Whats the difference between buying a “clone” or a “brand name” computer?
A “clone” is a industry-standard IBM-compatible computer system. A “compatible” is a computer which is of proprietary design and has some non industry-standard components. Clone (or white-box) manufacturers continue to support the industry standard design specifications which assume that their computer will work with components from other manufacturers in both fit and function. Compatible (some brand name) manufacturers deliberately create hardware differences in the design of their computers. As a result, the consumer must often return to them or their authorized agents for repairs and upgrades. The degree of independence the consumer can exercise regarding upgrades and repair is proportionate to the degree of independence the manufacturer has exercised in his hardware design. Most of the systems manufactured by IBM, Compaq, Packard Bell, Acer, Micron, NEC, Sony, Gateway, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and other recognizable brands, fall into the “compatible” category. Legitimate manufacturer
