Psystar Begins Selling Mac Clones

On the launch of the Psystar Open Computer, essentially a port of the Apple Macintosh OS X operating system directly to generic PC hardware. The price? $399, which is hundreds of dollars less than any Apple product save the Mac mini, which is $599. (It appears that at one time the PC was called an "Open Mac".)And if you were wondering: yes, this is a direct violation of Apple's EULA.

Here's Psystar's pitch:

"You don't need to spend an arm and a leg to get the full OS X Leopard experience," the company says. "Apple's Mac Mini is completely stripped and still expensive. Why would you want a stripped-down computer, anyway? You asked for a good and inexpensive computer that can run OS X and we answered with the Open Computer which is less expensive than even the cheapest Apple computer out now; faster than most Apple computers out now; running arguably the best operating system available; ready to run out of the box when you purchase it with Leopard included. If you buy Leopard with your Open Computer we'll install it for free."

Here's the base configuration:

• 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Processor
  
• 2GB of DDR2 667 memory
  
• Integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics
  
• 20x DVD+/-R SATA drive that is Lightscribe-capable
  
• 4 rear USB Ports

Upgrades, such as a 2.66-GHz processor (for $90), are also available.