The Mac, which comes from Wolfsburg.

A Mac want to have many, the price for a Mac but do not pay. A small company wants to exploit this loophole, miserly Apple aspirants with cheap pseudo-Macs to supply. The look is not as good as the originals, but they are fast - and sometimes come into stumbling.

 

On this machine is a delight. Short is the fan when to turn to eavesdrop, but soon calmed down again, are now only a gentle noise of itself. So quietly, a PC before it a non-acoustic nerve on the go. But this is not a PC, although it is completely made of PC components has been composed. This is a Mac, at least, almost, because Apple has with the construction of this machine had nothing to do. Only the software, operating system, actually comes from Steve Jobs company from Cupertino.

All others have two young entrepreneurs from Wolfsburg together. With her company Hypermeganet UG they offer under the brand name
Pearc.de since February, "PC with Mac OS X" on a computer, from the cheap standard components exists, but on the Apple Mac OS X is running. Actually, Apple prohibits such replicas, prohibits in its license agreement to use its software on other than Apple computers.

This passage was in Germany but not valid, Dirk argues Blößl of Hypermeganet. The reason: From Apple's restrictions can be found only after one has bought the operating system, since the terms of use in the software package insert and before the opening could not be inspected. Blößl assumes, therefore, that the sale of PCs with Mac OS X in Germany is legal. So far this works well. Although the company their computers for months and sell offers, is not a head wind of Apple to be felt. In the U.S., however, Apple is currently trying, against the clone vendor Psystar approach. So far without result.

A rapid calculator

The equipment of the test device can be clearly seen. As the processor is a quad-core chip from Intel with 3 GHz built. The side 8 GB of RAM and a hard drive with 750 GB. In addition, a DVD burner, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, several USB ports, Firewire, dual Gigabit network jacks, and a fast graphics card with 1 GB of graphics memory. Complete Price: 1358.96 Euro 11.99 plus shipping.

Since Apple can not keep up. A roughly equal equipped Mac Pro would cost twice as smooth. Really is comparable but not. So plug in Apple's computers, for example, server processors, instead of desktop chips and instead of conventional memory is called ECC memory with automatic error correction is used. So what is expensive.

No problems with foreign software

Nevertheless, it is necessary to clone the credit that he and exceptionally high performance shines. In Cinebench test program of the German-3D software
Maxon he reached around 12,000 points, which almost exactly correspond to what in any such hardware to be expected - and also quite fast - is. That is why is the Mac-clone from Wolfsburg apparently for professional users, popular with a number eater looking for. A large part of the sold-Pearce computer is ordered by such customers, says company founder Dirk Blößl.

My attempts, the pseudo-Mac with different software from the kick to make were all unsuccessful. Whether expensive professional image, Disney adventure game, Apple or free software, freeware tool: Apparently running everything on a Macbook running, Pearce also on the computer, only much faster. That feels good.

Update Desaster

A little adventure but then heard about such a clone instead of the original use, as against the end of the test shows. Just in time, Apple releases a system update for the Mac OS X. I boldly let the automatic software update grant shortly after the publication of the update with the download and installation began. The receipt for this audacity, I got prompt: At the subsequent restart of hung Pearce PC irretrievably on.

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The update apparently had some of those program files zerschossen the Apple system on the standard PC only run made. The man had apparently also noticed from the manufacturer. Instead of an alarm, but to beat all users before the update to warn you in Wolfsburg to resolve the problem tried. As the afternoon in the form of a patch-program are published and made known by e-mail was, for me it was already too late. Long was the Wolfsburg-Mac back in the carton zurückgewandert.

Conclusion: A nice, fast computer, without question. And cheap bargain. However, if you are with every system update must wait until the manufacturer is investigated and declared safe, or just a patch program has brought, he is nothing for me, I am too impatient. If you are not waiting for such a bother, may access. The courageous, the world - and can save even more.