Editors note: This article contains the opinions of the author

The blogs are a-buzz with the news that Psystar has incorporated Blu-Ray players into their OpenComputer line. Is this a big deal? Yes and no. Bottomline? Yawn.

First, commenters on various articles, such as one I wrote a few days ago, speak in somewhat misleading terms, though unintentionally so. The claim is made that Psystar has “integrated” Blu-Ray drives, or alternatively the claim is that the new model is Blu-Ray compatible. When we get down to brass tacks, this hinges on what is meant by “integrated” and “compatible.”

Integrated

Integrated into what? The actual hardware? Okay, yes, Psystar has produced a tower that has a Blu-Ray drive contained within it, but I would bet my biscuits that the Hackintosh community has already done this months ago. This frankly is not a huge deal. Why? It is not integrated where it counts: in the operating system itself. OS X does not support Blu-Ray. So while consumers may be able to use a product such as Toast 9 Titanium (please see my prior review here at World of Apple), to create Blu-Ray disks; they won’t be able to watch them on their Psystar computer. Doh!

Compatible

The question once again must be asked: compatible with what? It certainly isn’t compatible for playing Blu-Ray content on the operating system.

The Facts

Precisely two weeks ago, The Mac Observer announced that a Blu-Ray burner that can perform any task that the low-end Psystar can was already available from AMEX. It is not “integrated” into the tower but with its very attractive design and low profile, I doubt that matters much, particularly when Apple has the power to make whatever “integrated” players in Psystar machines difficult to operate if and when they offer Blu-Ray support. If Psystar wants to play hard-ball with Apple, the smart money is on Apple. Further, the fact that the AMEX player is not “integrated” means that not only can it be used with a user’s desktop system but also their laptop (including the MacBook Air). There is a reason that Apple has not yet put Blu-Ray drives into its machines, and I don’t know precisely why, but I am going to go out on a limb and venture a guess that Apple might know a teensy-weensy bit more than a couple of punks in Miami about why such a move is not yet ideal for their products. But hey, that’s just me.

So basically this is a tactical psychological move by Psystar that means very little to the market. Gullible people might be persuaded to purchase this system believing that it will do something that it cannot without realizing that they will need to have, at a minimum, $100.00 of additional software that still won’t even allow them to watch the content on their computer. Psystar is at the mercy of Apple for the operating system support, unless they intend upon modifying OS X code which might not be the most intelligent move for them to make. My personal opinion is that posturing that seems to be intentionally obnoxious and provocative are not particularly well-received by the courts when done during a pending case, so one part of me is pleased to see Psystar behave this way. Consumers may chuckle, but courts look at whether or not the parties are acting in good-faith to resolve their disputes. Obviously, I cannot know how this will be perceived by the Court in question, but I believe that Psystar is making a childish mistake and making unnecessary enemies. I am not only speaking of Apple but also many within the Apple community who might be potential future consumers but could be provoked to go out their way to attack the product. The Windows v. Macintosh wars are already legendary and the zeal with which Apple fans defend their beloved company goes above and beyond that of nearly any other company. Whether this defense is rational or not, a few trash-talking points is not worth waking that sleeping giant. Speaking as one unabashedly open Apple fangirl, they have earned my loathing, and I have not hidden that fact. Despite that, I believe when it comes to facts, rather than my own editorial opinion, I have been as accurate and unbiased as possible.

In short, this is about as exciting as Psystar announcing that it added a floppy drive. It is a barnyard cock-strutting move that at best does little to nothing to help consumers and at worst harms them by what is not obvious. Oops.