$399 Mac Clone Most Likely a Hoax 233
timholman writes "According to Gizmodo, an investigation has shown that the $399 OpenMac is almost certainly vaporware, as is Psystar itself. The company's address has actually changed twice this week, according to its web page, and Psystar is no longer accepting credit card transactions. Too bad for those who may have already ordered an OpenMac."
Vaporware? Hoax? (Score:5, Insightful)
If they've been accepting orders (and credit card numbers) for a product that doesn't exist -- isn't that called fraud?
I know there can be concern about legal implications in making such statements... but surely the way to protect yourself is to make only statements backed up by evidence? Being vague is certainly not a way to sidestep libel laws...
Hoax? (Score:3, Insightful)
It's All An Apple Plot (Score:5, Insightful)
As far as paying by credit card goes, you're likely protected by your card company against fraud so you shouldn't be too concerned there.
Proof again... (Score:3, Insightful)
Amazed that ANYONE actually signed up for this thing before anyone credible had reported that it was real and worked as expected. This is one of those cases where the early sucker...I mean adopter leads the way with their pocket book and loses everything.
The real interesting question here is how much did they get away with before they were busted?
Who would have ordered one so quickly? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Vaporware? Hoax? (Score:2, Insightful)
What do libel laws have to do with any of this? Or are you somehow trying to equate fraud with libel?
Re:Who would have ordered one so quickly? (Score:1, Insightful)
Will it exist in 30 days (Score:5, Insightful)
Only if they can't create and deliver it within 30(?) days and don't contact the people who ordered it within that time, notifying them of the delay and refunding the money of those who don't consent to the extension.
Back in the early days of home computing a number of companies started up by selling vaporware, collecting the money, and using it to fund the development. (I don't recall if Apple was one of the companies that started up that way. But Woz and Jobs were pretty hard up for cash back at the start.)
The FTC tightened up after some con men calling themselves "World Memory Systems" took a picture of a few chips sitting on an unstuffed PC board, ran an ad claiming it was a new peripheral board providing four serial and one parallel port for Altair/Imsai home computers (with a name, 4S+P, similar to another popular product, 4P+S), and pulled a major fraud.
think people (Score:3, Insightful)
They (or you even) can't legally install OSX either can they? Not an Apple guy so dont know terms but i would assume not.
I suppose in theory one could reverse engineer a clone but it is kinda spendy for a doorstop with no OS. Even then there would be no legit uses and you still couldn't sell them since it is clearly intended to infringe.
Re:It's All An Apple Plot (Score:4, Insightful)
Apple couldn't have hoped for a better fumbling of the "Attack of the Clones". It's as if Lucas himself directed this train wreck.
I bet Apple and their lawyers are in their humidors sipping cognac, laughing at these amateurs.
If it's a hoax.. (Score:2, Insightful)
Jobs can run but he can't hide (Score:3, Insightful)
Psystar. PsyOps. Nothing but Jobs looking to drum up more support for sales and mindshare. Mindshare is probably more important for Apple lest they lose their niche cult status and drop out of sight completely.
Re:It's All An Apple Plot (Score:3, Insightful)
Generally speaking, if you attempt to purchase something, and the vendor does not follow through, you can go back to the credit card company and ask them to reverse the charges. The vendor ends up not only not getting paid, but a penalty is applied as well - both in immediate money and in the percentage that the credit card company charges the vendor to be able to use their service.
This often works even if you do get what you purchased, but it just plain doesn't work, as was evidenced when my neighbour bought three trees from a local greenhouse, one died within the week of being replanted, and when the greenhouse wouldn't respond, he told them he was going to ask Visa to reverse the charges. He had a new tree the next day. (No, Visa wasn't involved - but the vendor knew what would happen... he'd lose more money than the cost of the tree.)
Re:been here before (Score:5, Insightful)
There's nothing wrong with criticizing the good sense of people who fall prey to a scam, but I find it difficult to come up with a non-contrived situation where the poor judgement, ignorance, or even stupidity, of someone who falls prey to fraud or a scam is sufficiently damnable as to justify the crime committed by the fraudster/scammer. How can you have no sympathy for an unjustified crime?
It seems to me either they deserved what happened and deserve no sympathy, or they don't deserve what happened and thus deserve at least some sympathy.
Re:think people (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm not disagreeing with you, but please tell me how that works out when you try to call Apple for support ;-)
(I anxiously await the updates on groklaw about the lawsuit you file ;-) )
More like an inept business owner than a hoax (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:The OpenPro (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The OpenPro (Score:2, Insightful)
So Far... (Score:3, Insightful)
Okay, the company is currently doing some things that look suspicious to a highly jaded crowd, but actually make a lot of sense for someone who's been swamped with genuine interest. So we just wait and see how things settle down.
And we haven't seen or heard ANYTHING from Apple. It's been more than a few days, and Apple is not known for sitting on their laurels when it comes to such things. If this were illegal or fishy, Apple would be all over them like white on rice and crowing from the rooftops about it.
So far, zip from Apple.
Here's an idea? How about we let these folks SETTLE IN for a bit and see how things turn out before we start writing their obituary?
They're using credit cards for transactions, AND they're using PayPal on top of it. It's not like your money will vaporize without a trace, folks? There's a reason Nigerian and other scammers want you to use money orders and Western Union.