Much has been written about whether or not Psystar's Mac clone, the Open Computer, actually exists, let alone if it's legal. A Gizmodo reader sent in some video of his Open Computer booting up and running Leopard. Software Update doesn't work, and the chances of Apple supporting this thing are less than zero.I'm not against the idea of Mac clones (though I doubt Apple will ever officially sanction it) but if I were in the market for a Mac clone I would want one that was well built. As soon as the Open Computer is turned on the fan is running at full tilt, and it is far from whisper quiet. That's not exactly the mark of craftsmanship.
What say you, TUAW readers, is a super loud fan and boring case design outweighed by the savings and customization that a Mac clone offers up versus gear from Apple?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-28-2008 @ 1:48PM
Ryan Trevisol said...
My Dell used to run with the CPU fan at full blast, but then I updated to a newer build of Kalyway and it was quiet. You'd think they'd at least find a kernel/chipset combo that was compatible.
Oh, and I run software update all the time. It's like they're not even trying.
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4-28-2008 @ 1:49PM
domic said...
I'd rather have an old ppc mac mini from ebay than this crap.
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4-28-2008 @ 1:51PM
Stucco said...
I've actually recommended and deployed Mac as Windows systems (*shudder*) because of the superior design and build quality. Love them or hate them, Dell exists to serve the lowest price market, and you get the good with the bad of that approach. Even in an unstable economy, there will be plenty of folks that'll spend a little extra to get the good stuff.
This is in my mind, sub-Dell and a legal novelty. I can't see how I'd use this for anything that I'd rely on- even as a sandbox for testing.
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4-28-2008 @ 1:52PM
ericdano said...
No way. I could go to Fry's and get all the parts and build something way more quiet than this.
And what is the point of running OS X if you cannot use Software update?
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4-28-2008 @ 2:12PM
ramond said...
Software update has been working on hackintoshes for a while now, so I'd expect Pystar to enable that on their builds, I suspect it does probably work and this reviewer must have made a mistake.
4-28-2008 @ 2:59PM
Jacques Lema said...
Software update always worked well on Hackintoshes, ever since the first 10.4.x releases. There's nothing specific about this.
But you always had to be careful not to update system components. ILife, iWork and other apps will update without a problem, but usually as soon as you run some security update (let alone a 0.01 system update) you'll overwrite some of the files that had to be patched to run the system in the first place.
I assume Psystar just disables software update to avoid having to deal with customer support once the system refuses to boot again due to some software update.
4-28-2008 @ 5:14PM
Simon Arch said...
@jacques - that, or Apple has a way to tell when you try to access the software update whether you're using a real Mac or a clone.
Either way, you can always go to the Apple support site and manually download updates, just like we used to do back in the old days.
4-28-2008 @ 2:11PM
Ed said...
No good can come of this. If cloning starts up again, the market will be filled with crap like this from companies that care more about cutting price than building a quality machine.
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4-28-2008 @ 2:26PM
jus10 said...
I think the problem is that there is no comparable Apple product. The Mac Pros are off on one end and the Mini's on the other. I'm sure Apple could design some basic power management stuff to keep fans quieter though.
I reiterate my desire for the mini to die and be replaced by the "Mac" - no bloody Pro, mini, or i.
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4-28-2008 @ 2:31PM
Jeff said...
are you really saving money?
you can pick up an iMac with Penryn processor for $1199
which you can upgrade software and not have to worry about other stuff.
or config one with 2.6GHz but no screen, no keyboard, no mouse, no iLife for $804.99 and can't even upgrade software.
seriously, think about it.
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4-28-2008 @ 3:35PM
MeatyPi said...
agreed, but I'm pretty sure iLife is on the computer, since my kalyway install came with it.
4-28-2008 @ 3:50PM
billg said...
I just don't get it... who is the market for this product in particular? If a user is advanced enough to not only know what this is but also have an actual need for it, shouldn't they be advanced enough to do this themselves? This is a solved problem.
The fact is that right now this is violating all sorts of apple contracts. What with psystar's established shady history, who would give money to these people?
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4-28-2008 @ 4:57PM
Steven Grady said...
Even though software update doesn't work, you can STILL download all of the updates manually off of apple.com. So it isn't like you would NEVER be able to update the computer.
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4-29-2008 @ 9:09AM
Jeff said...
it's not software update doesn't work, you can't update it.
if you update the software, there is a chance your mac won't boot anymore.
iLife doesn't come with it, it's additional $79
4-28-2008 @ 6:05PM
ecobore said...
We've been down this route before when apple opened up the platform - wasn't a good idea. Apart from nice clean code, one of the reasons macs run so well is that they use dedicated software on dedicated hardware. I would rather by a Linux box than one of these frankenmacsters!
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4-28-2008 @ 6:10PM
mark said...
I'll take a Mac Mini over this pile of junk. You can't even update it what a joke. Oh I just love the roar of computer fans non stop too.
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4-28-2008 @ 8:52PM
geochick said...
A large part of the Apple experience includes the hardware as well as the software. That machine just don't give you the total Mac experience but I suppose for those folks who are used to cheap, crappy looking PCs it doesn't matter. Don't get me wrong I'm not anti PC (I actually use one at work) I just don't like loud cheap looking crap. Since they are getting ready to get sued anyway they might as well had provided something a bit nicer for the money they are charging. Dell makes better looking PCs why wouldn't I get one of those and install Leopard on there (via the various ways on the net) or just build my own and throw in a cool case.
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4-28-2008 @ 8:52PM
geochick said...
A large part of the Apple experience includes the hardware as well as the software. That machine just don't give you the total Mac experience but I suppose for those folks who are used to cheap, crappy looking PCs it doesn't matter. Don't get me wrong I'm not anti PC (I actually use one at work) I just don't like loud cheap looking crap. Since they are getting ready to get sued anyway they might as well had provided something a bit nicer for the money they are charging. Dell makes better looking PCs why wouldn't I get one of those and install Leopard on there (via the various ways on the net) or just build my own and throw in a cool case.
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4-28-2008 @ 10:29PM
(01) said...
Am I the only one that doesn't think the monitor displaying OS X is actually connected to the box that's supposed to be running it? (shrugs) either way, this is going to leave a bad taste of OS X is a lot of people's mouths who pick one of these up.
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4-29-2008 @ 2:52AM
syrh said...
i don't care if it's not entirely supported or if it's loud. i'm going to buy one A.S.A.P. and i'm gonna enjoy using it. i know it's not as purdy as a mac pro but if it's as capable as they claim it is i'll be completely satisfied. if you want me to provide a play by play let me know.
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