Attack of the Clones.

They say history repeats itself. Did you ever think that would apply to the computer world?

As perhaps a testament to Apple’s growing market share, Mac clones have reappeared on the market. This time, they come in the form of a $400 “Psystar OpenMac,” which ships with OSX 10.5 Leopard and offers full compatibility with Mac software.

Wondering why it’s not illegal? It just might be, but there isn’t much Apple can do about it.

From Wired:

“Basically, when people go to a store or download software, they have a license with Apple to use this patented software on their computer. But breach of contract is one of the weakest forms of legal disputes,” [Patent Attorney Raj] Abhyanker says, referring to EULA violations.

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK?

So, accepting that people will be able to purchase this clone, exactly what does one get?

The homepage for the OpenMac has a graphic bearing the question “why doesn’t Apple offer a stripped-down Mac that is more affordable?” Well, Psystar, they do. It’s called the Mac Mini, and it’s just moderately more expensive than the ol’ OpenMac. But Psystar claims that you get more bang for your buck from their Hackintosh than an authentic branded Macintosh.

To see if their claims are valid, let’s take a look at Psystar’s claims in detail:

Acceleration: The Open Computer can include nVidia GeForce GPUs which are normally only available in Mac Book Pros or Mac Pros which are over 4x the price of the base Open Computer.

Well, yes, but nVidia cards may be added to a Mac Pro as well… and that doesn’t change the fact that the other hardware in the Mac Pro is higher end than the OpenMac. As far as affordability is concerned, the nVidia card increases the cost of both machines. Granted, however, an OpenMac with a higher-end nVidia card will still be cheaper than a Mac Pro with a similar card.

Power: The Open Computer is faster than the entry-level Mac Mini and costs less.

Notice the clever wording: the OpenMac is not faster than the Mac Pro, but only the entry level Mac Mini. It’s also LARGER than the Mac Mini, too.

Drive: The Open Computer comes with a super-drive equivalent and 250GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive while the Mac Mini defaults to a simple combo cd/dvd rom and an 80G laptop drive.

Very well; the Mac Mini is a laptop without a screen (essentially), and this machine is… well, PC-looking. Larger and more cumbersome, to say the least. But yes, it is true, the drive(s) in the OpenMac are more capable and faster.

THE CATCH

The first feature that Psystar lists, however, is amazingly a hint at the big catch with the OpenMac…

Vanilla: The Open Computer runs the Vanilla kernel with minimal kext patching.

So, the OpenMac runs OSX “with minimal kext patching.” In other words, it does take some hacking to actually get OSX to run on the damn thing.

Wired may explain it best:

Psystar claims it can successfully install Leopard’s kernel straight from the OS X disc using an EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) emulator and a few drivers to ensure everything runs smoothly. What’s more, Psystar is offering the pre-installation of Leopard for free if you order its budget Mac clone, the $400 OpenComputer, and purchase a copy of Leopard.

Huh? Emulators? Drivers? To be honest, those aren’t the words I expect to hear when getting a new Mac. Brings me back to my old Windows days, searching for drivers whenever reinstalling the operating system (which, consequently, I did quite a lot). This whole concept seems very un-Mac to me; in fact, the OpenMac is beginning to sound like a pretty cheap hash.

WHAT MAKES A MAC A MAC?

Power users have known for some time that you can put most PC hardware into a Mac and get a nice result. USB cards, hard drives, sound cards, optical drives, and even some video cards may be freely installed in a Macintosh, and most of the time OSX has the required driver pre-installed. So, if Macs are now run on Intel x86 architecture, and the parts in the Mac and in the PC are nearly identical, what is it that makes a Mac a Mac?

It just so happens that the OpenMac is missing one crucial thing: firmware. Apple firmware is the difference between a Mac and a PC; yes, it’s the same thing that makes Macs play their little chime at every boot. PCs beep. Macs strike a chord.

OSX works with the Macintosh firmware, and requires it to run. And therein comes the emulator. Essentially, the OpenMac fools OSX into thinking it’s running on a real branded Mac by emulating Mac firmware. And, quite frankly, that whole business seems a bit shady to me.

SO, IS IT WORTH IT?

It was bound to happen; as soon as Apple announced they were switching to Intel processors, I’ve been waiting for this day.

Steve Jobs put a stop to Mac clones way back in 1997, making mention of a “quality guarantee” that Apple could only claim if they were the only ones making Mac hardware. It’s led to 11 years of runaway success, with Apple’s computers continually rating among the top 3 in every class, and Mac market share at its highest in its history.

Quite frankly, the OpenMac is no different from earlier Mac clones: yes, it’s cheaper, and yes, it seems Mac-like. But it’s no Mac. The quality is not there.

Why are Macs more expensive? They are, quite simply, better quality machines than generic PCs. All that Psystar has done, it seems, is take a generic PC and trick OSX into running on it. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, when given the choice between the $500 Mac Mini and the $400 OpenMac… I’ll take the Mac Mini, any day. And with it, I’ll take the quality, and the reliability, and I’ll leave the need for drivers and emulators to the Windows users of the world.

Trust me, they’ll need it.

UPDATE: According to a G4 news report, Psystar has stopped selling the OpenMac due to legal action by Apple. It seems that the problem stems not from the emulation of the firmware, but the fact that Psystar was offering OSX pre-installed. Only Apple Computer is allowed by law to pre-install Mac OS (a fact that was explicitly stated back in 1997 when Steve Jobs killed the clones). Psystar says they will sell the machines again after the dispute is resolved.

I, however, think not. It only took days for this clone to leave the market, and for good reason: it’s shady.