“Psystar plans to sell USB dongles with Snow Leopard and the necessary code to turn any PC into a Mac clone.”

Will these be Apple branded dongles?

I don’t see Apple going for a settlement on this - they need to bury Psystar to set a precedent.

I don’t see Apple going for a settlement on this - they need to bury Psystar to set a precedent.

Exactly! If they don’t stop it now it the pirates will take over.

I’d like to see a discussion on what the fundamental differences are between this case and the one that Connectix won years ago against Sony when they came out with their Virtual Game Station that allowed Sony Playstation One games to be played on Macs, and later on PCs.

What are the legal/IP reasons that Apple is expected to win, and what makes this case different from the Connectix case?

Psystar plans to sell USB dongles with Snow Leopard and the necessary code to turn any PC into a Mac clone.

Lets set aside any idea that they want to win this. Actions like the USB dongle, along with attempting to court shop around the country and the bogus bankruptcy, look to me to be just designed to piss off the court and make there case even more unwinnable. Psystar wants to just go down in as expensive and painful flames as humanly possible.

Why?

what makes this case different from the Connectix case

At the heart of it wasn’t Connectix using all their own code whereas Psystar is using OpenSource code along with OS-X written and copyrighted by Apple?

Pystars’ an interesting story. It’s like a lunatic pilot steering his jet in a dive towards mother earth and stepping on the gas pedal without any intentions of pulling up. Pystars’ constituents need their heads examined.

“At the heart of it wasn’t Connectix using all their own code whereas Psystar is using OpenSource code along with OS-X written and copyrighted by Apple? “

With the dongle, the end user would have to provide a copy of OS X, and if the code in the dongle is proproprietary to Psystar…

Does that leave us with a more Connectix-like scenario?

As I read the article

Psystar plans to sell USB dongles with Snow Leopard and the necessary code to turn any PC into a Mac clone.

They would be including OS-X on the dongle. A plug n’ Play way to build a hackintosh. I don’t see this as anything other than another attempt to work around Apple’s restrictions. I can see Psystar arguing that THEY are not installing OS-X on non-Apple hardware, the customer is. I don’t think that will fly any better than their first idea.

They would be including OS-X on the dongle. A plug n’ Play way to build a hackintosh.

Not being a programmer I have to ask if a future version of OSX could check to see if it is running from a dongle and if so then refuse to boot up.

Maybe that’s it.

Maybe one of the reasons for this is to push Apple to include more and more security in OS-X and thereby limit its functionality. Can’t make an emergency boot stick, then CD, then DVD. “But look over here Windows let’s you do all of that.”

/foil hat

“Psystar plans to sell USB dongles with Snow Leopard and the necessary code to turn any PC into a Mac clone.”

Is Snow Leopard going to be on the dongle, or is it intended to read that Psystar will be selling a copy of Snow Leopard along with the dongle?

That’s a good question, the phrasing is somewhat ambiguous.

Quoting from Psystar’s brief in opposition to Apple’s Motion To Dismiss Or Enjoin The Florida Case:

“One of the issues to be litigated in the Florida case is the legality of Psystar’s “dongles” (an
industry term in wide use). Psystar’s dongles are USB sticks containing virtualization software that
allow end users to run Mac OS X on computers of their choice, not just computers purchased from
Psystar. The end user would buy a dongle from Psystar and a copy of Mac OS X from Apple or a reseller like Amazon or Best Buy and would then be able to run that copy of Mac OS X on their personal non-Apple computer. Psystar has worked out a design for a dongle that it intends to test, manufacture, and sell in the near future, possibly depending on the progress made in the Florida
action. The dongle, of course, would be an entirely new product that is different in kind from the Psystar computer systems at issue in this litigation.”

Psystar would make the dongle, but the customer would buy the copy of OS X.  However, in my opinion, the dongle would be illegal because it violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by circumventing the technical measures that Apple use to prevent OS X from running on non-Apple devices, and it would also be illegal for the customer because Apple’s EULA prohibits installing OS X on non-Apple devices, so that the customer would be liable for infringement and breach of contract.

Does that leave us with a more Connectix-like scenario?

Just remember in the end Connectix had its butt handed to it and the VGS died a very quick death too.

In my opinion, RIGHT is RIGHT regardless of how few do it and WRONG is WRONG regardless of how many do it. Call me “old fashioned” or whatever you want but I chose not to steal what others have worked to produce.

I don’t see Apple going for a settlement on this - they need to bury Psystar to set a precedent.

The way that Psystar behaves, Apple may have to do more than bury PsyStar. They may bury PsyStar, get a list of PsyStar’s customers, and send them a nice lawyerly nastygram. “We have reason to believe that you are using an illegal copy of MacOS X without a license. You can either give us evidence that you returned the computer you bought back to PsyStar (getting your money back is your problem), or we will see you in court”.

The way that Psystar behaves, Apple may have to do more than bury PsyStar. They may bury PsyStar, get a list of PsyStar’s customers, and send them a nice lawyerly nastygram.

I doubt that Apple will go after the Pystar’s customers. Being stuck with an unsupported brick, or block as the case may be, is punishment enough.

OTOH maybe Apple could SAY they reserve the right to go after Psystar’s customers. That might scare them off and put even more of a squeeze on Psystar’s bottom line.

What I find most interesting about Psystar’s proposed dongle, that would enable to anyone to run OS X on generic PC hardware, is that it is clearly an effort to destroy Apple’s business model of integrating hardware with its custom operating system, forcing Apple toward Microsoft’s model of manufacturing an operating system for generic third party hardware.  The dongle would also do server harm to, if not destroy, Psystar’s business of making PCs that run a hacked version of OS X. 

Why would Psystar take a step that would undermine its own business model?  I think that the answer is that there is some greater force using Psystar to target is Apple’s highly successful business model, which has proved that it can produce products that are superior to the products produced by Microsoft’s business model, and earn profits that are superior to the profits from Microsoft’s business model.  Microsoft is locked into its business model, for it can’t compete with its own customers, the third party PC OEMs, so the only option is to destroy Apple’s business model.

Psystar is merely a stalking horse for someone seeking to destroy Apple’s integrated approach to designing its products and the superior revenues that flow from it.

I think that the answer is that there is some greater force using Psystar to target is Apple’s highly successful business model, which has proved that it can produce products that are superior to the products produced by Microsoft’s business model, and earn profits that are superior to the profits from Microsoft’s business model. 

Yes, follow the money which I am sure that Apple is doing or trying to do. I was thinking about this the other day and how originally my suspicions of who is the deep pocket fell on a certain clone maker here in the USA. However, I wonder if it isn’t someone from offshore where it would be easier to hide the paper trail. Someone looking to export cheap, cheaper than our current cheap PCs that can run OSX.

Giant pile of histrionic rubbish.

This dongle’s been here for over a year.

And this software solution doesn’t even need hardware.

Those perilous Brigands have won, but the sky, she hasn’t fallen… arrrr…

Good news for iPhone lovers in the US! AT&T has stated that the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) will be coming to the iPhone on AT&T on September 25th. Apple and AT&T are rolling out the long awaited iPhone MMS service on Friday, September 25th, as a free service.  The hitch is that it’s only available for owners of the iPhone 3G – 1G and 2G users will be out of luck.  It has been lamented for a long time that the iPhone doesn’t have a multimedia messaging service, but it does now.  The only unfortunate drawback is this is going to make iPhone owners even more sanctimonious – and they get annoying.  SO no need for iPhone owners to wait for their tax resolution checks from the government – they now get free multimedia messages with the iPhone MMS.  http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/09/25/iphone-mms-free-service-finally-launches-today/

At least pick an actual iPhone article to spam with your barely relevant crap RyanN, you crazy spambot you….