When I was running a network of PC’s in my house I kept one bleeding edge box for gaming on Windows, one box for Openstep which I used as my main workstation, and one or more boxes running FreeBSD for everything else. The advent of Mac OS X was too much for me. Despite the fact that I was initially appalled at seeing my beloved NeXT Mach OS dressed in gaudy Mac OS clothing, I broke down after a year and purchased a Power Mac. Not only was OS X instantly recognizable as the OS I had known and loved all those years, it ushered in a whole new era of commercial applications and unix compatibility that the NeXT OS had never enjoyed.
The OS itself was enough to convert me, but I also soon came to appreciate that Apple’s iron grip on the hardware, an approach I previously held contempt for, translated into a rock solid system where everything worked all the time and nothing ever broke. OK, the closed system has it’s advantages after all.
When I was using PCs, the bleeding edge box got upgraded every year. That meant new motherboard, CPU, ram and graphics card. That made PC gaming a very expensive hobby for someone who no longer had much use for a PC. Ultimately, I decided I could live with the compromise of playing ports of PC games on the Xbox, and I abandoned the PC altogether.
One or two of you are thinking “So what if you had to throw $1000 a year at the gaming box. That’s still cheaper than a Mac, which will set you back $2000+.”. Yes and no. My first Power Mac, a G4 933MHz with a gig of ram lasted me 3 years before I upgraded, and I got half of my money back on that Mac selling it on ebay. My current box, a dual 2.0GHz G5 Power Mac is 4 years old and counting. That’s a pretty good investment when you buy a computer and don’t feel any urge to upgrade for 4 years. So yes, the Mac does have a steep buy-in, but they have longer legs than a PC.
Fortunately those interested in testing the Mac waters have some options. A Mac Mini could be had for less than $1000, but their specs make them more suitable for your parents or one of your kids. The Mac Pro is still $2000+, with a $2799 buy-in for the 8 core base model. Those with lighter wallets will be happy to find that for $500 less Apple will sell you a 4 core version of this box. The iMac, kind of a joke for legitimate users in the past, has really become the star of the line, with 20″ and 24″ models sporting pretty good specs in a price range spanning $1199-$2199.
It’s still a lot of money in most people’s minds, in a world where PCs start around $399.
Apple clones are nothing new. In the 80′s, legal Mac clones were cost-prohibitive, because they required roms from a Mac, sending the price of non-Apple Mac clones into non-importance. By the mid 90s Apple was enjoying a 7% market share, and in a move to increase it’s market even further, licensed several companies to produce legitimate Mac clones. In at least one instance, the clone maker’s success outshone Apple Computer’s (Power Computing Corp.). Apple’s dilemma was that the clone program was indeed expanding the Mac market, but it wasn’t necessarily in Apple’s best interest.
Steve Jobs’ return to Apple quickly put an end to the relationship with the clone makers, and Apple has held an iron grip on their hardware ever since. The move to Intel processors has of course meant that people have figured out how to get OS X running on PCs with certain hardware configurations, but the level of skill required to do so is beyond Joe User and the numbers of people doing so are insignificant.
Enter Psystar. The Florida based firm is offering two configurations preloaded with OS X. $684.99 gets you a 2.53GHz Core2Duo with 4 gigs of ram and a 250 gig hard drive with OS X pre-installed. Step up to their OpenPro model and $1224.99 buys you a 2.4GHz Core2Quad with 4 gigs of ram and a 750 gig hard drive. These are certainly attractive prices for a machine that will run OS X, but here’s the rub:
Apple could, at any time, release an update that would brick these computers. On top of that, Apple’s software update will not function with Psystar’s PCs, so a Psystar owner is frozen in time with their OS X install.
Apple and Psystar have a current court case regarding this whole mess. Apple, of course, wants Psystar to cease and desist. Psystar wants to keep offering their clones, and having a court grant them legitimacy may even force Apple to allow Psystar computers access to software updates. Don’t hold your breath. The court just threw out Psystar’s counter suit, and I think the court siding with Psystar in the case with Apple is beyond a long shot. Stranger things have happened though.
In the meantime while all the legal dust is still swirling, Psystar continues to sell their OS X-capable PCs. They represent a lot of machine for the money compared to their Apple counterparts, but buyers may be stuck with an OS that is frozen in time with no possibility of upgrade.
In a perfect world Apple would be offering a Mac Mini with specs that would be more attractive in the sub-$1000 ballpark. The whole question of a cheap Mac alternative would be moot. Until they do that, or license someone to offer legitimate clones, the Mac faithful as well as the potential converts are still facing the traditionally steep fee to join the club.
