Psystar, putter-togetherers of Hackintosh PCs, are suing Apple for monopolizing the market for premium computers, a move akin to a prairie dog popping its head up under a lawnmower. The lawsuit states:
“By tying its operating system to Apple-branded hardware, Apple restrains trade in personal computers that run Mac OS X, collects monopoly rents on its Macintoshes, and monopolizes the market for ‘premium computers,'” said Psystar’s lawsuit, filed last Wednesday. “Apple’s share of revenue in the market for premium computers — computers priced at over $1,000 — is currently 91%.”
I was actually pulling for Psystar before but now it’s clear that the company is fast on its way to being sued into oblivion. Their quixotic quests mixed with a consistent failure to deliver support – just try getting a “repair disk” from them: you have to send in what is essentially copy of your original invoice and esoteric proofs of purchase – shows that they’re not quite serious when it comes to the manufacture of quality hardware and are instead going the troll route.
Here’s the how I see it: you can I should – and can – build Hackintoshes. Presumably I should be able to sell hardware that is ready to run Leopard and you and the buyer should be able to go to the Apple Store, pick up Snow Leopard, and install it. None of this is particularly legal according to Apple’s EULA, which is fine. When installing OS X on a PC is outlawed, only outlaws install OS X on a PC.
Apple should also be able to sell whatever they want. If they want to sell laptops for $9,000, God love ’em. PCs for $19,000? A rebadge Apple Lisa for $100,000? Premium the heck out of the market. Who cares. It’s their business. There’s nothing stopping HP from putting a $1000 price tag on some of their laptops except the stupidity of racing to the bottom with netbooks and selling hardware for $300, thereby increasing customer price sensitivity.
However Pystar wants it both ways. They want to be a big hardware player – just like Apple – and they want to be countercultural revolutionaries. Their lawsuits are self-serving in that they simply state that they, too, want a piece of that lucrative premium PC pie and that all of their illegal actions aren’t so illegal. This is like trying to rob a rich man while boasting of your own business prowess – you do one or the other but to do both negates the value of both.
Anyway, Psystar is a goner. End of story.