In a clear sign of Apple's growing market participation, a Miami-based company called Psystar started selling the $399 OpenComputer (previously called OpenMac) this week - essentially a port of the Apple Macintosh OS X operating system directly to generic PC hardware (which is what today's Macs run anyway).
The machine is built using standard computer parts with specs that include a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of DDR2 memory, integrated Intel GMA 950 Graphics, 20x DVD+/-R Drive, four USB ports and a 250GB 7200RPM drive. The company is marketing this as a cheaper and more expandable alternative to a true Apple-branded Mac and is offering the pre-installation of Leopard for free if you order its budget Mac clone and purchase a copy of Leopard - which will set you back an additional $155.
Though this is a direct violation of Apple's EULA, Psystar thinks that Apple's refusal to allow other hardware vendors to run its operating system is monopolistic and is willing to challenge any action Apple takes to stop it from selling the Open Computer. One thing is for certain, Psystar better have some deep pockets if it wants to take the fight to court.