Psystar's predictions... they're a bit off

wow, they are the first start up with overly ambitious predictions of what their sales might be.

nearly every startup does this. they have to show a reason why they have merit as an investment. at least they had a real run with it.

and who knows, if they won the case they might have sold a lot more by 2011.

Anyone notice that the "actual sales" bar is below 0 ? I'm assuming you guys are taking into account sales (- legal fees) on that graph.

I don't recommend anyone getting these. We have one in our art dept and they are very unstable. We run the same software on a mac pro without any issues. Apps crash left and right and everything is sluggish. Nothing beats the real thing. You don't get any real support. Steer clear. You're really getting what you pay for.

Apple should buy Adobe and then make all future Adobe applications Mac only. That should piss off a lot of people.

@Elliven - Do you really want the Mac market to get watered down by Dell-like clones? I understand the wish to support 3rd parties and the small guy (I'm one of them). However, this reminds me of how, too often in our culture, we choose knuckleheads as heroes - a la Rodney King and Babe Ruth - by overlooking their overwhelming fallibility. If we manipulate their actions just right, forcibly fusing their actions and our motives in order to justify them as heroes, we can place any fool on a pedestal. If your looking for David to slay Goliath, I suggest there are far better technological heroes than Psystar.

As far as as the Psystar estimates, what investor would put any significant money down on such questionable predictions? Based on what? If I had riches to invest, based on those estimates, Psystar could have promised me $$$millions AND Jessica Alba in my bed, but I still would have laughed them out the door. Somebody was a real sucker in this "investment." Also, if they believed their own predictions, then acting as though Psystar was some techno-folk hero not completely motivated by greed appears disingenuous.

Elliven,

If the little scrappy guy wasn't out to destroy Apple's business model by illegally selling pirated copies of Mac OS X, I'd be glad to see them succeed, but Psystar is engaging in what is copyright infringement on a wholesale scale (if one could call 768 units sold wholesale, LOL!).

No, Apple's business model is NOT monopolistic, darn it! They have what is known as a vertical business model - they build the whole widget. That gives them total control over the user experience, so they can provide the experience they want to sell.

That has been fantastically successful for them, as their continuing to break sales records shows. As a shareholder (and thus an owner), I am fully supportive of that business model. As a customer, yes, I've gotten a bit irritated at times, but overall, I like Apple products and will continue to buy them as long as they fill my needs.

Jailbreakers are perfectly legal in what they are doing, as long as they understand that Apple won't bail them out if they screw up their stuff. Just like you can customize your car, you can customize your computer or your phone - you DO own it after all. But you cannot MAKE MONEY off of that process, or you will be in the same legal trouble Psystar is.

I don't get it. Here is a scrappy little company hanging on by sheer cojones and everyone roots for the big corporation and mocks the little guy. How did so many people come to be so brainwashed by Apple? Yes, I understand that PsyStar is doing something illegal - and they're being forced to address it in court. But for sheer ballsiness, come on guys - this is the kind of independent spirit we need in the market. Apple is a great company but its business model is highly monopolistic. Consumers NEED folks like the jailbreakers and the iPhone Dev Team and PsyStar - if nothing else, to keep Goliath from getting too arrogant. I have 4 Intel Macs, 3 iPhones and a slew of other Apple gear - but I'm still rooting for the Davids of this world.

Iliya,

Apple doesn't sell OS X separately - the boxed version is an upgrade. The EULA clearly states that you must have a previous, licensed version already on your Mac in order to install the upgrade.

Yes, what they are doing IS illegal - they are violating a commercial agreement - for profit. THAT is illegal.

I like these guys. After all, they do not claim they'll sell you an authentic Apple hardware. After all, they do what they advertise- sell you custom assembled PC's that run MacOS. What's wrong with that?

I am a software creator myself, and I don't mind people using my software (if they could) on other hardware (if I made one)...I understand the marketing and financial side for Apple, but hey, it's not illegal what Psystar does.

After all, why does Apple sell Mac OS X separately if they allow you to use it only on their hardware and it comes with it anyway?

Cheers,
ILIYA
Founder of Cramzy.com

I think it's clear that John was taking the pi** out of them. At the end of the day, they annoy Apple and at the other end of the spectrum, they annoy the hacking community.

Down with Psystar!