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Italian company entering Mac clone business

updated 05:45 pm EST, Fri November 6, 2009

Latest computer maker to challenge Apple


An Italian computer maker is the latest company to ignore Apple's Mac OS X license agreement and launch a new series of Mac clones, according to the Italian site Macity. The startup Engineering Project recently launched a site promoting its upcoming EVO computers, which are allegedly compatible with several platforms including Mac OS X.

Although the company clearly advertises compatibility with Apple's OS, it remains unclear if the PCs will ship with Snow Leopard pre-installed. Several other companies, such as EFi-X, have developed clone technology but left users to break the licensing terms by installing the software themselves.

Engineering Project lists several offerings including a 2.93 GHz Core 2 Duo configuration with a 500GB HDD and 2GB of RAM, which is listed for €479. The highest offering integrates a 2.66GHz Core i7 CPU with a 1TB HDD and 4GB of RAM for €849.

The Evo Store is currently inactive, but the company claims it will soon be operational.

Apple is currently involved in an ongoing legal battle with the Florida-based company Psystar. The clone maker sells systems with Mac OS X pre-installed, which Apple claims is a violation of the software's end-user license agreement (EULA). Psystar filed a countersuit arguing that Apple abuses the copyright protection.

It remains unclear how Apple will choose to react to foreign clone makers.


by MacNN Staff

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TAGS :

 Mac OS X, clone, Mac clone, Psystar, Apple

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Comments

  1. cwsmith

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2007

    -2
    11/06, 06:24pm | report spam | Reply |

    Yeah, good luck with that ...

    Let us know how that works out for you. :/

  1. jamesfabin

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2007

    +10
    11/06, 07:20pm | report spam | Reply |

    Quality...

    Obviously came in at a close 2nd with their website design....which was clearly not done by someone using a MAC. I switched from the traditional PC platform to a MacPro when the first Intel ones came out. My MacPro did cost a lot more up front, but I'm still running it and it's reliable, hassle free and fast. When I was "a PC" I was upgrading cards, memory, motherboard, CPU, fans, cases on a regular basis - I practically rebuilt the machine almost yearly just to stay up with my software....which still didn't run reliably and hassle free. Over the last 3 years, my MacPro has actually cost me less since I've never replaced anything in it and it still runs everything well - AND IT'S 3 YEARS OLD! I've come to trust the quality Apple offers and couldn't see myself taking a risk with a clone. That idea just brings back a bunch of bad memories.....back from the days when I was a PC. Now I'm happy, now I'm a MAC. :-)

  1. Mr. Strat

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2002

    -1
    11/06, 07:44pm | report spam | Reply |

    Get 'em next

    Put these guys on the list right after Psystar. Shut 'em down.

  1. lamewing

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Aug 2004

    -2
    11/06, 11:11pm | report spam | Reply |

    @jamesfabin

    First of all it is Mac(intosh), not MAC. You must be using some other PC as well. I have build my own PCs for years and also purchased iBooks, Macbooks and Mac Minis. I did not experience this roller coaster ride of upgrades of hardware just to run software.

    Also, Apple does the same thing, but instead of upgrading components, you buy new computers. This can be seen when Apple simply drops support (or the hardware becomes antiquated...PPC to intel) of hardware.

    In both cases, you can easily go years without significant upgrades. The rest is all FUD on both sides.

  1. macnscott

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2006

    +2
    11/07, 01:08am | report spam | Reply |

    @lamewing

    While we are all correcting mistakes, let me help you out with the following:

    First of all, it is "built" not "build".

    Second of all, it is MacBooks not Macbooks.

  1. Geobunny

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Oct 2000

    -2
    11/07, 08:17am | report spam | (1 reply) Reply |

    The EU

    It'll be very interesting to see what happens with these cloners in the EU. If they've reversed engineered something for the sake of compatibility, then that's actually allowed and specifically protected by EU law! Anything which prohibits this in an EULA is by definition unenforceable. I really can't see a way out of this for Apple.

    I can see two futures for Apple: move away from Intel chips if this becomes more popular and make things harder for cloners again, or alternatively, they could end up licensing the OS given that their bread and butter now seems to be the iPhone rather than computer hardware.

    Usual disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.

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