Engadget has their hands on “the first Psystar Open Computer shipped out for review,” Nilay Patel reports.
“We’re just getting it set up, but check out the unboxing [photos],” Patel writes.
See the photos here.
MacDailyNews Take: Focacta from the packaging to the plug.
MacDailyNews Note: From Psystar’s online FAQ: Can I update my Open/OpenPro with the Leopard OS using the Apple web site or the Leopard Automatic Update Feature [sic]? We do not support that feature of the operating system. Supported updates will be listed under support on the Psystar website. Future operating system updates may cause severe system problems. Only install updates that have been tested and posted to the Psystar support website.
Does not look like an apple shipping box.
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Ugly, ugly.. but cheap
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The honeymoon will be over for them soon enough… OS X wise anyway. Once they are shut down on the OS X front they may thrive as a low cost Franken-box manufacturer. They are getting a ton of free publicity.
Anyone taking bets on when the other shoe is gonna drop?
Is it so hard for a “journalist” to take pictures that don’t suck? Sheesh.
Hint guys. With digital cameras, the film is free. Review each pic for clarity and make sure you’ve got a keeper before proceeding to the step stage of un-boxing.
On the package tape:
“STOP”
“If tape seal is disturbed check contents before signing”
Wouldn’t it be a little late by then for caution since prudence wasn’t an issue?
Disturbed. Indeed.
How about re-boxing photos for when you need ship it back to get a software update.
When will Apple post pictures of the unboxing of their lawyers to unleash on Psystar?
I wonder if Psystar was stupid enough to except an order from Apple and has shipped it.
UGH!
If that’s what the cheap-assed ‘Doze loving crowd wants (a cheap-assed computer looking like it was pulled from a box of Cracker Jacks), then they can keep it!
OMFG, even as a cheap-assed white box, that’s one cheap-assed looking case.
Have I mentioned that it looks cheap?
That’s one twisted Psystar and we’re not gonna take it.
“I wonder if Psystar was stupid enough to except an order from Apple and has shipped it.”
Do you mean both of them?
What… no pubes!??
Dude!
(Note: If you paid $50.00 for that cheap-assed looking computer, you were ripped off)
In my best Fred Rogers voice:
“Can you say Cheesey? I knew you could!”
Still, if Apple won’t make a reasonably price mini-tower, be prepared for someone who will.
— Hano
is there anything worse than styrofoam peanuts?
besides getting a new mac with a parallel port?
i notice the posters who said this thing was never going to show up have shut up now, and the cheap looking criticism is fair but isnt it how it operates that counts?
Where’s the photo of the vomit?
@Alasdair
Cheap?… If you add all apps pirated and feel ok to have no upgrades and no valid garantee of this illegal machine…
“In my best Fred Rogers voice: Can you say Cheesey? I knew you could!”
So, more importantly than anything Psystar does or ever will do:
(From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
Robotics event honors Fred Rogers’ legacy
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The third annual Mister Rogers’ Robotics Adventure is set for 9 a.m. to noon at Sarah Heinz House, One Heinz St., North Side. The event is open to the public.
The competition is a collaborative effort among three local institutions — the public TV series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Carnegie Mellon University and Sarah Heinz House.
The competition involves 17 teams of kids between the ages of 8 and 14 from local schools and youth organizations. Each team will design, build and program a robot, which will then compete in a series of 10 challenges.
The event is a tie-in to “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Days — a series of events presented by local cultural institutions that celebrate the legacy of the late Fred Rogers, who would have turned 80 this year. Some of the robot challenges are based on his popular children’s series. In one, the robots have to hit a door knocker to make the Daniel Tiger character come out of a clock. David Newell, a k a Mr. McFeely of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” will be at the competition, which runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., with an awards ceremony at 11:45 a.m.
Too bad the pics did not come with audio….I love the jet engine sound it makes when turned on…..
But remember YOU CAN NEVER GET UPDATES and that is the end of the story.
I wish few million to invest in this company… If they can get around the legal issues, which I believe is possible, they will be sitting in a pretty strong to position … could even license their tech to DELL. There’s obviously a huge market for people with less than $500 to spend on a computer … if they could get a mac-clone at that price, it would hot!
It’s common practice to have a barrier between the product and the shipping peanuts — like a bag or something. So, are you expected to open the computer up to clean out the peanut scraps? Or do they blow out when you turn it on?
They should show the inside, and how you open it. I bet it looks almost exactly like a Mac Pro — NOT!
To: goo goo
You are correct, but that busted-up box does NOT instill confidence. I guess Psystar had to dig into their cache of boxes from the ebay orders they’ve placed.
My guess is Apple will let them operate for a while until they get enough evidence to sue them out of existence.
Wow. It sounds like a kitchen blender! Or an XBox 360!
The horror! A Mac with parallel and serial ports? This is an abomination. I need eye-bleach. Please Apple — KILL IT!
Not that I’m any expert on Yiddish (and the word is of German origin anyway), but MDN, isn’t it spelt vercochtet?
Gotta say, vercochtet it definitely is…
Love the way the had to label the buttons, shows the market they are aiming for.
On second thoughts shouldn’t the buttons say ‘Pull’ instead of ‘Push’ – to make more sense to Windows users.
From the photos it looks like some junk bought from the Dollar Store or Wal-Mart.
What about service and support? Can’t call Apple for the OS problems because it’s not supported on that machine. You’re pretty much on your own.
You really do get what you pay for.
Apple. Real Intelligent Design®
Those look like Leopard disks. I looks like they’re reselling Leopard rather than pirating it, but doesn’t their FAQ page say they don’t recommend customers try installing Leopard on their own as it is so difficult. What use are the disks other than protect Psystar from piracy charges?
Oh, it IS just a cheap plastic case with cheap components. So basically your average PC box assembler, name or otherwise.
That’s why I’ll stick with Apple. Best quality with a genius eye for detail at a very reasonable price, through and through.
” There Can Be Only One “
Whoever buys this POS deserves it. You want a cheap Mac, then get a Mac Mini. Or a refurbished Mac from the Apple Store. Don’t make a mistake by getting this flawed Dopplegaenger!
Pystar Looks Like Crap.
Windows Vista :
1. The newest in a long line of crappy OS’s from Microsoft. This one promises to track your every move, so watch out all you internet pedophiles out there!! they’ll know who you are!
Gary finished downloading a few videos and suddenly the FBI crashed through the door. “Damn you, Windows Vista!” He screamed whilst they hauled his ass to the pokey.
2. The OS from hell that promises to make your life miserable and wish you can throw your previously fine computer out the window.
My computer is a f*@#$ mess since I changed to Windows Vista.
3.Microsoft’s newest Operating System, the successor to windows XP. Windows Vista takes all the worst features of Windows XP, and makes them worse, moves them around to new, hard to find locations, and adds a ton of new features. Some of these new features are:
*Explorer windows that regularly freeze up
*A proprietary web browser, Internet Explorer 7, that comes packaged with the system and cannot be uninstalled or deleted.
*400+ MB RAM usage right off the bat.
*Built-in DRM to restrict a users ability to do most anything.
*UAC (User Account Control), a wonderful feature that questions the intelligence of its users by asking if they’re sure they want to do what they’re trying to do, then double-checking that they didn’t accidentally press “Yes” when they meant “No.”
*Shadow-copy, and other similar hidden processes, that keep hidden backups of your data files to ensure that your privacy is always compromised.
*Little backwards-compatibility.
*New versions of old familiar tools that remove all those pesky progress displays and status indicators, so you have no idea whether the program is actually doing anything or not (because that’s none of your business). For example, the new checkdisk and defrag.
*A complete new set of security holes for virusus, adware, trojans, etc to exploit.
*The new “aero” interface, which is incompatible with almost everything non-Microsoft.
Windows Vista is also known as Microsoft’s latest attempt to create a product worse than windows ME.
lmao!
It’s spelt “focaccia”, isn’t it?
Anyway, what’s a box got to do with bread?
Apple needs to sue these folks for making Apple’s OS X work in such a sweat shop… it’s not far to the best OS in the land!
Why ANYONE interested in a Mac would spend $3.00 on this is beyond me. Just load Windoz and be done with it.
Lousy; screwed up; washed up; (vulg., shitty, crappy, full of shit (vulg.); (adj.) farkakt פֿאַרקאַקט
Approximate pronunciation (Northern Yiddish / Southern Yiddish): far∙kakt’
Back in the Day, I worked at Microage’s Integration Center and assembled and customized ten’s of Thousands of PCs, Macs and UNIX systems and servers. I can still spot and cheap poorly assembled system from 10 miles away. This is a cheap 32 Bit legacy board with 32bit PCI slots that you’ll never be able to add a PCI cards to and have any confidence that they’ll work, this is assuming of course that you can find PCI drivers for MacOSX. There is so many 8 and 16 bit legacy chips and subsystems on the board that it looses 30% of it’s performance in bus bottle-necks. The lowest end Mac Mini will most likely run circles around the Psystar cheap box.
The first calls to Apple Tech support that they get on these cheap systems will be the end of Psystar. I even put money on Psystar starting to referring tech support issues to Apple after they’ve been shipping these systems for at most 90days. It’ll take them that long to figure out that support cost money and lot’s of it, when you’re selling cheap computers. Just talk to Michael Dell about the cost of supporting a cheap low end system compared to a high end system. You’ll find the cheap system costs you 50 to 100 times more to support then a high end system does.
There’s still not enough journalists asking the questions I want answered: who are these people behind Psystar, and what are their motives?
You’ve got this Psystar company which appears out of the blue, haphazardly changes their address info a few times (while blatantly lying about a “recent change of address”), and claims to be selling computers in violation of the licenses of both Apple and the programmer who came up with the EFI firmware hack. Psystar’s first impression comes across as both shady and amateurish. If all they did was steal peoples’ credit card info, it wouldn’t be much more than an unusually high-profile internet scam.
But if they’re actually shipping working machines, that changes things significantly. They’re not just taking peoples’ money, they’re building and shipping working computers to customers. And they apparently aren’t too concerned about copyrights or the legal ramifications of what they’re doing.
I’m starting to wonder if Psystar has any shadowy ties to the folks who make money from organized cybercrime. They can’t be blind to the trend away from Windows toward OS X, and OS X isn’t the laughably easy target for exploitation that Windows is.
So instead, they manufacture and sell cheapish Mac clones which come preinstalled with a modified version of OS X. They make it so the OS can’t be updated via Apple’s normal system updates, instead picking and choosing updates and listing them on their website. This could allow for some “hacked” Darwin files under the hood (which are provided courtesy of their preinstallation) to steal users’ personal/financial information, participate in spam botnets, etc. – perpetuating the status quo they’re accustomed to on the Windows side of things.
Yes, this may be in the realms of wild speculation, but this whole Psystar thing has been bothering me ever since the story broke, and this is one of the few scenarios I can think of that fits what we know so far. I sincerely hope that some enterprising tech reporter will take the time to carefully compare Psystar’s preinstalled Leopard with the real thing, to see what’s different.
MW: big, as in this story doesn’t seem to be getting smaller anytime soon.
I just puked in my mouth a little.
eeeewww, it has a parallel printer port!!!!!!!
Apple’s silence on this is deafening. Maybe they are happy to have a retail sale of MacOS X on an obviously limited PC that they will never have to support in warranty or upgrades and gets some of the experience into the hands of the PC geeks who refuse to fully switch.
Maybe it is MS who should be worried about Psystar.
It’s the same reason that Apple is silent about all of the Hacintosh pages out there. Once people see what a Hackintosh is all about and how bad the performance and stability is, the problem will solve itself.
“So instead, they manufacture and sell cheapish Mac clones which come preinstalled with a modified version of OS X. They make it so the OS can’t be updated via Apple’s normal system updates, instead picking and choosing updates and listing them on their website. “
This is absolutely not true. It is a regular, out of the box, vanilla copy of 10.5. The hack, which was developed BY the OSX86 boys is to the EFI which allows standard Leopard to install and run….
Since Mac “Box assemblers” use standard PC parts (Intel, GeForce, Radeon) there are no driver issues if you build the clone right..
What you end up with is a machine that is fully expandable and faster for 1/2 the price (or more of a Mac)… Of course, The Fanboys here could case less about expandability and performance. What’s REALLY important to them is that their computers “LOOK” sexy and delicious!
Of course, Apple could easily “break” it with their next software update. Just as easily they could allow it to update if they wanted to,,, But they will break it. Who would ever by a Mac when you can get 3 times the machine for half the price..
Focacta:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=focacta
Hmm, no Firewire standard not too expensive to add on but no iLife??!! What kinda Mac or Mac Clone wouldn’t be caught dead w/o iLife preinstalled!! Wait, maybe if they were like really old, obsolete, pre-G3 and or used off of eBay!! BTW I’ve gotten much better boxes from eBay shipping old stuff! LOL
OK, I missed it at first but Psystar is authorized to offer OS X 10.5X software updates that are pre-approved by testing done by Psystar. Hmm, where’s the Apple lawyers? LOL Oh wait, I’ll bet they’re waiting for a couple of hundred of them to go out then break ’em with a software update time bomb style or they’ll force Psystar to refund all of their customers money after the boxes go south and force them to send ’em Mac Mini’s to replace ’em!
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Apple’s lack of response to Psystar tells me new owners are sitting on a ticking time bomb much like <a href=”http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430112525.htm”> except way dumber.
Yeah and next time I’ll proof read my HTML. I wonder if M$ is hiring?
God that is one ugly designed mac.
Makes you realise how great Apple’s designs are.
Goodluck trying to update the OS on that shitbox.
I bet Apple adds some update when means you wont be able to install any apple updates on non apple hardware.
This is exactly why Apple will NEVER licence OS X.
A prime example of the horrors of potentially licencing Mac OS X to other shitbox makers.
If Apple ever licences OSX – and I hope they NEVER EVER do, then this will be the future.
I pray Steve Jobs NEVER Licences OS X regardless of how much additonal marketshare they would gain..
10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound box.
I wonder if anyone else has actually received a computer. From following this story over the last few weeks, it would seem that large numbers of people (certainly in the hundreds, perhaps in the thousands) ordered a computer. One shipment does not a legitimate company make.
Also, has anyone else explored the rest of their online store? For a company with very little real-world presence prior to the introduction of the Open Computer, they seem to be hawking quite a few enterprise solutions (networking, VOiP phones, security systems).
I am wary of their entire operation. It seems that many people have been satisfied with the video evidence of ONE satisfied customer, but I wonder if this isn’t some kind of elaborate scam. Take the credit card numbers of thousands of people, reduce skepticism of scams by shipping a couple of computers (at what real cost to the operation?), and take even more credit card numbers as orders flow in. I am still skeptical, and I would caution anyone to hold off on giving this company their credit card information.
I wonder “if” they did send ’em Mac Mini’s what kinda reaction those folks would get to the “whole experience”? From the un-boxing, how tiny it is, how quiet it is, how powerful it is and as a big bonus: Firewire and iLife ’08!! Oh yeah and the Apple Software Updates can be setup to be automatic no need to check Psystar’s site to see if the next 10.5.X update or even an iTunes, Safari, Quicktime or security upgrade is available like months later and “if” Psystar is still in business. Yeah, big mistake by these folks I mean total dumb a$$e$ in even buying one of these future “Pet Rock” ‘puters! I don’t feel sorry for them cuz they’ll learn the hard way and will prolly end up putting XP or Vista on it to make it work and update properly! Or they’ll get frustrated and break down and get a Mac Mini instead and be wOwed!
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At last Mac users have a choice.
For many years, people have been complaining that it’s difficult to upgrade the hardware on a Mac. Pystar are offering a computer that will run OS X, but where you can easily upgrade the hardware.
But if you choose that option, there’s a small drawback. Although the hardware may be easily upgraded, it’s not so easy to upgrade the software.
It’s your choice.
Really thought engadget would get some real inside pics. I think Psystar are using the LifeHacker instructions for making a Hackintosh. Been toying with the idea of making one for giggles myself.
Link to lifehacker hackintosh article.
http://lifehacker.com/software/hack-attack/build-a-hackintosh-mac-for-under-800-321913.php
The Dude abides.
Ah, the sweet savour of the Walmart ethos comes to Macintosh. Not unlike the scent of decay redolent about the vulture, the shipping box forfends the box within.
Mongol General: Hao! Dai ye! We won again! This is good, but what is best in life?
Mongol: The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women.
Instead of using popcorn for the packing material- they should have used toilet paper. They’d have a matched set then.
“Oh, it IS just a cheap plastic case with cheap components. So basically your average PC box assembler, name or otherwise.”
That’s right Apple has expensive Aluminium cases with cheap components, which makes a world of difference. Macs also come in a nicer packaging box. Money well spent in my book.
Joe, lay off the weed, man.
@: Demon
“There is so many 8 and 16 bit legacy chips and subsystems on the board that it looses 30% of it’s performance in bus bottle-necks. The lowest end Mac Mini will most likely run circles around the Psystar cheap box.”
If you read the benchmark at
http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/30/psystar-open-computer-notes-benchmarks-and-video/
the clone seems to stack up fairly well against the current iMac in terms of IO.
They did say however that the fan doesn’t interface correctly with OSX which means it sounds like a jet taking off constantly. Not good.
[That’s one twisted Psystar and we’re not gonna take it.]
Love the lack of the firewire as someone mentioned… but hey you can use lightscribe to burn the label onto your CD
so basically, if you are the kind of putz that can’t even manage, with a digital camera no less, to get even a single non-fuzzy/camera motion blurred image of an ugly box sitting still right in front of you, you might buy this POS.
they should make an ad…..
Maybe Apple is willing to tolerate Psystar’s indiscretions for the moment, if only to allow users to compare the ugliness of Psystar with the magnificence of the Macs. However, I suspect that if Apple thought that if Psystar was hurting Apple profits that Jobs’ team of lawyers would descend upon Psystar like the plague.
did a google search on apple + psystar and the first “hit” was a thread on APPLE”S discussion board…
clicked on it, and it said you may need to log-in, etc. so i did and searched “psystar”
here’s what came up
No search results for “psystar”. You should try a less restrictive search.
Did you mean: shyster
(Hint Hammer: Now I can’t get that friggin’ song out of my head.)
It’s the next day. Shouldn’t the reboxing photos be online by now?
1.It’s so cheap, it comes with to gerbils that have to run a treadmill to power it.
2. You need a stick to prop open the case when it’s opened.
3. After one year, you need to shoot it to put it out of it’s misery.
4. Carefully replace the chewing gum and duct tape from the insides after opening.
I think Microsoft is behind this…
@ “Reality”
The Psystar boxes are shipping with custom OS X installs which have Software Update either disabled or removed, and according to Psystar reinstallation of OS X is “not supported”.
Their custom OS X installation has nothing to do with the EFI firmware hack you talked about, but has everything to do with my suspicions about what possibly hidden “features” they’re installing on these machines, and what their motives are for selling them despite the legal ramifications.
I sincerely hope others are looking closely into what may be lurking on these Psystar machines.
Unboxed and benchmarked.
Of interest from the “review”:
It’s running 10.5.2, build 9C31, which is behind the latest Apple build of 9C7010.(security holes intact)
It’s LOUD. Crazy loud. OS X doesn’t seem to interface with the fan controller, so it runs at full tilt all the time. It doesn’t really come across on the video, but it’s loud enough so that it’s hard to talk on the phone when the machine is running. There’s no way we could deal with this thing on a daily basis.
The DHCP lease drops every fifteen minutes or so and you have to manually renew it in prefs.
The included copy of Leopard was out of the shrinkwrap, but there’s no way to install it — it shows up in Startup Disk but it won’t restart, and it’s not recognized at boot
(Specs, etc here http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/30/psystar-open-computer-notes-benchmarks-and-video/ )
Ampar,
I’ve got a remedy. Give Psystar’s new ad jingle a listen.
“Cum On Feel The Noize!”
“Cum On Feel The Noize!”
And then?
“Round and Round
What comes around goes around
I’ll tell you why”
Following jingles will include…
Turn Up the Radio.
Blow My Fuse.
Rock You Like a Hurricane.
Looks That Kill.
Brett Michaels knows the lyrics to Barry Manilow, but doesn’t know the lyrics to Cum On Feel The Noize!
That’s almost interesting.
Nah, just kidding. Brett’s alright.
“Mac Clone” is a funny name, since current Macs are PC Clones in almost every respect.
Did you know ‘Cum on Fell the Noize’ was originally done by a band called Slade? The Quiet Riot version was a cover. Oasis covered it too. Just some useless trivia.