The Mac clone market is growing again, and this time it involves a company called QUO. The Los Angles-based company is prepping to start selling PCs running Mac OS X without Apple's permission, just like Psystar, but it will also sell the computers through its own retail location as well as online.
The company apparently plans to open its store on June 1, although how long they can keep their doors open remains to be seen since Apple doesn't take kindly to Mac cloners. Company founder Rashantha De Silva, however, sees his business as a positive for Apple and consumers. "There are others doing this, but we have a different attitude, according to CNET. There are thousands of people in the 'Hackintosh' market, but many of them are creating bad products. I don't think anyone wins in that environment," he said.
The company's Web site is currently showing a place holder, but TMO obtained an image showing what the site will look like once it goes live. The Web site shows a tower PC, software bundle options, and a special offer for a free iPod shuffle.
QUO's Web site.
Despite Apple's established history of looking negatively Mac cloners, and the fact that installing Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware violates the end user license, Mr. De Silva is optimistic about his new venture.
"It's exciting. We are trying to stay as close to Apple as we can with our products," he said. "We are trying to mimic things as much as we can. I'm hoping that Apple sees the value in what we are doing."
His optimism, however, is tempered with a small dose of reality. "They probably will (sue us)," he said.