Attack of the Clones! Options

[sHARD>>]

The Empire strikes back? It's been 9 years since the “death” of the Macintosh clones, but apparently they can't be killed. After seeing OSx86 for sale in Bangkok, it was only a matter of time before commercial pirates moved to the "hard" stuff. If Apple makes the big money on hardware, why shouldn't illegal cloners do too? Apparently they've caught on, selling such items as the "PowerPC G6 Macintosh", an "Apple G6 Macintosh-Clone Computer" with a 3.8GHz Pentium 4. Along with the fancy OSx86 compatible hardware, it comes pre-loaded with something the seller likes to call "Mac OSX-86 Apple MacOS X Tiger 10.4.3". A “low, low” price of $500 ensures plenty of sales.

What's interesting to note here, beside the blatant disregard for copyright, trademark, and patent law, is the homegrown nature of these operations. What once was the domain of small South American and Chinese factories is now the realm of home PC builders. This represents quite a shift from the old business model, and it's probably time Apple started worrying about it. With the simplicity and anonymity of the internet, operations are here and gone in a few days. There's the potential to sell thousands.

As you may notice, we refrain from linking to this material as we continue on our mission to prevent piracy. Clones represent the worst of theft, giving their perpetrators thousands in undue monetary gain. Rest assured, suppliers are out there.

All this leaves us with an important question: When Steve Jobs first re-joined Apple, the clones were dead. When will we see a return of the jedi?

[editopen]

Will people buy it though? It is not the easiest thing to get going and the people who can get it going already have beacuse they are real interested in getting it done themselves, on hardware they can trust, beacuse they owned it running Windows...

I'm not sure that this is a big deal for Apple - the ipod generation of Apple users want the styled machines - the people who want OSX86 build it themselves. I see it posing zero threat to Jobs and his team.

[sHARD>>]

Will people buy it though? It is not the easiest thing to get going and the people who can get it going already have beacuse they are real interested in getting it done themselves, on hardware they can trust, beacuse they owned it running Windows...

I'm not sure that this is a big deal for Apple - the ipod generation of Apple users want the styled machines - the people who want OSX86 build it themselves. I see it posing zero threat to Jobs and his team.

Clones could grow into something more, and they are easy to get up and use. This machine comes pre-loaded with the OS, and if it also had a pre-cracked DVD, you wouldn't even notice any problems if you had to reinstall. Quite easy once you have the right hardware.

[bofors]

TApparently they've caught on, selling such items as the "PowerPC G6 Macintosh", an "Apple G6 Macintosh-Clone Computer" with a 3.8GHz Pentium 4. Along with the fancy OSx86 compatible hardware, it comes pre-loaded with something the seller likes to call "Mac OSX-86 Apple MacOS X Tiger 10.4.3". A “low, low” price of $500 ensures plenty of sales.

So a PowerPC G6 is a 3.8GHz Pentium 4? Now that's great marketing.

Do you have links (or pics) for any of this stuff?

EDIT: I missed this part in Shard's story:

As you may notice, we refrain from linking to this material as we continue on our mission to prevent piracy.

At $500 they must be overclocking the Pentium 4, right? I wonder what motherboard they using.

All this leaves us with an important question: When Steve Jobs first re-joined Apple, the clones were dead. When will we see a return of the jedi?

I continue to think that is inevitable that OS X will be licensed for non-Apple hardware, perhaps starting with some Dell and HP clone programs. But that may be a few years off as the x86 transitions is just getting started, x86 Macs have only been publicaly avaible for a few months. Furthermore, Apple has to be careful not to kill off it's own hardware sales by licensing OS X and somehow get crushed by Microsoft in retaliation, so I think they may avoid cloning while the company is doing so well with iPods, OS X, Apple Stores and next Intel's new chips.

[The_Sequencer]

Well, this will be interresting. Apple strikes back or it´s true - I don´t think so, fake alert! Company expansion could be the answer. They do more profit with iPods and iTunes as with Macs... Let´s see what happens.

If you want to see pictures and read infos about the "PowerPC G6 Macintosh" just google for it! However, for me it looks more like a evil fake as a deal to make.

[rogabean]

this is just bad. inevitable.. yes. but just bad.

Apple may let *some things* slide.. but I can't see Jobs letting this one go. Unfortunately it has the downside of looking bad upon us as well... since in the eyes of Apple we are part of the reason this became possible.

I smell a backlash.

[jreate]

These generic mac "clones" running OS X 86 are mostly sold in poor countries in South America and in China where Apple barely even has a presence. Nobody in the U.S. is gonna be buying these machines. This could be something good for Apple because it would start to make a name for them in countries where currently nobody knows what Mac OS X is. Apple won't be losing money since they are not loosing sales, since sales for them in these places are so reduced. At least in South America, the only people that buy Macs are the very rich and they will probably continue buying supported Apple hardware.

[i1sam]

So a PowerPC G6 is a 3.8GHz Pentium 4? Now that's great marketing.

Do you have links (or pics) for any of this stuff?

At $500 they most be overclocking the Pentium 4, right? I wonder what motherboard they using.
I continue to think that is inevitable that OS X will be licensed for non-Apple hardware, perhaps starting with some Dell and HP clone programs. But that may be a few years off as the x86 transitions is just getting started, x86 Macs have only been publicaly avaible for a few months. Furthermore, Apple has to be careful not to kill off it's own hardware sales by licensing OS X and somehow get crushed by Microsoft in retaliation, so I think they may avoid cloning while the company is doing so well with iPods, OS X, Apple Stores and next Intel's new chips.

hi bofor, re; the link and the pics... this is posted at laughs section http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/10895402/Po..._Macintosh.html

specs look real and osx86 compi

[Blackice]

$500 for that isn't bad at all...

[Skogsbrenner]

Haha That is Funny "Power PC G6" but yeah is Apple going to do any thing about the Clones?

[drcreek]

that guy is gonna go down sooooo fast.

[Hexley]

This guy is online since this summer, and Apple did nothing yet

[OryHara]

As you may notice, we refrain from linking to this material as we continue on our mission to prevent piracy. Clones represent the worst of theft, giving their perpetrators thousands in undue monetary gain. Rest assured, suppliers are out there.

BULLSHIT. The COURTS RULED that clones are LEGAL. I can build a clone and sell it if I want. Apple only wants to lock their OS so that they can maintain their willful violations of Anti-Trust laws. When they release the install DVD for sale (and they will) then everyone can 'legally' install the OS. I have already sold many clones to friends and neighbors. When they legally release their OS, then they can't stop anyone without doing something illegal.

I for one would like to see legislation outlawing TPM chips.

[bofors]

The COURTS RULED that clones are LEGAL. I can build a clone and sell it if I want.

I agree that simply hardware clones are legal per se as long as they do not copy ROM's or firware outright (reverse-engineering is legal). However, selling them with bootlegged software is not.

These guys are not stopping with OS X either:

CODE

Operating System: Mac OSX-86 Apple MacOS X Tiger 10.4.3
Software: Office2004 & PhotoShop9 CS2

I can not believe they are listing a US business address. Apple Legal is going to be all over these guys pronto.

When they release the install DVD for sale (and they will) then everyone can 'legally' install the OS.

I also agree with this. EULA and the Courts upholding them are full of {censored}. Retail sales are simply not applicable to unilateral contractual licensing agreements. If you purchase software retail, you have the right to use it anyway you wish (short of violating copyright), just like anything else you buy over-the-counter.

[miazmaticdotcom]

Yawn, the case looks like one I can get for $10 at Fry's.

Now if they had taken time and effort to make it look like a real Macintosh by custom-fabricating lookalike cases, like this guy, then it might be interesting. It's just another whitebox being sold under an Engrish name.

[bofors]

Yawn, the case looks like one I can get for $10 at Fry's.

Yes, the case is tacky but it is supposedly aluminum. I am kind of surprised of the overall quality of the parts they used:

250GB Maxtor NCQ 16MB 7200RPM SATAII-300
Pioneer DVR-110D
Thermaltake CL-P0071 Ultra-Quiet 120mm Copper CPU Cooler
apparently some Intel 915GV motherboard with a GMA 900?
and apparently Intel Pentium 4 670 (3.8 GHz)?

I really do not see how they are able to sell this all for $499, this is looking just to good to be true.

The best price I see for the Intel Pentium 4 670 (3.8 GHz) is $610:

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Intel_Penti...intel+670/skd=1

Now if they had taken time and effort to make it look like a real Macintosh by custom-fabricating lookalike cases, like this guy, then it might be interesting.

How about this this Lian Li:



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811112081

[sHARD>>]

When they release the install DVD for sale (and they will) then everyone can 'legally' install the OS.

I would like to make note of the big when there. Until the proprietary OS is gone, clones are completely illegal. That's why the original clones were. No court ever ruled that copies of illegal software (formally ROMs, now just the OS) could be freely sold. The only legal clones were those licensed by Apple. Until Apple licenses the OS for resale by vendors, any clone pre-loaded with the operating system will be completely illegal.

[Sabr]

Yes, the case is tacky but it is supposedly aluminum. I am kind of surprised of the overall quality of the parts they used:

250GB Maxtor NCQ 16MB 7200RPM SATAII-300
Pioneer DVR-110D
Thermaltake CL-P0071 Ultra-Quiet 120mm Copper CPU Cooler
apparently some Intel 915GV motherboard with a GMA 900?
and apparently Intel Pentium 4 670 (3.8 GHz)?

I really do not see how they are able to sell this all for $499, this is looking just to good to be true.

The best price I see for the Intel Pentium 4 670 (3.8 GHz) is $610:

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Intel_Penti...intel+670/skd=1
How about this this Lian Li:



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811112081

The Lian Li V600A would suit it better:

[bofors]

The Lian Li V600A would suit it better:

Yes, I was looking at that case a while ago. It is too bad they put the "front" IO ports on the top of the case. Likewise, I would rather have the exhaust blown out the back not the side.

[bofors]

Until Apple licenses the OS for resale by vendors, any clone pre-loaded with the operating system will be completely illegal.

Not necessarily, some jurisdictions certainly may rule that it is perfectly legal to sell a clone with a pre-installed copy of OS X so long as it is lawfully acquired.

Furthermore, given the vast diversity of jurisdicitons, we should expect the small-scale sale of illegal Mac clones to be common. It is easy to build illegal OSx86 boxes and lots of people are certainly willing to buy them. I think it will be just too difficult for Apple to take everyone to court who want to make a buck off this stuff, especially outside Western countries like the USA, say like Russia, China, Brazil and the Philippines.

Ultimately, Apple may simply be forced to go after the full-blown OS X pirates and ignore the EULA-breaking cloners. This is one scenerio that could lead Apple to sell OS X for general use.