Open Mac clone: for real or a scam?
p2pnet news | Products:- Pystar’s Mac Clone looked like being the answer to the long-standing and ongoing Apple Mac exploitation.
The company was/is advertising a $400 ‘OpenMac’ Leopard compatible Mac built from standard PC-parts, ie >>>
2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB of DDR2 667 memory
Integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics
20x DVD+/-R Drive
4 USB Ports
250GB 7200RPM Drive
Nice, if it’s for real.
But is it?
When we first heard about it, the site was down, knocked offline by a “massive influx of users,” it said. The next day it was online again, but on April 16 Gizmodo ran a long post headed up, Psystar Exposed: Looks Like a Hoax, saying >>>
Don’t buy anything from Psystar now until we can clear this up. We’ve contacted them for more information and a review unit too see if everything they’re claiming is real. So far, no response. We’ll keep at it, but for now if you’re looking to get a Mac clone, you’re better off building it yourself.
Then, ” We’ve been updating the Psystar story since yesterday,” said Gizmodo, “The whole things just gets weirder and weirder.”
And, “How could a company so brazenly challenge Apple and have little to no record of actually being a company? We sent the Gizmodo army down there to get pictures of both their supposed addresses, and found that they’re as much vaporware as the Phantom Console of yore.”
Yeh. How could they ; ) Then, in an update, “Reader Robert did some more digging in the Florida Corporate filing office, and it seems that Psystar’s principles are Rodolfo and Roberto Pedraza, who are officers or agents on a whole crapload of companies. Only one of these companies besides Psystar is currently active: Floridatek. As Robert says, ‘These guys are obviously clowns’.”
So is it an extremely elaborate (and extremely risky, for the perpetrators, if that’s what they are) con set up to scam people who’d like an Apple Mac but aren’t ready to pay through the nose for it?
Today, “It is our pleasure to inform you that our store is up and running thanks to our new high volume payment processor,” says Pystar, going on,”Regarding shipping, orders placed the week of April 7th are currently being shipped.”
The company promises it’ll be shipping units “out of our new facility starting” Monday, April 21, “including those orders placed the week of April 14th.”
And, “Orders are being shipped in the order that they were received, don’t worry, you’ll get yours soon. Upon shipment an email notification including tracking information will be sent to you, no need to ask.
Not only but also, “We’re in the process of moving to a new location which is now listed on our contact page. The first new address posted (10481) was in error and our correct address is 10475 NW 28th Street. PSYSTAR was, prior to this past week, not ready to handle the enormous production capacity demanded by the online community. Due to the incredible response we have now expanded to a larger commercial unit to handle the supplies and assembly of Open Computers.”
So is it for real? And did you order a $400 Mac-look-alike on April 7? If you did, let us know if and when it arrives.
Meanwhile, we’re sure various blogs have ordered them, and it’s a cast-iron certainty someone will be visiting Pystar’s new HQ in Doral, Florida, to check them out.
^^ Update:- Someone has indeed been over to 10475 ……..
A, “local IT guy in Miami visited the last address for Psystar and verified two things,” says ZDNet’s Larry Dignan, going on:
“There’s activity and inventory on the scene. There is a business there and he noted headquarters “isn’t located in a shady part of town.” But a lack of signage and the fact he couldn’t get in doesn’t provide a confirmation that Psystar is actually at the address.
“But if Psystar … isn’t there it’s quite a ruse. I just had a good chat with this technology manager–who doesn’t want to be named right now because he doesn’t want to be bombarded and actually wants to chat with Psystar in person to buy one of these Mac clones for his company - and he’s a quality source. ”
Stay tuned.
Mac Clone - $400 Apple Mac madness, April 14, 2008
Gizmodo - Psystar Exposed: Looks Like a Hoax, April 16, 2008
online again - Mopping the floor with a Mac Mini, April 15, 2008
ZDNet - Pictures of Psystar’s corporate home; Clone maker’s store is open, April 19, 2008
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April 19th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I have a better logo for Apple
http://img519.imageshack.us/my.php?image=applesyouthinkyouneeditnd1.jpg
A totally honest tagline was taken from guardedly optimistic blog.
April 19th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
This is a very interesting development. Shady PC sellers have really burned their bridges in this department, and people are starting to take notice. Online word of mouth is particularly efficient here. I have read about alot of people getting burned in “fly by night” PC sales, it’s a shame that this type of publicity wasn’t there to protect them.
I hope it’s not a scam, because I think the Apple clone is interesting. When I was in high school, we had an Apple clone. It was a German computer called the “Basis 108″ (we were told it’s pronounced ‘bah-sis’). That was back in 1986, and I haven’t even heard of an Apple clone since then.