Supply Snag Slows Down Mac Cloner

wired news ^ | 6.17.03 | Leander Kahney

[freepatriot32]

John Fraser's one-man Mac clone business has been put on hold after a key parts supplier became the target of Apple Computer's legal team.

As previously reported, the 21-year-old Fraser runs his Mac clone business, CoreComputers, out of his home in Chanhassen, Minn.

[freepatriot32]

microsoft never did anything this blatant even during the height of there monopoly

[theFIRMbss]

>microsoft never did anything this blatant even during the height of there monopoly

Apple history
is thick with horror stories
of their heavy hands...

[palmer]

Dr. DOS

[TigerTale]

Yes, after nearly twenty years of competitive dominance, Apple is pulling out all the stops to protect its intimidating 2% market share. What computer design was ever propelled to success by cheap clones?

[DPB101]

Apple has another problem: their computers last. Needed a new keyboard for a 6 year old Power Mac and the owner of the Mac place groaned, "Apple wasn't big on planned obsolescence." No problem with anything, including crashes (none), in 6 years.

[milan]

Love Apple products, but they should have been drug to court for a monopoly!

[Orangedog]

And then there's the old chestnut "DOS ain't done 'til Lotus won't run!"

[theFIRMbss]

>"Apple wasn't big on planned obsolescence."

[palmer]

If Apple could figure out a way to make non-Apple monitors explode, that would be a good start.

[Orangedog]

If microsoft could find a way to make hard drives with non microsoft software burst into flames...wait, maybe I shouldn't give gates and balmer any ideas.

[DPB101]

You explain it to me then. I don't care what computer I have. All I want to do is research on the net. Graphics, games and the rest of the kids stuff is of no interest to me. Never had a crash in 6 years. Never replaced anything but the keyboard and a battery. Never upgraded any part of this machine. I get to all the sites I want to read. I can open Real player, Netscape, spelltools, my ISP and a truncated version of photoshop on 32 MGS of RAM. There is absolutely no reason for me to get a newer computer at this time. I don't see the planned obsolence you seem to feel Apple is fond of. At least for me (I don't believe I'm alone either, lots of basic users on the net) Gamers and others...yeah sure. Or maybe it is just this model. I don't know.

[joesnuffy]

apple licensed out their OS
To several big companies one in TX (Power Computing) had just begun to build a huge (hugh) factory
when apple pulled the rug out from under them
Most of the clone makers were making better apples ..than Apple (Umax another clone)

[Question_Assumptions]

Most of the clone makers were making better apples ..than Apple (Umax another clone)

That's not what I saw. I worked with a few companies that bought them and within a year, most seemed best suited to be doorstops. I can still fire up the Mac Plus I have from the 1980s -- or my Apple //e, for that matter.