Psystar Loses Battle with Apple Over Mac Clones

Mac machine cloner Psystar's battle with Apple over the right to produce and sell competing machines running OS X was dealt a fatal blow yesterday.  A California judge ruled in favor of Apple on the copyright infringement case, and while there are several cases still to be decided on such as trade dress and trademark infringements, it's safe to say that if you've been waiting around to get your hands on a Mac-capable machine for less than the (arguably) arm-and-leg cost of official Apple hardware, consider it to be off the table soon.  

Psystar's online store is still accepting orders for machines shipped with OS X installed, but from a legal standpoint the nail is in Psystar's coffin--so if you were planning to grab a machine before the dust settles, now's the time to do it.  But understand that there's a real risk involved if you plonk down some dough for a Mac-Pro-worthy machine, since Psystar is on borrowed time at this point (at least with anything involving Snow Leopard).

Read the official order here, or read more about Psystar's ongoing legal woes at the Groklaw blog.

--Aric A.

Comments

[Chuck Pelto on November 16, 2009 at 06:51 AM]

TO: Aric Annear, et al.
RE: Heh

....if you've been waiting around to get your hands on a Mac-capable machine for less than the (arguably) arm-and-leg cost of official Apple hardware, consider it to be off the table soon. -- Aric Annear

How OLD are you anyway? Can't remember the last effort at a Mac-clone? I forget the companies name, but they had even bought the right to make the clone.

USWest, whom I worked for at the time, bought schlew of them. They were LEMONS!!!!

Hope that helps.

Regards,

Chuck(le)
[Ya gets what ya payz for.]

[Alan on November 16, 2009 at 07:07 AM]

The company you're trying to remember was the Austin-based (well, technically, Round Rock-based) Power Computing (started by a couple of ex-Dell folks). Yes, they had a license (back when Apple was PowerPC based), and yes, Apple revoked said license.

Apple has always been loathe to "open up"--they sued Franklin over the Apple ][ clone ages ago, and they witnessed what happened to IBM's failure to control the hardware stream. They are what they are, and consumers are free to buy from them or not, knowing full well that they're a "closed shop".

[rrr on November 16, 2009 at 07:08 AM]

Because, logically, since one Mac clone was junk they all must be. How OLD does one have to be to use logic like that?

[Kevin R.C. O'Brien on November 16, 2009 at 08:43 AM]

Actually, Power Computing was only one of three or four 90s Mac cloners. DayStar Digital was another, and Motorola was a third. I still have two of the Motorola clones in the Pile of Unwanted Toys. Bought them for a song at auction. There was another, Taiwan-based cloner, whose name escapes me.

The clones were an effort of flailing Apple management, and were canc'd within days of Steve Jobs's return from NeXT exile. But some of them were quite solid machines, including those Motos (they just were retired due to technical obsolescence, they'd still run if I needed them to).

People remember PowerComputing for its cartoon advertisements: it made quite a splash. It also managed to make clones that outperformed Apple's entire line of machines at similar or lower price points, and they offered build-to-order manufacturing. The first point irritated Apple execs -- they had thought they were encouraging cloning of cheaper Macs, not cannibalizing their highest-margin product -- and the second point resonated with Jobs, who made BTO part of the online Apple store after his return.

[Chuck Pelto on November 16, 2009 at 08:43 AM]

TO: rrr
RE: Lessons Learned

Because, logically, since one Mac clone was junk they all must be. How OLD does one have to be to use logic like that? -- rrr

As Alan stated, above, Apple not only had their own bad experience, they saw what happened to IBM AND to the Windows-based platforms.

Quality is what you require it to be. You let it out of your hands and quality becomes what someone ELSE makes it out to be.

Regards,

Chuck(le)
[Once burned. Twice shy.]

[Kevin on November 16, 2009 at 08:53 AM]

And I can't believe Microsoft was accused and convicted of being a monopoly, but Apple is allowed to get away with this.

[kyle on November 16, 2009 at 08:55 AM]

I remember the day Power Computer got their "license taken away for speeding." Working IT, had a number of them (and mac 7200 and 7500 boxes), and we'd have friends come in after hours to play marathon infinity until first shift came in and complained about the yelling. Apple never should have rehired that nematode from NeXT. Old grudges die hard, and my personal school computer for 2 years was a lemon powerbase 180 (but the performer 6300s at work were also dogs). Heh, and the old line "macs for graphics, PC for databases" was still going around, even when the servers and terminals actually doing work were running UNIX. I don't miss working IT. I hate computers. Especially ones in ugly cases.

[cheeflo on November 16, 2009 at 09:31 AM]

Umax also made a line of Mac clones -- I really liked my S900 and it worked great. I thought it would keep me current for awhile, but then the Mac G4 came out and I had to have one of those. I still have the Umax, but only because my Umax scanner is too old to attach to anything newer.

[Darren on November 16, 2009 at 10:43 AM]

Kyle,

The Apple stock I bought for a split-adjusted $8 a share in 2000 would argue that bringing back Steve Jobs was actually a pretty good thing for the company. He may be a tyrant, but he has yet to make a true blunder since coming back to the company.

[HMI on November 16, 2009 at 10:45 AM]

Kevin: Kinda hard to run a monopoly operation with 10% (±) of the PC market.

[Chuck Pelto on November 16, 2009 at 12:27 PM]

TO: Kevin
RE: There IS....

And I can't believe Microsoft was accused and convicted of being a monopoly, but Apple is allowed to get away with this. -- Kevin

...something of a difference between the thuggery of Microsoft and someone actually stealing copyrighted/patented material.

Don't you think?

Regards,

Chuck(le)

[mojo on November 16, 2009 at 12:44 PM]

China copied the hell out of the Apple II, back inna day. Never got sued. Go figure.

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