Will there ever be third party PC\laptops developed to run/ship with Apple's OS?

Will there ever be third party PClaptops developed specifically for Apple OS tailoring the design to have much of the same look and feel of an Apple product shipping with Mountain Lion for example? Or do Apple try to bar such development so that cheaper Apple like products sold with their software installed aren't competing with them in the market? If so why?

asked Jun 27 '12 at 17:34

mutley2209
761●111●126●133

edited Jun 27 '12 at 17:49

9 Answers:

oldest newest most voted

1	There was one company that tried to do it, they got forced to close up shop by Apple. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psystar_Corporation answered Jun 27 '12 at 17:59 kevin ♦♦ 35.7k●160●316●588

I can't see this happening at all! For one, Apple would have to allow other companies to sell their software . Surely they would just be creating a competitor for themselves?

It's a rather pointless concept really, if you want to use an Apple operating system with the look and feel of an Apple product, why would you buy from a third party company? It doesn't make any sense. What makes Apple successful is the way the hardware and software are designed to work together. Not just for OS X but for IOS and everything else they produce.

answered Jun 27 '12 at 19:42

ojmar
1.5k●31●38●63

Why would they? They don't need to. They have already owned Microsoft stock-wise, which means they are technology. Why would they change a winning combination?

answered Jun 27 '12 at 23:38

Drmgiver
1.2k●2●5●22

if they can achieve that by targeting a minority of the market i.e those able and willing to spend allot of money on a laptop/desktop, licensing out the right to use their software on third party systems will target a larger spectrum of the market, those who want an affordable system. And it does it without compromising their own brand by lowering the price/quality of their entry level computers, Microsoft have it the other way around. Microsoft supply the software across the board rather than producing their own desktops/laptops where they should be doing both, the announcement of the surface may may mean a shift in their business model to this affect. So why don't Apple do the same i.e supply their OS for other systems while of course producing their own tech? It's just money waiting to be made imho

(Jun 28 '12 at 00:43) mutley2209

lol Did you want the answer to your question or did you want a debate here? You have tried to debate everyone that gave you the answer. I'm not about to do that. Look, Apple is a hardware maker, not a software maker. OSX is just a "bonus".

(Jun 28 '12 at 11:00) Drmgiver

it would offer up an alternative, other companies could take on the Apple style design at a lower price point. The common argument against buying a Mac isn't so much directed at the operating system it's the cost of the hardware compared to that of a Window's based desktop/laptop. It's clear that Apple do not want to compromise on quality so they can lower the price of introductory models thus reaching more consumers and that's an important part of who Apple are and why they arguably produce the best tech on the market. But it does mean they are marginalising themselves, by allowing a third party companies to produce Apple style computers under licence that ship with their operating system that are more affordable it would undoubtedly expand the number of users of their OS and encourage those who buy the cheaper third party tech to buy the real thing. I think a move like this would over time make a dent in Microsoft's market share, they have an established foot hold but Apple have the growth and with added sales of their OS and revenue from licensing agreements this will only increase.

So i don't see it so much as competition but as filling a gap in the market Apple have no interest in filling themselves but none the less has the potential to create new revenue streams for the company through OS sales, resultant sales from digital downloads via the app store and licensing deals.

answered Jun 27 '12 at 20:30

mutley2209
761●111●126●133

edited Jun 27 '12 at 20:31

I see your point, but surely by allowing someone else to use and sell their design at a lower price point they're just cutting themselves off? Why not make a low price option themselves so they get the full benefits? I don't get why a third party has to get involved.

(Jun 27 '12 at 20:59) ojmar

because as i say Apple don't like to compromise on quality so they can lower the introductory price of their products so they are 'affordable' which makes them who they are, a developer of high quality technology. Just as with Windows based laptops for example there's allot of competition and variety with the same operating system installed with the machine being built with that in mind, most are at an affordable price with the option to go high spec/finish for more money. This would basically apply the same principle without Apple compromising on the quality of their own products, for the cheaper more affordable option with Mountain Lion installed you could go third party, for the more expensive high quality & spec option you can go for the real thing.

If there were a third party notebook that had the same minimalist, lightweight slim design of the Mac with Mountain Lion installed as standard and with that in mind when designing the features of the notebook all at the same affordable price of Windows based notebook it would be a popular choice for entry level Mountain Lion users. I think within a ten year period we would see markable growth for Apple through software, apps and licensing revenue generated by these third party products and of course it would offer people more choice which few people can fault.

(Jun 27 '12 at 22:44) mutley2209

The reason Apple is so successful is because their software is designed for their hardware, that is why Microsoft's software is so, some people would say bad, because its built that it works on virtually all hardware, and now apple won't want to lose its claim to speed and performance and astronomically high prices, will they?

answered Jun 28 '12 at 16:30

pjob797
2.6k●38●49●82

Apple is a company that makes its money by selling their hardware at a high price and their software at a low price. This is in contrast to Microsoft, who sells their computers at a low-cost, with high-cost software. Apple's biggest source of revenue is their hardware. This is not something that they are going to easily give up. Licensing their software to other PC makers would cut deeply into one of their biggest sources of revenue. It's not impossible, but at the rate Apple is currently going, it is very unlikely.

answered Jun 28 '12 at 18:19

Griff
1.4k●1●5●25

I don't think you will ever see a split. Apple seems to be as self-centered as possible with their end products and it has made a winning combination of software and hardware that they boast with undeniably high price tags. I think it would be a mistake on their part to destroy that established stability by introducing hardware diversity of the nature described in the question.

For the record: I'm a Linux guy. The above is just my reasonable speculation, not fanboyism.

answered Jun 29 '12 at 12:09

Kris
326●2●6

edited Jun 29 '12 at 12:11

0	Illegally yes, offically never answered Jun 29 '12 at 12:57 Juancastim135 400●29●37●43

0	Chris answered it in the Geek Out which was pretty cool, he said....no lol answered Jun 30 '12 at 01:56 mutley2209 761●111●126●133

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Asked: Jun 27 '12 at 17:34

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Last updated: Jun 30 '12 at 01:56

Will there ever be third party PC\laptops developed to run/ship with Apple's OS?

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