After weeks of speculation about the licensing terms surrounding Mac OS version 8 (CI No 3,165), Apple Computer Inc’s new operating system due to be launched next week, the San Jose Mercury has been reporting that Mac clonemakers are to be charged more for the new system in return for no hardware charges. The paper suggests that operating system fees could rise from $50 per machine to about $500. But Apple says the Mercury has it all wrong, and this isn’t about raising fees. Neither confirming nor denying that total prices will rise, Apple claims the move is no more than a standardization of hardware on the Common Hardware Reference Platform, which means that cloners don’t need to license hardware designs, only the operating system.
