Appletell

Just after Mac clone maker Psystar was able to start shipping some products, another cloner, chris555, has put two machines up for purchase on Ebay.  These machines, which are currently at a $549.99 “Buy It Now” price with $50.00 for shipping, look a lot like the ones from Psystar.  According to the description, they “Run the award winning Mac OS 10.5 on this custom-built desktop computer for hundreds less than a computer direct from Apple.” Here are the specs from the Ebay posting:

Pre-installed Mac OS 10.5 Leopard with over 300+ new features
2.4Ghz Genuine Intel Core 2 Duo Dual-core processor
2GB DDR2 RAM
250GB 7200RPM Serial ATA hard drive
Intel Integrated 3D Graphics
DVD burner
Keyboard & mouse
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet
Three USB 2.0 ports

Again, there has been no reported response from Apple yet even though their lawyers are usually quick to respond to this sort of stuff.  I find it extremely strange that Apple is allowing people to sell their products for a fraction of the price while potentially breaking some of Apple’s legal documents.  Although these devices will never match the look and feel of a real Mac, if allowed to get out of control, they would possibly harm the company.  It will be interesting to see what happens with this.  Let us know if you purchase one!