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April 30, 2008 11:44 AM PDT

Psystar's Open Computer arrives at CNET

Posted by Tom Krazit

Psystar's Open Computer has arrived.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The Open Computer has landed at CNET Networks.

My colleagues over at CNET Reviews in New York have managed to get their hands on a review unit of Psystar's Open Computer, and they've got all sorts of pictures to share. For those of you who just woke up, Psystar is selling computers with Mac OS X Leopard as a preinstallation option, which is not part of an official program run by Apple and involves the use of some trickeration in order to get things up and running.

Click here for an unboxing video, or here for a slideshow. Rich Brown of CNET Reviews says he'll have a formal review of the Open Computer up this evening, so make sure to check back for that as well.

All sorts of questions about Psystar's legitimacy arose about the company after it was inundated with orders, forcing its Web site offline and causing its initial payment provider to cut ties with the company. But the kinks appear to have been worked out.

I ordered an Open Computer as just a regular customer, not as a reviewer, and received a call this morning from Psystar that my order is ready to ship if I was willing to switch to a black case. Apparently the white cases are in heavy demand; there would have been a 10-day back order if I wanted to keep the white case.

And now that the lingering doubts appear to have been satisfied, we can start to focus on the real question: What sort of legal issues is Psystar going to encounter down the road, and how exactly is Apple going to handle that?

Topics:

Mac

Tags:

Psystar,

Open Computer,

Apple,

Mac

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 79 comments (Page 1 of 3)
Cost?
by totocalimero April 30, 2008 12:30 PM PDT
So, how much did this machine cost and what's in the box? The question is simply to compare it with a "real" Mac and see if it is worth the trouble.
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Photos
by Mystigo April 30, 2008 1:27 PM PDT
Here is a link to the photos mentioned in the article: http://www.cnet.com/4326-13777_1-6617575-1.html? tag=ss_prv
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Wouldn't touch one if it were FREE.
by shycelticwitch April 30, 2008 1:30 PM PDT
Second rate components, and pirated software... Everyone who buys one will get what they deserve... a Mac machine that runs like it's on Windows... What were they thinking? Apple made the technology beautiful... now these yoyos want to FIX what ISN'T BROKE. Hope Apple shoots them down like a Russian spy plane.
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Finally we can Think Different
by fokkwp April 30, 2008 1:54 PM PDT
Gosh, a Mac where you can actually get to the insides, maybe change out the drives or add your favorite video card, even choose to re-use your old monitor instead of having to buy a new one welded to the CPU! And without having to shell out for a Mac Pro! Don't worry - Apple will figure out how to mess with these guys heads soon enough if they haven't already - Unless of course - gasp! - this were a secret marketing test by Apple, but that couldn't be! Why would they want to get out of the computer hardware business and just manufacture those unpopular iPods and iPhones, while selling Mac OS only as software, even though it could only run on all the Intel PCs in the world the minute they decrypted it? Haha - just joking.
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I'll build my own Hackintosh, thanks.
by Penguinisto April 30, 2008 2:06 PM PDT
If I'm going to forego a Mac, I may as well get the parts that I specify, not someone else's idea of what I should get... Thanks, but no thanks. /P
Reply to this comment
Is'nt that special
by djcolley April 30, 2008 2:15 PM PDT
A PC tower that sounds like a vacuum cleaner and has a bootleg copy of OS X on it that you could have built better yourself. Kind of like buying a fake rolex watch, except that in this case everyone knows it a fake. Brilliant. Oh,and there's that little detail about the unlicensed software that it uses to boot OS X. Minor detail.
Reply to this comment
Awsome go against the monopoly = )
by midnightoker92 April 30, 2008 2:25 PM PDT
apple is basically hoarding its software even Microsoft who was best known for being a monopoly it has made alot of its programs compatible with mac even though there only own 7 percent of the computer market
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Thank you Tom
by frank bruce April 30, 2008 2:55 PM PDT
Thank you Tom Krazit, I think I clear my mind; if I had to choose between OSX or Linux in a Super Home Grown Computer I will choose Linux; probably SUSE. As a Mac User, Apple can choose two actions: disable the EFI emulation through a firmward update and OS upgrade or just send a Stop or Else letter. On the other hand, after watching the box and how it was sent, I think this people is in more trouble with Green Peace than with an angry Steve P. Jobs.
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Nice shiny brick you got there...
by rcardona2k April 30, 2008 3:16 PM PDT
Running OS X 10.5.2, oops 10.5.3 is coming out soon. No Software Update for you! No iLife preinstalled...bloatware you say? I hope that psystar's around long enough to support and replace anyhthing that goes wrong. All this circumvention just to run an OS? Buy a Mac, get the RDF free*. RDF is the real markup :)
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Send in the clones
by AppleRocks1963 April 30, 2008 3:51 PM PDT
and then crush them Apple!
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  • At the start of the 21st century, there's no tech outfit more influential than Apple. CNET News.com's Tom Krazit will attempt to make sense of the rumors, hype, products, and people that will shape the future of the company. But Apple's not the only game in town, as the established cell phone companies strike back against the iPhone, and chipmakers try to figure out how to move past PCs and slip into a little something more comfortable.
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