Psystar created a stir by appearing to offer a PC running Mac OS X for sale at $399.99. Forbes magazine's Brian Caulfield reports that he has talked to Psystar president Rudy Pedraza on the phone, and Pedraza "insists Psystar is for real":
"We're not out to steal anyone's money, we want to earn it," Pedraza says.
However: "The company has been overwhelmed by demand." He adds:
Still, Pedraza is short on the sorts of details most startups won't shut up about. He won't go on the record about his educational background, detail his professional history or name any previous ventures. The company's Open Computer is based on a machine put together by his brother (whom he won't name), he says. Nor will he say how the new computer works. He will say the company has 16 employees, and he just hired four more.
Meanwhile CNet's Tom Krazit is in the process of buying a system. He says:
Psystar said on its site. "Orders are being shipped in the order that they were received--don't worry; you'll get yours soon. Upon shipment, an e-mail notification, including tracking information, will be sent to you automatically." So we'll see if those orders start to come through. I ordered a Leopard Open Computer on Wednesday, and my credit card was charged on Saturday. I still haven't received a shipping notice yet.
Larry Dignan over at ZDNet chips in with another story: Exclusive: Pictures of Psystar's corporate home; Clone maker's store is open. He says:
A reader - an local IT guy in Miami - visited the last address for Psystar and verified two things: There's activity and inventory on the scene. There is a business there and he noted headquarters "isn't located in a shady part of town." But a lack of signage and the fact he couldn't get in doesn't provide a confirmation that Psystar is actually at the address.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it really a cheap PC running Mac OS X? And if so, how will Apple try to close the company down? (The simplest way might be to take Mac OS X off the market. A bit like how Apple blocked the old Atari ST- and Amiga-based Mac-compatible cartridges.)
If Apple doesn't act, there are plenty of 4-letter companies in the PC business who could easily roll out large volumes of the handhelds, subnotebooks, full-spec lightweight notebooks and cheap tower systems that Apple has spent a couple of decades failing to provide.
Update: An IDG reporter tried to visit the company at 9am on Monday and says: Psystar Office Exists, but Not Yet Open to the Public
