Mac clone maker vows to test Apple on OS X licensing terms

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Apple won't lose it (they make it, they decide how to sell it)

And Apple can't be forced to sell it in markets they don't support (Could we force MS to make MS Office for Linux?)

[Cormier6083]

I hope Apple loses this, and they are forced to put OSX on the market. It'd be cool to be able to finally buy it for my PC / Laptop

That would also mean the end of Apple. How would they survive if everyone bought OS X for their computers. OS X would turn into a nightmare, just like Windows, where hardware and software don't compute together.

[Nashy]

That would also mean the end of Apple. How would they survive if everyone bought OS X for their computers. OS X would turn into a nightmare, just like Windows, where hardware and software don't compute together.

Last I checked Microsoft was going quite well with Windows.

A nightmare? It's not a nightmare, it's a perfectly fine Operating System. Actually, it's probably the best. Hardware and Software computer together, people just need to make drivers.

[1759]

That would also mean the end of Apple. How would they survive if everyone bought OS X for their computers. OS X would turn into a nightmare, just like Windows, where hardware and software don't compute together.

If that was the case, then MS would never be able to sell a single copy of Windows.

And I'll be honest, you know which of PCs gives me more headaches? My C2D Mac Mini with Leopard. Not my Vista desktop or laptop. Linux has given me all sorts of problems on the same laptop, but at the same time, it's a learning experience. I like all 3 OS', OSX a bit better than Vista, but all my work is done in Vista.

[Cormier6083]

Last I checked Microsoft was going quite well with Windows.

A nightmare? It's not a nightmare, it's a perfectly fine Operating System. Actually, it's probably the best. Hardware and Software computer together, people just need to make drivers.

I wouldn't go as far as saying that, as you can see that Nvidia drivers are the cause for most crashes. OS X works because there is one driver for one machine. Unlike Windows, OS X is designed to work with Macintosh hardware. Imagine Dell, HP, etc all making different types of hardware for OS X. To bridge the divide between hardware and software, you need the driver, which is part of the hardware, since the hardware would not function without it. The stability and control that OS X is famous for would plummet, and security would fall down quicker that a bad souffle. Apple would have to revamp OS X, spend most of their time working to fix the OS, while neglecting the iPod, another media player would come out on top, Apple would lose it's rep, so on and so on. Apple doesn't have the task force like Microsoft does.

It just so happens that Microsoft controls the market. Just because it's found on most computers doesn't mean it's a good thing. Hitler controlling Europe wouldn't have been a good thing either :D

[giga Veteran]

Last I checked Microsoft was going quite well with Windows.

A nightmare? It's not a nightmare, it's a perfectly fine Operating System. Actually, it's probably the best. Hardware and Software computer together, people just need to make drivers.

Which also would mean they would need to support other hardware platforms--thus losing sales of their own computers they manufacture. It's just not going to happen.

[drumthrasher109]

I hope that they win (the company making the clones). Apple does charge quite a bit for their systems...I mean the OS is less than $150. Tons of people already have it on x86-based PC's.

Microsoft should make something like Bootcamp but for Windows. Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard sale's would go sky-high. I would instantly go out and buy it.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

MS already include a boot menu in their OS.

Of course, MS can't give you a license for OS X.

[1759]

I hope that they win (the company making the clones). Apple does charge quite a bit for their systems...I mean the OS is less than $150. Tons of people already have it on x86-based PC's.

Microsoft should make something like Bootcamp but for Windows. Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard sale's would go sky-high. I would instantly go out and buy it.

Easy BCD can add OSX to Vista's bootloader with a couple clicks.

[toadeater]

I think its about time. Apple's profit margins are exceedingly high given that most companies in the industry are lucky to make 1/2 that amount.

I don't see how Apple could lose if its marketshare expanded to 40% or so, from the pitiful 9% it has right now. Even if it sold less hardware, the OS costs would make up for it. Apple is never going to get 40% marketshare through its closed hardware, so opening up the OS to 3rd party usage is the only way to expand. People would still buy Apple hardware, even if there were clones around.

Apple allowed this once before, but things were very different back then, the market wasn't nearly as big.

Eh, in a few years most people will be using tiny laptops and portables instead of desktops anyway, so maybe that's what Apple is waiting for. Then there won't be any particular advantage to DIY or OEM PCs, they'll still cost about the same and have the same performance.

[drumthrasher109]

I know that EasyBCD can do all that but I didn't really want to say that much. :p

[shihchiun]

It sounds like a lot of people want Apple to lose this case because it's not "fair" that they can't run OS X on whatever hardware they want.

Uh... seriously? How would you like being told by the government what to do with your product?

[Xab]

I would really like to see Apple lose such a lawsuit, however unlikely. Choice is always good for consumers in the end, and that's what this would result in. I always love seeing a EULA get knocked down, so many of them are ridiculous and companies think they can just throw anything they want in there and make people abide by it.

[Eric Veteran]

Despite what you may have heard, OSX doesn't use a TPM, and never did. The first generation Intel macs had a TPM chip, but they were unused. Current Macs (like my MBP) don't have a TPM.

I beg to differ. They only switched from an Infineon-labeled chip to an unmarked or Apple-labeled one. You will not find an Intel Mac without a TPM chip. The OS checks it constantly and you would be able to run OSX on any computer without the module.

I may be wrong about this. I've been looking and even the "Mac guru" sites don't seem to be quite sure about this. I suspect they may have just hidden the module somewhere else or included it in another chip.

[MulletRobZ]

That would also mean the end of Apple. How would they survive if everyone bought OS X for their computers. OS X would turn into a nightmare, just like Windows, where hardware and software don't compute together.

I don't think so, as one must remember that Apple is in a significantly different position now than when they allowed Mac clones in the early to mid 1990's. Back then, Apple's only source of revenue was from their computer hardware, so Apple wouldn't have had anything to fall back on with the potential fall of hardware sales. And of course, it doesn't help when the processors that powered Macs back then (and I'm guessing the Mac clones as well) are incompatible to the Intel/AMD chips that power Windows-based PC's, which would have made the classic Mac OS incompatible with such machines. Henceforth, there was not that much margin of growth.

But now, Apple has become vastly diversified with the addition to the iPod, the iTunes Store, the iPhone, and to a lesser extent, Apple TV. So if its Mac hardware sales were to decline, it would not bring down the company with it. And since it has the proper processor architecture (Intel processors), adoption by non-Apple users would be far easier than what was the case 10 - 15 years and this could only mean a big positive for Apple.

[CentralDogma]

It won't really make a difrence wether Apple wins or looses. Even if they loose, they wont have to provide drivers, or a means to create drivers, for non-Apple hardware. OSX will reamain as hacked as it is currently to get it to run on non-Apple hardware, and no one would want to pay money for that.

[Miuku.]

Apple can easily cripple any of these clone machines by simply pushing out updates that brick any of these 'pirate' clones.

As for "choice is good" - you have choice, use Windows. After all whenever I comment about the quality of Windows on these boards, I'm told to use something else. Merry goes round.

[osirisX]

Apple can easily cripple any of these clone machines by simply pushing out updates that brick any of these 'pirate' clones.

Owners of these Hackintoshes will do that themselves by applying updates that aren't compatible with OSx86.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

I would really like to see Apple lose such a lawsuit, however unlikely. Choice is always good for consumers in the end, and that's what this would result in. I always love seeing a EULA get knocked down, so many of them are ridiculous and companies think they can just throw anything they want in there and make people abide by it.

All it would result in, is people selling unsupported copies of an operating system that would break with updates.

Think about the courts forcing MS to allow companies to sell cracked versions of Windows, it isn't going to happen.

[CoolCatBad]

They are available for sale at the moment, a good quality box with a choice of Xp, Vista, Leopard or Ubuntu.

http://www.psystar.com/index.php?&page...t&Itemid=72

http://www.psystar.com/index.php?&opti...9&Itemid=72

Or the Pro version, Apple doesn't give you a choice about video cards, or much else for that matter. Considering the proliferation of such hacks as "Jailbreak" the whole Apple monolithic mentality is looking more than a bit antiquated for todays technology scene.

[Miuku.]

Apple doesn't give you a choice about video cards

Actually you can choose between multiple different cards - as for these idiots offering some <insert here card> how exactly did you intend to use them on OSX when you don't have any drivers for them.

In pure unaccelerated VESA mode? Haha, good luck with that.

[Rudy]

Actually you can choose between multiple different cards - as for these idiots offering some <insert here card> how exactly did you intend to use them on OSX when you don't have any drivers for them.

In pure unaccelerated VESA mode? Haha, good luck with that.

I'm sure they picked the cards from the large list of OSX supported cards (it supports more cards than you'd think)

[.tony]

I see this as great, as Apple has never gotten any anti-trust bull from anybody.

Yet, Microsoft gets it nearly everyday, and that impacts on the product we get, which seems completely unfair.

Also, if clone machines become available, and Apple is forced to lower prices, I might stop saying Apple products are overpriced.

[LTD]

They are available for sale at the moment, a good quality box with a choice of Xp, Vista, Leopard or Ubuntu.

http://www.psystar.com/index.php?&page...t&Itemid=72

http://www.psystar.com/index.php?&opti...9&Itemid=72

Or the Pro version, Apple doesn't give you a choice about video cards, or much else for that matter. Considering the proliferation of such hacks as "Jailbreak" the whole Apple monolithic mentality is looking more than a bit antiquated for todays technology scene.

That mentality is actually one of the keys to their astounding success. Don't confuse "neowin technology scene" with "technology scene."

[darkz]

Actually you can choose between multiple different cards - as for these idiots offering some <insert here card> how exactly did you intend to use them on OSX when you don't have any drivers for them.

In pure unaccelerated VESA mode? Haha, good luck with that.

lol, the gf 8600gt's are used by apple and therefore they have the drivers.

damn, i want an opencomputer. something in this sweet antec case running osx, what else could i need