OpenMac – And Why It’s Going to Fail

A Miami-based vendor called Psystar is attempting to rain on Apple’s parade. They have created, essentially, a Mac based on PC hardware. They then ported Apple’s OS X Leopard operating system over to it, all for a package price of $399.

It goes without saying that this price tag is $200 cheaper than even Apple’s Mac Mini. The specs of this pseudo-Mac are:

2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB of DDR2 667 memory
Integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics
20x DVD+/-R Drive
4 USB Ports
250GB 7200RPM Drive

Personally, I think Psystar has a huge set of twins to try pulling this off. Essentially, they are creating a “hackintosh”, a term made popular by osx86project. osx86project is an effort to allow hobbyists to install Apple’s operating system to non-Apple PCs.

The use of OS X on non-Apple hardware is a violation of the End User License Agreement (EULA) and is specifically NOT allowed. Psystar, for it’s part, vows to fight Apple’s EULA. This story on Information Week quotes a Psystar employee as saying:

What if Microsoft said you could only install Windows on Dell computers?

This employee, only identified as Robert, also said:

What if Honda said that, after you buy their car, you could only drive it on the roads they said you could?

OK, Here Comes the Official PCMech Viewpoint

Psystar, you’re going to end up in a big pile of fail. Here’s why:

If Microsoft wanted to restrict Windows to Dell computers, they could. Because they created the operating system. I’m certainly not saying it would be a smart move on their part, but they could.

Same goes for Apple. Apple created OS X and therefore, like it or hate it, they can dictate the terms of use. There is certainly nothing they can really do about things like osx86project, but there IS a problem when a company comes out and officially BREAKS Apple’s EULA for the purposes of making a profit.

Just not going to work.

To me, it sounds as if Psystar is trying to profit off the same old misconceptions about Apple hardware. The above-named employee also stated that Apple makes 80% markup on their computers. Yeah, whatever. Not true. Trust me, NO computer maker makes 80% markup. The computer hardware business is notoriously low profit margin. And as for the fact that Mac is overpriced – here’s the deal on that:

I used to think so. In some aspects, I still do. At the same time, though, Macs are high quality machines – much higher quality than most PCs. A majority of PCs out there are designed to be cheap and affordable. They are made with more inferior parts. And, while I know this cannot be proven, I would gladly pit the performance and life span of my Mac Pro with the OpenMac any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

You get what you pay for. Always. Without exception. If you buy a $399 computer from these guys with a hacked version of OS X on it, you’re going to get a box of inferior parts.

This will be an interesting one to watch. I do use Mac. I like Macs. But, I have no soldier in this fight. It’ll just be interesting to watch what happens when a company so overtly tries to make money by breaking the EULA of a major computer manufacturer like Apple.

Like what you read?

If so, please join over 28,000 people who receive our exclusive weekly newsletter and computer tips, and get FREE COPIES of 5 eBooks we created, as our gift to you for subscribing. Just enter your name and email below:

Fishy
Did you really just say PCs are made of parts inferior to Mac parts?
If you can’t prove it, don’t claim it. You’re starting to sound like a religious Steve Jobs idoliser.
David Risley
Not all PCs. But, many. For example, I’ll pit the enclosure of my Mac Pro up against your typical Best Buy PC any time. There are just many more cheaper options available with PCs. But, sure, if you go up to Mac Pro level pricing on the PC side, you’re going to find quality stuff. Regardless of Mac or PC, the “get what you pay for” rule is true.
Pingback: OpenMac & Psystar Reeks of A Publicity Stunt » David Risley
Sam-for-Linux
The “you get what you pay for” is true, but when you buy a mac, you pay for all the included software.
The Dell XPS M1530 configured similar to MacBook Pro is about $500 cheaper… And dare I say that the XPS is a high quality laptop.
Anyway, comparing your MacBook pro against the “typical Best Buy PC” is hardly fair. We all know Macs are premium, so compare them to premium pc’s, not base line ones.
I dont care much for paying $500 for a Mac apply on the back on my laptop.
The price of the “OpenMac” sounds about right. If you look around, thats about the price of all the components if I were to build one similar.
(newegg) C2D 2.2 ———— $120.00
(crucial) 2gb 667 ———– $65.00
(newegg) motherboard GMA950 – $70.00
(newegg) 250gb 7200rpm HD — $75.00
That adds up to $350, so $50 left over for powersupply and case. This is cutting it close, but they can probably get hardware for cheaper elswhere.
Thanks
G
They did say as much as an 80% mark up, but if you read a bit more they also say that the 499 version they offer is 1/5 the price of a comparable apple computer, so thats just a 20% mark up, but still significant none the less. WHat i would like to see from one of these computer blogs is a comparison, before going and dogging a company about skirting faulty legislation and challenging an overly expensive company, lets do a comparison..is it just a pile or could it be decent. For the price you could buy 4 of them over the course of your 3 to 4 year average computer lifespan. I’ve had my mac for 4 years and it’s taken one nose dive already, and if i didn’t have coverage i would’ve been out 2 grand. do the math…
http://www.kantor.com/ Andrew
“Apple created OS X and therefore, like it or hate it, they can dictate the terms of use…”
Hmm — I don’t know how true that is. It goes to the question of “Did you buy that software or just license it?”
A better analogy might be: What if Time said you couldn’t read the magazine in Cincinnati? Or Pixar said you couldn’t play your copy of Toy Story on a Samsung DVD player?
The response “If they wanted to impose those restrictions, they could” doesn’t hold up well. I bought the magazine (or DVD), and I’ll do with it what I please, thankyouverymuch.
The RIAA is trying to make the argument “You’re licensing that music, not buying a CD” and we all know what we think of *that* argument….
zero2dash
I guess someone should refer you to the countless complaints of leaking G5s and the fire hazard MacBook and iBook complaints (complete, in some cases, *with an actual fire*).
I haven’t seen any widespread reports of problems with $400 eMachines and Acers from Best Buy.
Lespaul20
Andrew – your analogy isn’t quite an analog.
The EULA is an agreement between the user and provider of the software. This happens all the time in business. When leasing an car/apartment you are agreeing to buy the right to use the car/apt in the terms that you have both agreed upon. If the Times or Pixar wanted to do that with their product, unless there is a specific laws preventing them, they have every right to. It wouldn’t be good business so they don’t and they have nothing to loose by not doing it.
Pillai
You know what, you are now just another Mac fanboy, justifying every single piece of s***t Apple pulls off. And how is your opinion now the official PCM stance on the issue? I would consider you biased.
Apple get away with screwing any and all who buy their products simply on the bsis of an EULA, and when another company (read MS) tries to put certain conditions on the use of their software, guess who is first in line to complain and bitch about it?
The MC vs. PC ads were the worst piece of advertising I have ever seen. If you truly have to bash someone else to try to sell your product, perhaps you are better off not selling it in the first place.
http://www.kantor.com Andrew
Lespaul: You certainly have a point, but it requires that you accept the idea that what you’re buying from Apple is a license and not a product. My point is that we should not necessarily accept that idea in the first place.
When you buy a product, the manufacturer has no more claim on what you can do with it. So no, Time *couldn’t* legally prevent you from reading the product you own wherever you wanted to.
It’s back to the main question: Is software a product you buy or a service you license?
@zero2dash: How dare you say that! Everyone knows that every Apple product is perfect from its conception through its entire life! If it burns, it’s because it’s Jobs’s will.
Garry Bradley
Im going to “Best Buy” on sunday. I going to walk up to the first salesman I see and say, “I would like to license some
of your software”! He will probably say,”We don’t license software, we sell it”.