With Apple having switched to Intel processors, a new generation of affordable and easy to make Mac clones has been steadily gaining popularity. OSX86Project.org even has a running wiki of tested component parts that are compatible with various builds of Apple’s OS. The open-source community, never short of free time, has been working to efficiently run emulators and create low cost LeopardOS based computers.
But in recent weeks, a new company called Psystar began offering their “OpenMac,” which is a Leopard-compatible computer starting at $399. Here’s a brief of everything that has happened in the past couple weeks:
Legal disuptes began immediately. Tech bloggers blew up Psystar with publicity. Reports came around that the claimed CEO didn’t even exist, and that there was no Psystar (Woah, Neo). Everyone and their lawyers had a comment to make about the End User License Agreement of Apple’s Leopard and its use on third party systems. Then Miami nerds drove out to Psystar’s address and photographed the building while shouting, “IT EXISTS!” And after many people who spent money on a two-week old company started having doubts about its authenticity, Psystar today announced its first shipment pickup is this afternoon.
Of course, if you aren’t like me, you’ll probably be curious to see if these things actually get there. I’ll stick to my Pentium 4 and Windows XP.
