Move by Mac. You’ve been cloned, or at least a company called Psystar says you have. Psystar claims to be “reinventing the wheel” with what it calls an OpenMac — for $399.

“Mac enthusiasts have been experimenting with running the new Apple operating systems on commodity PC hardware ever since the Intel-based Apple computers were introduced in early 2006,” the company’s Web site said. “Psystar has assembled a system that is completely operational with Leopard [Mac OS X 10.5] called OpenMac.”

Psystar tapped into efforts known as the OSx86 Project. The project’s goals of running OS X on a PC have been realized. Even the latest releases of OS X can now run on PC hardware, Psystar said, but compatibility can be an issue. OpenMac seeks to solve that issue. Psystar calls it OpenMac to “reflect the opening of what has previously been a hardware monopoly.”

OpenMac vs the Mac Mini

Apple could not immediately be

reached for comment, and the Psystar site went down Monday in the wake of overwhelming traffic loads. But cached pages reveal the particulars of the OpenMac, which is built from standard PC parts, according to the company. Mac OS X compatibility is reportedly achieved through an EFI emulator.

The OpenMac offers a 2.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 2GB of DDR2 667 memory and integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics. It plus boasts a 20x DVD+/-R drive, four USB ports and a 250GB, 7200-RPM drive.

The closest machine Apple offers is the Mac mini, but the specs are not the same. The mini sports a 1.83-GHz or 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with an integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics processor. It offers 1GB of DDR2 667, though it can support 2GB.

The mini sells for $599. Of course, Apple’s machine comes with iLife, Microsoft Office 2004…

Orginal post by Top Tech News