Return of the (Mac) clones?

[bbloke]

I've been directed to a website with an unusual ad:

http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/10895402/PowerPC_G6_Macintosh.html


The manufacturer's site (http://redpcs.com/) seems to be down at the moment. Despite this, it did raise the question for me whether the building of "Mac clones" might resurface. I would have thought Steve Jobs would want to limit this.

 

[nixgeek]

Yes I saw that on Digg. Apparently the actual site says "Server Down." (Gee I wonder why... )

That and OS X 86 is selling in retail in Bankok!

 

[Mikuro]

Sooo...it's an Intel PowerPC G6? And also a Pentium 4? Oookay.

Personally, I wish Apple would bring back cloning. It would give them the opportunity to penetrate markets they're too stubborn/image-conscious to approach. Like, oh, I dunno, CHEAP machines that are upgradeable.

Seriously, I'm getting sick of Apple's design. I appreciate simplicity, but not as much as I appreciate power and flexibility.

 

[bbloke]

Yes I saw that on Digg.

But you didn't post, so it doesn't count. Hehehehe

Apparently the actual site says "Server Down."

I know, I mentioned that too.

That and OS X 86 is selling in retail in Bankok!

Mmmm, I'm sure that will go down with Apple and with the OSx86 Project!

Sooo...it's an Intel PowerPC G6? And also a Pentium 4? Oookay.

Yup! Amazing what technology can do these days! (Like I said, it was certainly an... "unusual" ad... *smirk*)

Personally, I wish Apple would bring back cloning. It would give them the opportunity to penetrate markets they're too stubborn/image-conscious to approach. Like, oh, I dunno, CHEAP machines that are upgradeable.

I'm not sure I'm in favor of them getting into cloning again, but I remember not being too impressed that the Mac mini prices increased a bit after the switch to Intel processors. I think a cheap end of the scale is necessary, as is the high end, but I expect Apple also wants to keep a reputation for quality. I'm sure it must be a balancing act.

 

[sinclair_tm]

that 64bit g6 p4 computer that uses 16x pci-express intel graphics agp 8x has got to be a scam. they just threw together a bunch of buzz words to make it pop up in searches. i wonder how many people have lost money buying the thing. if you look at the photo, its not even a rel computer, but a paintshop job. i do feel sorry for anyone that they stole from, but at the same time, i'd be laughing at them for being so stupid to believe its real.

 

[Lt Major Burns]

it's just jargon. i like the fact it's on a website called ali baba.

 

[Damrod]

From all I know and could gather from various news sites is:

The computer is an Intel-driven standard PC
The OS is OS X Tiger, altered to run on the machine (10.4.3)

To sum it up: It's a cheap rip-off

 

[nixgeek]

Well, that was expected considering Apple hasn't given the go-ahead for Intel Mac clones (or should I just call them PCs? ). The "funny" about this whole thing was that it's actually being sold with a bunch of jargon train-wrecked together. It's basically a homebrew PC with a cracked version of OS X x86.

 

[Lt Major Burns]

how is it still there?

surely apples cease and desist lawyers would have got on to this already...?

 

[ora]

Personally, I wish Apple would bring back cloning. It would give them the opportunity to penetrate markets they're too stubborn/image-conscious to approach. Like, oh, I dunno, CHEAP machines that are upgradeable.

Problem is, as peoplw constantly say online, Apple is a hardware company, thats its revenue stream ,so while letting people run Windows on Macs is fine, any non-apple hardware running OS-X is baaaaad. Also these days when they are on an x86 chip, a 'clone' would just be any cheap x86 pc, where Apple would have even less control than with the old cloned 600 series chips (i think my Umax apus was a 603e chip).