There were some doubts about how real the Psystar Open Computers were, but reviews are starting to pour in from the gadget sites that have received the machines. That’s definitely good news since it adds some reassurance to those who purchased the computer, but it looks like some quirks are already starting to come out of the wood work.
First off the computer comes with the retail Leopard box, which you would naturally assume means you can reinstall the operating system at any point. Wrong. I expect that they give you the box so that you have a legal license for Leopard, but it really does nothing other than sit there and look pretty. Their FAQ’s state that they will not provide any information on loading the Leopard operating system yourself.
Apple’s iLife is a suite of application that come with new computers you purchase, but it is sold separately from Leopard. Well, this isn’t an official Apple computer so if you want iPhoto, iWeb, GarageBand, iDVD, or iMovie you’ll have to fork out another $79 for it. What it really levels out to is $400 for the cheapest computer that Psystar sells, another $155 if you want Leopard installed, and then $79 if you wanted to get iLife. You’re up to $634 right there, and an official Apple Mac Mini starts at $600. Sure the specs aren’t quite as good, but then you can at least reinstall Leopard at your leisure.
The real deal killer for many people is the fact that the machines cannot be updated using the standard automatic update system. Obviously this is a huge downfall because it’s pretty much a guarantee that the operating system will be out-of-date in a month or two. That not only leaves you in the dark for bug fixes, but also makes you more vulnerable to attacks. Here’s what Psystar says about updating Leopard:
Can I update my Open/OpenPro with the Leopard OS using the Apple web site or the Leopard Automatic Update Feature?
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.
And that’s not it either. Engadget is really putting the system through its paces. They immediately found out that the PC is incredibly loud because the fan always runs at full speed, and they even go as far as to say that it’s “loud enough so that it’s hard to talk on the phone when the machine is running.” Plus they noticed that their DHCP lease drops every fifteen minutes and it has to manually be renewed in the preferences. Yikes!
I don’t know about all of this. If I was going to grab a computer that ships with Mac OS X Leopard I would expect that it would perform better. If you really wanted to use your own computer to run Apple’s operating system it looks like you might be better off doing it on your own, which means you’ll at least know what to do if you wanted to reinstall it.
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Tags: Gadgets, Hardware, Software, Computers, Mac OS X 10.5, Reviews
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wait, why can’t you reinstall it?
So it’s a $400 computer that runs a glorified BSD and it’s not even running it at full 100%, I shall pass.
My guess is because it’s a hacked version of OS X or there might be something else fishy.
You need a patched version of Leopard to install it, and they only give you the retail copy. File sharing networks have all kinds of these patched Leopard installations available, but I assume it would be illegal for them to redistribute their own patched DVD.
If you want Leopard it’s actually a $550 starting price. But yes, in my book it’s not even running close to 100% even though others would argue that the flaws are minor.
To be fair, you compare these problems with some of the problems early Vista adopters had. Or the problems users faces when the first tried to upgrade to OS X.
While some of the issues are concerning and confusing (why exactly can’t I re-install?)you got to remember that every system has problems and they are buying a hacked OS.
Anything to break Apple’s monopoly.
That’s very true, but if you’re the one choosing to make the upgrade then there’s obviously a chance that things may not work as you would expect. I would compare this to buying a new Vista machine and having some of the problems mentioned. I think it’s safe to say that most people would send it back, but as you mentioned you are buying a hacked OS.
I’m actually starting to wonder if this could strengthen their monopoly. If Psystar ends up not being able to hold their own then others will assume that it’s not worth their breath trying to fight Apple. It would almost be like giving Apple the right to say that they can have a monopoly, and we’ve proven that there’s nothing you can do about it.