
The website of a Miami-based networking and security solutions reseller became inaccessible Monday, shortly after the company began advertising
an unauthorized Mac clone for a fraction of the cost of Apple's cheapest system. Dubbed
OpenMac, the USD 400 offering from Psystar Corporation is described as 'a low-cost high-performance computing platform' based on the ongoing OSX86Project - a hacker-based initiative aimed at maintaining a version of the Mac OS X operating system for everyday PCs. The website is back online now, and the machine has been renamed to Open Computer.
Update: Psystar says they will continue to sell the Open Computer system, despite the fact that it appears to violate Apple's EULA.
"We're not breaking any laws," they insisted.
Member since:
2005-08-26
How exactly do you figure that it's more expensive?
Mac Mini 1: 1.83Ghz, 1GB RAM, 80GB 5400RPM HD, combo (CD burner, DVD reader) drive, USB2.0, FireWire, OS X: $579 with education discount.
Mac Mini 2: 2.0Ghz, 2GB RAM, 160GB 5400RPM HD, super (dvd/cd burner) drive, USB2.0, FireWire, OS X: $914 with education discount.
Open: 2.2ghz, 2GB RAM, 250GB 7500RPM HD, DVD/CD burner, USB2.0 FireWire, OS X: $605
More than $300 less than the price of a mini that has slower components.
Now, you tell me which model of the Mini compares better against the Open?
I custom-configured the second mini option to more closely reflect the specs being touted by the Open. The sad fact is that the Mini cannot (in it's current generation) go as fast, the HD's are inferior (in both capacity and speed), and the RAM is more limited.
Note I included the cost of the firewire card & OS X in the Open, which reflects a custom configuration that adds nearly $200 to the base price of the system.
Clearly, if this actually works as advertised, and isn't too much of a pain to handle system updates, then I'd say this is the way to go.
Especially for people like me, who have an existing OS X 10.5 license being unused, laying around, and already have the software they need. I have an iBook G4, and already have licenses for everything I use regularly, and have versions in Universal Binary format (except for MS Office, which I'm trying to wean my wife off of). In theory, I wouldn't need to drop the $155 on the OS X install, and could instead invest $50 in a good Apple keyboard with an 'eject' button on it.