Another Mac clonemaker on the horizon

Jake Widman
Friday, 29 May 2009 23:20

IT Industry - Strategy

Quo Computer plans to not only sell Mac clones but to open an actual brick-and-mortar retail store to do so.

As reported in CNET News , Quo plans to open a store on June 1 in Alhambra, California, just south of Pasadena in the Los Angeles area.

Quo's computers will have Mac OS X preinstalled, which is exactly what got now-bankrupt clonemaker Psystar in trouble with Apple.

Apple's licensing agreement for OS X specifies that it can't be installed on a non-Apple computer. Quo founder Rashantha De Silva acknowledged that "they probably will [sue us]," according to CNET.

De Silva hopes, however, that the fact that his company plans to sell a high-quality product rather than just a cheap "hackintosh" will mollify Apple.

"We are trying to stay as close to Apple as we can with our products," said De Silva. "Our customer service is gong to be up there with Apple's. I'm hoping that Apple sees the value in what we are doing."

At opening, Quo will have three desktop systems, called the Life Q, Pro Q, and Max Q. De Silva said the company is also considering a compact computer like the Mac mini and a media server. Prices for the three desktop systems will start under US$900.

There's a big gap in the Mac desktop system line, which jumps from the Mac mini ($599 and up) to the Mac Pro ($2,499 and way up). Many Mac users and wish-they-were-users would welcome products that fit into that gap; whether Apple does too remains to be seen.