Apple sub-$900 clone maker: “They probably will” sue
On Monday, a startup company alled Quo Computer plans to open a retail store in the Los Angeles area. Quo will sell computers that run Apple’s Mac OS X operating system on Quo-designed hardware. The company fully expects Apple to sue them.
Quo’s three models — named Life Q, Pro Q, and Max Q — will probably start at less than $900 for the Life Q, according to a CNET report. The store, scheduled to open Monday, July 1st, is at 2401 West Main Street in Alhambra, just outside downtown LA.
Quo founder Rashantha De Silva claims to be a Mac user since 1984, the year the model was introduced. ”They probably will (sue us),” De Silva told CNET. “There are others doing this, but we have a different attitude. There are thousands of people in the ‘Hackintosh’ market, but many of them are creating bad products.”
De Silva’s stated plans are to offer Mac-alike functionality at recession-friendly prices. Apple’s higher-than-average prices have been the target of a series of Microsoft TV ads. (And Apple has crafted its own response video.) For comparison, the lowest priced Apple notebook computer lists for $999. A desktop Mac Mini, at $599, lacks a display, keyboard or mouse.
Quo has not released enough specifications yet to make a straight comparison. Check back on Monday.
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About the Author, Paul Boutin
Paul (paul@venturebeat.com) covers Apple & the iPhone, social networks & social media, digital music & video, and any crazy Internet story. Paul wrote and edited for Valleywag from 2006-2008, after several years with Wired magazine and Slate. He writes regularly for The New York Times' technology section and sometimes for Wired and The Wall Street Journal. He studied computer science at MIT in the early 1980s, and worked as a software developer and network administrator for 15 years before becoming a professional writer. Follow him on Twitter at @paulboutin, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.