim they're not a start-up but a company that has already been doing business for quite awhile.

Did you read The Guardian's account of a call to their support line?

A man answers, doesn't give his name[...]. [W]hy isn't there any reference to Psystar online before this week? "We're a small IT company, doing solutions anywhere from small office networks to enterprise-level networks." The company's latest product, he said, was a storage area network.

OK, so who are the clients? Why no mention in any forums or press releases of the wonderful work Psystar has done for these small and large businesses? [...] "We were a local company with little to no presence on the web," he explained.
[...]
Were there many people doing support for Psystar? "I'm not support." But I thought... "I'm just answering the phones."​

(I'm not going to discuss the irony of offering networking solutions without having a website...)

 

[ruckus]

It always cracks me up that someone here rushes in to invoke Apple's legal team. Whatever.

Apple should compete with these guys, give us a reason not to buy from Psystar, instead of trying to shut them down. As soon as some third-party reviews start to show up, I will be buying one myself. If Apple won't sell me an affordable tower, I have no qualms buying elsewhere.



Right, because Apple-bought Macs never have hardware/software problems.

Apple doesn't need to compete with these guys any more than bmw needs to compete with hondai. Apple makes a slick designed computer to cater to a certain crowd. I don't want them competing with budget PCs because apple is having a hard enough time keeping its current line up to snuff.

I think buying one of these is a bad decision. Someday after an update its just not going to work anymore. Not to mention they don't look nice

I heard somewhere apple can't do anything until they ship these things. Don't worry, apple will be all over this.

 

[NC MacGuy]

And did you see their front door "not open to the public." WTF??

Not like they've got a whole lot of R&D or intellectual property (theirs anyway) to protect. Hell, someone walk in w. cash and buy one saves them money in cc fees, shipping, tracking and other costs.

The more you look, the more a reason to doubt the legitimacy of their "open computer."

 

[Timothy Flint]

Dumb dumb dumb

A Pystar comes with no operating system, no keyboard, no mouse and no monitor so how can you say it's cheaper than a Mac?
A Pystar is $399 - operating system $129. So $528 and it is 16 times bigger than a Mac Mini which is $599.
So you save $71, loose two square feet of space, and have a kludge system that can't be upgraded.
So pay the $71 and get a Mac.

Or order a Pystar and find out that they charge more than $71 just to install the operating system.

 

[!¡ V ¡!]

Increase the size of the MacMini to hold a desktop drive instead of a notebook HDD and the option of upgrading the GPU.

Hold on a second this scenario is available with an integrated screen and at times optional GPU upgrade called an iMac. So if the MacMini is basically an iMac minus the screen, I can only see the doom of the famous iMac line or the stagnation of the MacMini line.

This is the only reason has not put a cheaper and better performer desktop HDD in the MacMini, because it would compete directly with the low end integrated graphic the iMac offers.

If the MacMini ever grew out of this confined market it would destroy the iMac in every area. Food For Thought.

 

[fr33 loader]

Pass the love around.....

Being a consumer, I'm PRO CHOICE. If Psystar ever wins this and paves the way for a cheaper way to be able to use OS X, then I'm all for it. If you don't like it, then don't buy it. It does sure look real ugly but there are some people who don't care. Your beloved iMacs, Minis, PROs stability will not be affected if this venture ever comes true. It's the Apple elitism that I hate. Just because its more expensive doesn't make it automatically better. I guess some people just cant swallow the fact that their poor neighbor could be having all same OS X goodness for just $400.

 

[The Monkey]

Apple doesn't need to compete with these guys any more than bmw needs to compete with hondai. Apple makes a slick designed computer to cater to a certain crowd. I don't want them competing with budget PCs because apple is having a hard enough time keeping its current line up to snuff.

I think buying one of these is a bad decision. Someday after an update its just not going to work anymore. Not to mention they don't look nice

I heard somewhere apple can't do anything until they ship these things. Don't worry, apple will be all over this.

Of course BMW competes with Hyundai, and every other car manufacturer. As a consumer, you should want Apple to face competition in every and any form. If you're a shareholder, that's a different story.

 

[asdavis10]

I like how they say the video was edited using Final Cut Pro on their Open Computer. What they didn't mention was how the video was shot using a camera phone. And anyone notice how the sign-work on the Psystar headquarters door said "not open to the public"? Someone just let me know if they get one of the cheap systems. And then we'll all just wait for your thread on how to fix the stupid machine once Software Update breaks it.

 

[asdavis10]

Being a consumer, I'm PRO CHOICE. If Psystar ever wins this and paves the way for a cheaper way to be able to use OS X, then I'm all for it. If you don't like it, then don't buy it. It does sure look real ugly but there are some people who don't care. Your beloved iMacs, Minis, PROs stability will not be affected if this venture ever comes true. It's the Apple elitism that I hate. Just because its more expensive doesn't make it automatically better. I guess some people just cant swallow the fact that their poor neighbor could be having all same OS X goodness for just $400.

I wish people would stop saying that Macs are more expensive. Their not. Priced spec for spec with Windows PC's they are usually around the same price if not cheaper. What make Macs better is that Apple develops an OS to work with specific types of hardware. Sure people have problems with Macs, but that happens far less than it does with Windows machines.

 

[!¡ V ¡!]

Apple doesn't need to compete with these guys any more than bmw needs to compete with hondai. Apple makes a slick designed computer to cater to a certain crowd. I don't want them competing with budget PCs because apple is having a hard enough time keeping its current line up to snuff.

You analogy is twisted, you are comparing a physical experience of sitting and driving a BMW to a Honda (hardware). While on a computer platform you are comparing the GUI which can be modified which indeed is software.

The hardware of a computer is not important at all, you can install it on an even uglier box and tuck it in a closet, never to be seen again. Only to communicate with the software (Mac OS 10.5) during the entire experience and nothing would change. (Hardware - Software)

On the vehicle side, you can take the engine out of the BMW and put it in a Honda (with a great deal of work), however you are still left sitting in a Honda interior. (Hardware - Hardware)

This equation is a simple explaination, do not fool yourself into thinking outherwise. only designs fancy cases to justify the cost of purchasing they hardware and they know once the software is allowed (legally) to be installed on any hardware, people will opt for the economical alternative.

Computer hardware is changing at a rapid pace, there is no sense to "invest" in its working, so all you are doing is paying a premium for a case and this is considering if OS 10.5 was legally offered to 3rd party HW vendors.

 

[roocka]

I will find it amusing when...

somebody buys one of these computers and it crashes and or fails due to no fault of Apple or OSX. It will end up being a hardware compatibility issue and the purchaser will start saying that Apple makes a horrible product and that they don't work.

Frankly, the mini might not be as powerful as an iMac or a pro computer but it does what most people need which is check emails, type documents, and surf the web. It amazes me that some people would be so cheap as to only see a price or dollar consideration as opposed to also looking at the design and elegance of what is now Apple Computers..