Briefly: Intel chip prices; wooden Apple

In brief: Intel has cut prices on its high-end Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors -- both of which are used in Mac systems -- in its ongoing price war with arch-rival AMD. One avid Apple fan has designed an Apple computer with wood components, a blogger is compiling desired features as well as fixes for the Mac version of Mozilla's Firefox browser, and HP later this year will release printers based on an entirely new inkjet cartridge system that will enable consumers to choose a desired cartridge size. Intel has initiated substantial price cuts to its Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, as well as its Xeon CPUs to counteract rival chip-maker AMD's price cuts of its high-end chips earlier this month.

Wooden Apple computer, Firefox suggestions

An avid Apple fan has constructed a customized Apple computer from pieces of wood, complete with keyboard and the word "Apple" hand-cut into a back panel.... A blogger has asked the Mac community to send in suggestions for desired features as well as bug fixes for forthcoming releases of Mozilla's Firefox Web browser, and names several highly sought-after changes to start things off.... Hewlett Packard is planning to release new printers later this year based entirely on a new inkjet cartridge system; the new system aims to allow customers to choose a desired size of ink cartridge associated with a given printer to cut costs.

Filed under: industry