Okay Cult of Mac beat me to posting this thought (boo! hiss!), but I am sure more people than just Leigh McMullen and I thought of this today. And Leigh, I spelled the company name correctly, unless there is some pun that just flew over my red-head. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Welcome to my humble abode

So, let’s pretend that the Psystar case goes to trial, and Psystar wins (which I think has about a snowball’s chance with the Heat Miser). While they say they are not trying to hurt Apple; that in fact would be a devastating blow. However, I do believe there is a quite simple way around it. Psystar’s contentions seem to be centered on the idea that retail boxed software purchased by a consumer should not be restricted to certain machines. Okay, well what if Apple no longer sold the retail box OS software? New Macs already come with the most current OS installed, and Apple doesn’t make the bulk of its money on OS software. So the idea would be that a Macintosh is a completely easy and integrated system to the point of including free software updates to all machines that meet the minimum operating specifications. Talk about “it just works”! Additionally such a move, if it wasn’t coupled with a price increase, would help dispel the falsified myth that Macs are always more expensive. Maybe not though, some Windows users still think that Apple users can’t right-click with their mice. Psystar’s argument all of sudden went puff into the malfunctioning cloud where it belongs.

Another idea would be a software subscription service bundling not just the OS but other Apple software as well. If Psystar wins (doubtful), there will be a revenue hit one way or another, but the ways I just suggested minimize it greatly. Otherwise, there will be a general quality hit with piece of crap clones like the Psystar boxes produced en masse.

Take that Psystar!

Now of course, I do not believe Psystar’s arguments, as have thus far been explained, are valid. There are plenty of OSes out there for the consumer, including ones that cost absolutely nothing. Think March of the Penguins.

DISCLAIMER: I am not unbiased about this case. I totally believe Apple should prevail and that Psystar is a parasite with a big arrogant mouth. However, when I write on the factual contents of the pleadings, I will report faithfully what they say. Once the facts are out of the way, and the interpretation or opinions begin, I have an admitted strong bias towards Apple. This is not simply because I am an Apple fangirl but because I find the actions and words of Psystar to be distasteful at best — coupled with my opinion that Apple is in the legal right in this instance. I do not support Apple in everything they do. For example, Apple’s administrative suit against the recycling program in New York with an apple for a logo was just plain moronic. The two logos looked nothing alike, and it isn’t like New York hasn’t been called The Big Apple before Jobs was a twinkle in his father’s eye.

NEW THOUGHT: Could some solution like the above be part of the mysterious “product transition” mentioned in Apple’s Third Quarter Earnings Conference Call?