logically, apple wanted a computer that is very much like what ford wants out of a car: something that works, is easy to operate, and required a certified technition to work on it should it (when it) breaks. Apple led the "s***" look and feel for their desktops, but no more. Now that the processors are there, and people are used to apple's all-in-one offerings, they will now be less opposed to getting a PCI-less eMachines or Gateway. All-in-ones and "Mac Mini" knockoffs will crop up left and right, cheaper than ever. Apple's only hope of survival is strong: move away from computers and move more into consumer goods. Make computers that compete on speed and looks and ofer your OS but don't get upset if they opt for Windows. Keep them sold on iPod and iTunes -- that's where the cash is. Soon, the iMovie store (or similar) will also be their new forte. They'll always make computers, sure, but once they have the cash to buy out Apple Music, you can be sure that Apple Computer Inc becomes Apple Inc, and the Computer aspect will become a distant memory.

...ok...

Getting into consumer electronics has not helped Gateway, which used to be No. 1 in plasma screen monitors, or Dell, which just announced that it missed its earning target. The iPod works because it is a peripheral for the Mac and the iTunes Music Store works because it is coupled to the iPod which sells Macs. Take the Mac out of the equation and the iPod and iTMS will have to get much more expensive to survive on their own. Take away the Macintosh and MacOS X will have to sell at a higher price than Windows rather that the lower price it now sells for. In other words, ibug4's recommendations are a prescription for disaster.

Apple will grow in market share because they will be able to lower prices on the consumer computers and the performance will be there with the new Intel chips. People are sick of Windows and the problems with it. Just think if Apple only had 20% of the market how that would change things.

Pure supposition. Most of your "facts" are grossly inaccurate or just flat out wrong. I'm done thinking about it now.

The iPod works because it also works on Windows. All of the digital spokes need to work with both digital hubs - Mac and Windows. Until Apple gets 20% share, it will remain that way.

Othere than that, it is dumb to talk about Apple going out of the pc market when its market share is actually growing and IE and Windows is declining.

and relevant to the topic is the idea that laptops will have the biggest technical gains during the Mactel transition. This is probably what Jobs was thinking about a year ago and as consoles start to try to take part of the home desktop market, Apple can make biggest gains in laptops ... again. This is the Decade of the Laptop.

And since the Mac Mini is just a laptop for the desk and bookshelf, the same tech will go into its evolution ... hopefully to the home media box we all want.

PowerMacs will have to evolve to be more specific to creatives and biomedical as they have begun. I just wonder about the business/enterprise arena. Can Intel chips give Apple a leg up there enough?

Steve Jobs saw a great business opportunity with the iTMS and made a leap. They already had the iPod that worked seamlessly with iTunes which made them stand out among the rest. Fortunetly, their real competition was not the other MP3 companies like Creative and Rio. It was a piracy of music on P2P networks. If they can convince teenagers and others that steal music to buy movies and play them on a similar player they will have a hit. Everyone benefits from owning a Mac in their household because each machine in the product matrix has a purpose. Apple introduces new technology in their computers that companies adopt at a steady pace. The operating system and software still offer ease of use and interoperability. I do not see Apple moving away from computers when that makes up a majority of their sales. They will continue to come up with computer designs that are smaller, powerful, and easy to use. Remember, there are knockoffs now but they do not compare to the original one bit. I still don't see how your rant relates to the article except for the quote(?)

"Fortunetly, their real competition was not the other MP3 companies like Creative and Rio. It was a piracy of music on P2P networks."

This is not necessarily true. I don't have the link anymore, but there was a study that found that the people who spent the most money on the iTunes music store were the same people using P2P networks. We can only speculate on the cause.

Wasn't Apple's Stock at like minus .20 earlier today around noon or so EST and now at around 3pm EST it is at +1.78. Looks like this notice of new Intel chips is a good thing for Apple... for obvious chip reasons and market mindshare reasons as well.