Psystar reports it's shipping Mac clones, begins building its office

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

April 22, 2008, 3:26 PM

The Mac clone company said Monday that it had begun shipping PCs that had been ordered during the week of April 7, while a news outlet confirmed the company indeed is building an office at its Miami location.

If indeed true -- it is not known yet since no one has reported receiving the Open Computer yet -- it would end a tumultuous week for the Florida company. Its online store was down Friday, but had returned Monday.

Psystar says the new payment system is capable of high volume, as opposed to its previous system which encountered problems. It has also changed the name of its product from OpenMac to Open Computer, probably to avoid legal ramifications.

Its former credit card processor, PowerPay, also said that Psystar's credit processing was shut off due to misrepresentation of what it would sell and failure to properly verify credit cards. A Psystar spokesperson denied that was the case, saying it was told it had exceeded its allowance for transactions.

Mac OS X Leopard can be pre-installed on the company's system for an extra $155. The computer itself retails for $399, although a higher end model retails for $999.

So far, Apple has remained curiously silent about Psystar, even though by installing Leopard on its computers it could arguably be encouraging customers to break Apple's EULA. Part of the reason here is because it still really isn't clear whether or not it is a legitimate company.

However, the first clue as to the answer to this question may have come from IDG News Service, who paid a visit to 10475 NW 28th St. in the Doral section of Miami. The door is clearly labeled with the company's logo, which appears to be a warehouse.

Reporters noted that it appeared work was going on inside, with paint cans on the floor. A man said that the company's headquarters was not yet open to the public, and said that press needed to make an appointment in order to visit the location.