Another Mac clone maker spotted on eBay
Another boring desktop for sale on eBay, except that this one runs Apple's Mac OS X Leopard.
(Credit: Chris555 (via eBay))Another entrepreneur is trying their hand at selling unsanctioned Mac OS X desktops.
AppleInsider spotted an eBay listing on Tuesday for a generic desktop tower running Mac OS X Leopard, weeks after Psystar made a very public show of defying Apple's licensing agreement for Leopard with its Open Computer. "Chris555" is selling the unbranded desktop for a fixed price of $549.99, plus $50 shipping and handling.
Is this the latest in a wave of Mac clone makers emboldened by Psystar? Apple has remained silent on the issue to this point, but lawyers think the company would have a good chance of enforcing its end-user licensing agreement against companies trying to make a profit on Mac OS X computers. The agreement says the operating system can only be installed on a single Apple-labeled computer.
Apple has left the OS X hacking community pretty much undisturbed, but it will be interesting to see how long it waits before taking action against commercial providers of its operating system.
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by arocon
May 7, 2008 10:48 PM PDT
- I would not consider myself a close follower of the PC vs. Mac dynamic, so I think this offers me a little more objectivity. I own both apple and pc systems. One of the most glaring observations I can make is that while OSX has its benefits its not infallible. Its not so much that I am a huge fan of XP or vista, far from it, but it seems that the only people who are passionate enough to praise their computer or it's operating system are mac owners. These are the people who identify with the apple brand, see themselves as part of some 'mac' culture, and ultimately believe that using a mac in some way defines them as a person. There is really only one word to describe people who exalt the apple brand to anyone who will listen. That word is pathetic. My computer or its operating system no more to defines me as a person than the brand of toilet paper i use, or the type of underwear i buy. I believe both of these things, like your choice of computer, should certainly be used, but not discussed in casual conversation. After a day at work, I don't want to have to listen to a someone at the gym spout off about Apple's superiority and why everyone should switch to Mac because 'Microsoft is evil.' People capable of using any computer should be able to separate the hype generated by the brand's marketing from what they are really buying....a tool to make their lives easier. Apple would be Microsoft if they could. They are a for profit company doing everything possible to make money, gain a larger market share, and with that, an increase in power and influence. In many ways apple is a more dangerous entity than Microsoft. They are more vertically integrated, maintaining a monopoly over software, hardware, repair services and solid control over personal audio and video devices, and the media content . Having just this past year branched into telecom. And this finally brings me close to the initial impetus for writing. If the OSX is, as so many people are willing to scream from the nearest hilltop, a superior product to anything else on the market, why wouldn't Apple license it to run on other machines. I can understand that they want it to run on a system with a basic level of performance, for the customer to receive the full OSX experience, but most computers today are capable of doing this. The decision on which an OS is used should be an option afforded to the customer. The only explanation for this reluctance is that Apple is generating so much revenue from overcharging, not only for computer hardware that, in and of itself is non-competitive, but also for AppleCare, and the excessive number of accessories pushed by the brand. The ability to maintain the massive amount of revenue generated from these sources is solely granted by their stranglehold on OSX. At some point, the public will become wise to this paradigm, and become irritated by it. When that day comes Apple will, undoubtedly bow to public pressure and release either a watered down version of OSX for non-Apple machines, or license a legitimate version it to a couple of PC manufacturers as jkeels alluded to; with some sort of certification. I think the production of these machines may ultimately prove to be a positive thing if it results in Apple loosening restrictions on OSX. Doing this would save me the headaches that result from people who know very little about computers preaching the superiority of Apple in a nearly evangelical way and doing it as apple pulls the wool further over their eyes. By the way, if it is of any interest, and it shouldn't be, I wrote this commentary from my MacbookPro.
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