G5 is behind yet again. AMD FX-53 announced

[~Shard~]

AMD is the New Speed King the Athlon64 3400+ is just as fast as an FX-51 and is only $410, FX-53's are already on sale at Newegg.com for $800 and AMD will soon be rolling the Athlon64 3600+ in late April.

I'll soon be Building my own Athlon64 System as soon as they Bring out a 4000+ model and PCI-X ,FW800 motherboards are out come summer.

If speed is all you care about then go nuts! Me, I prefer the ease of use, reliabliity, user friendliness, stability - well, I could go on and on - of a Mac. There are so many more benefits in my opinion that Macs have over PCs, well, a faster chip doesn't make up for all the shortcomings of PCs and Windows.

But, from your above comment, it sounds like you NEED the absolute fastest machine, NEED PCI-X and NEED FW800, so if that's the case, then go right ahead. I'm curious, what type of intense video/graphics design, audio remastering, and other pro applications are you using? And how many PCI-X/FW800 devices do you have?

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Here are some earlier benches, it must be noted that both are not running in 64 bit mode yet, I just find it interesting. also i see a lot of Mac Zealots refuse to think anyone but Mac sells a good system.
Apple has a history of selling overpriced and underperforming hardware most of the yrs I have been using Macs. We all know of the G4 fiasco. I feel Apple has to stop being so stingy with its hardware and start selling at least hardware that matches the other side in all products. This is evident in the consumer line big time. I know people are busting on AMD but from what i have read this CPU in a Aurora is a screamer and sells for what the dual 2.0 G5 does. One more note and that is this bench is a little unfair because its 2 cpu's vs 1.
sorry for the small picture,how can you increase these attachments size? just click on it for a better view.

 

[~Shard~]

Megahertz Myth?

Hmm, I thought there used to be a thing called "the megahertz myth", that Apple users always used to bash the Intel world for trying to take advantage of - based on some posts in this thread, it sounds like that some Mac users are now falling into this trap themselves... curious and amusing...

 

[blue&whiteman]

I wouldn't care if PC's were 100 times faster. I would still use macs.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

I wouldn't care if PC's were 100 times faster. I would still use macs.

and so would those 2 out 100 new computer buyers. that really helps the platform.

 

[edesignuk]

I wouldn't care if PC's were 100 times faster. I would still use macs.

You might, but anyone with anything serious to do would not. Time is money, and rendering or whatever on a machine "100" times faster would save a lot of time.

Dont Hurt Me, I wouldn't even bother trying to argue your case here. It's pointless, you know how people are. We've been in many of these types of threads. You're just wasting your breath, you'll never get your point accross, and people will bury their heads in the sand spouting "windows blows, it BSODS, it crashes, you get virii blah blah"

 

[jiggie2g]

If speed is all you care about then go nuts! Me, I prefer the ease of use, reliabliity, user friendliness, stability - well, I could go on and on - of a Mac. There are so many more benefits in my opinion that Macs have over PCs, well, a faster chip doesn't make up for all the shortcomings of PCs and Windows.

But, from your above comment, it sounds like you NEED the absolute fastest machine, NEED PCI-X and NEED FW800, so if that's the case, then go right ahead. I'm curious, what type of intense video/graphics design, audio remastering, and other pro applications are you using? And how many PCI-X/FW800 devices do you have?

Wow must have hit a Nerve.... The Mac Nuts Strike Back

Well let state that I am a Mac user and the Proud owner of a 15in iMac G4 800Mhz w/ Superdrive. My comments were pretty Much for the sole Purpose of saying that the Athlon FX/64 chips kick ass. but i see ur Ignorance and Blind Loyalty to a Platform impair your judgement and cause you to make stupid remarks. I Love Apple and Really like the G5, But I refuse to spend $3000 on a PC that get's it's ass kicked by a computer that cost nearly $1,000 less (refering to Athlon64 3400+). Power Macs are Nice but are Grossley Over Priced and Apple always loves to Cripple the Consumer Line Macs either with a Much Slower Processor , Less Ram or a Missing feature here and there ,in fear of a having Power Mac Sales eaten up.

This Leaves me in a Catch 22 Because a Low end Power Mac would be Overpriced and Underpowered. but High end consumer is even less powerful even though the price may be right. Apple seems to Ignore a Increasing Demand of the Prosumer Market. so someone like myself would be better off just buying an AMD Machine because I would get much more for my money , let's face it $2000 on the Apple side gets you a Half ass 1.6 G5 while $2000 on the windows side can get u a freakin Rocket ship, I can config a

Athlon 64 3400+ ,
1GB DDR400mhz Corsairs XMS ,
2 120GB Seagate SATA drives in Raid 0
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB DDR2
8X DVD+-R/RW / 52X CD-RW / 7 in 1 Multicard reader
Cooler Master Wavemaster Case Black or Silver Anodized Alu
all this and more for just under $2000
I set this up and i gurantee this Machine will Destroy any G5 and still be $1000-1500 less depending on G5 Config.

Now i'm not Bashing the G5 or Apple just saying that there is still Large Gap in terms of Hardware value. Apple just likes to Hold back or be cheap with thier Components.

Lastly to the Rude person who flamed me. my reason for waithing for a 4000+ chip is because it's right around the corner and will be priced the same as the 3400+ is now , and while at this moment I may not need FW800 and PCI-X, I will and so will u eventually so i'd rather purchase a MotherBoard that's as Future ready as possible. G5's have PCI-X and FW800 already. so by fall i Predict the 4000+chips along with Motherboards that support PCI-X, FW800 will be out. just at the right time i plan to make my next Comp Purchase. Which will be Perfect for My DV Editing , Games and Photoshop.

P.S. Alienware Aurora's Kick ASS

 

[LethalWolfe]

Here are some earlier benches, it must be noted that both are not running in 64 bit mode yet, I just find it interesting. also i see a lot of Mac Zealots refuse to think anyone but Mac sells a good system.
Apple has a history of selling overpriced and underperforming hardware most of the yrs I have been using Macs. We all know of the G4 fiasco. I feel Apple has to stop being so stingy with its hardware and start selling at least hardware that matches the other side in all products. This is evident in the consumer line big time. I know people are busting on AMD but from what i have read this CPU in a Aurora is a screamer and sells for what the dual 2.0 G5 does. One more note and that is this bench is a little unfair because its 2 cpu's vs 1.
sorry for the small picture,how can you increase these attachments size? just click on it for a better view.

OMG I can't believe you posted the results of those half-@ssed PCworld tests from last fall.


Lethal

 

[ingenious]

still...

AMD = Always Melting Down.

If you like blue screens and rebooting often, then AMD is the chip for you

Still, if i absolutely HAD to buy a PC for something (which i hope never happens!) then i would go the AMD way instead of Intel- It seems that AMD's actually live up to their numbers and Intel (esp. Celeron) just stick on a number and says thats what it is.

 

[~Shard~]

Wow must have hit a Nerve....
... My comments were pretty Much for the sole Purpose of saying that the Athlon FX/64 chips kick ass. but i see ur Ignorance and Blind Loyalty to a Platform impair your judgement and cause you to make stupid remarks.

A word of advice - if you want your comments and points of view to be taken seriously by others, perhaps you shouldn't resort to immature behavior like calling people "ignorant" and saying that they "make stupid remarks". This completely destroys your creditbillity and it's hard to take anyone seriously who simply resorts to petty behavior like insulting people when they don't like their point of view. In fact, from your response, it seems like YOU are the one who had a nerve hit.

I was simply stating my opinion, that I prefer Macs over PCs, and that speed is not a factor for me. I completely realize it is for some people and I appreciate that. I then questioned quite legitamately what you were requiring all that power for, and inquired about your usage. No need to get so defensive - calm down my friend!

Lastly to the Rude person who flamed me

Please identify who you are referring to - I have read no posts in which you have been flamed. The definition of a flame is "a searing e-mail or newsgroup message in which the writer attacks another participant in overly harsh, and often personal, terms". Please show me where you have been attacked harshly and on personal terms. Once again, you need to relax - I believe you are the one with the nerve that has been hit! I'm sure many members herer are silently chuckling at your overreacting over all of this...

So just calm down, relax, buy your new AMD, and enjoy it! AMD makes great chips, and you can get a great system for less than a G5. It's all pretty simple, no need to lower yourself to insulting people, overreacting and becomg so defensive!

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Wow must have hit a Nerve.... The Mac Nuts Strike Back

Well let state that I am a Mac user and the Proud owner of a 15in iMac G4 800Mhz w/ Superdrive. My comments were pretty Much for the sole Purpose of saying that the Athlon FX/64 chips kick ass. but i see ur Ignorance and Blind Loyalty to a Platform impair your judgement and cause you to make stupid remarks. I Love Apple and Really like the G5, But I refuse to spend $3000 on a PC that get's it's ass kicked by a computer that cost nearly $1,000 less (refering to Athlon64 3400+). Power Macs are Nice but are Grossley Over Priced and Apple always loves to Cripple the Consumer Line Macs either with a Much Slower Processor , Less Ram or a Missing feature here and there ,in fear of a having Power Mac Sales eaten up.

This Leaves me in a Catch 22 Because a Low end Power Mac would be Overpriced and Underpowered. but High end consumer is even less powerful even though the price may be right. Apple seems to Ignore a Increasing Demand of the Prosumer Market. so someone like myself would be better off just buying an AMD Machine because I would get much more for my money , let's face it $2000 on the Apple side gets you a Half ass 1.6 G5 while $2000 on the windows side can get u a freakin Rocket ship, I can config a

Athlon 64 3400+ ,
1GB DDR400mhz Corsairs XMS ,
2 120GB Seagate SATA drives in Raid 0
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB DDR2
8X DVD+-R/RW / 52X CD-RW / 7 in 1 Multicard reader
Cooler Master Wavemaster Case Black or Silver Anodized Alu
all this and more for just under $2000
I set this up and i gurantee this Machine will Destroy any G5 and still be $1000-1500 less depending on G5 Config.

Now i'm not Bashing the G5 or Apple just saying that there is still Large Gap in terms of Hardware value. Apple just likes to Hold back or be cheap with thier Components.

Lastly to the Rude person who flamed me. my reason for waithing for a 4000+ chip is because it's right around the corner and will be priced the same as the 3400+ is now , and while at this moment I may not need FW800 and PCI-X, I will and so will u eventually so i'd rather purchase a MotherBoard that's as Future ready as possible. G5's have PCI-X and FW800 already. so by fall i Predict the 4000+chips along with Motherboards that support PCI-X, FW800 will be out. just at the right time i plan to make my next Comp Purchase. Which will be Perfect for My DV Editing , Games and Photoshop.

P.S. Alienware Aurora's Kick ASS

Cant agree with you more, as a long time Mac user i to have come to the conclusion that for over $1000 less I can have a machine that matches or exceeds the dual G5 2.0. my conclusion is the Aurora with AMDs 64 bit 3400+ and a top video card. I can compare this machine price wise to a 1.6 single G5 and the 1.6 isnt even close performance wise. Apple still has not made up for the years of motostagnation. Aurora is a kick ass machine otherwise there wouldnt be so many publications saying so.It seems to be the benchmark in the PC world these days. seems review after review holds this machine in high status. And i can choose every componet and my color. I do love Macs software and so decided to wait to see what they do with Powermacs and the Imac line but right now there is no comparison. a Alienware Aurora blows the Imac right out the door, and matches dual G5s with no problem. Imac has a great form factor but im sure Apple will make a nice machine stale so it dont hurt Powermac sales and Powerbook sales.

 

[adamjay]

my livelihood does not depend on the 2 second differential it takes to render a quicktime movie.

it DOES depend on not getting the blue screen of death on stage in front of 2,500 people.

so, yea, i'll stick with the mac.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

my livelihood does not depend on the 2 second differential it takes to render a quicktime movie.

it DOES depend on not getting the blue screen of death on stage in front of 2,500 people.

so, yea, i'll stick with the mac.

I respect that to a point,my livelihood doesnt so much depend on the mac though i use it to print my bills and letterhead and business envelopes. ill still have a mac(own2 at the moment or make that 3 daughter is using) but i like to play current games at the end of the day and the Aurora is very hard to beat. plus there is just so much on the otherside software wise and i can walk into any store and find it. Then that Aurora is very cool with its colors, saucer silver with blue alien ice and is laid out on the inside very much like the new G5s. very little clutter. AMD has some nice cpu's and they have cool and quiet so they throttle down when not being pushed. one more thing is they are making constant advances and have not even gone to the 90nm process yet so their future to me looks as bright as the G5 or even brighter since they sell a lot more then Apple can with its only 1 product with G5s. heres a picture in case you are interested in a Nasty and Fast PC.

 

[jiggie2g]

Aurora's are Killer Machines , even HP has some great AMD 64 configs for the Money. Dell can go 2 Hell I can't stand those Ugly Boxes.

I can still Config a DIY(do-it yourself) PC for less and be better spec 4 spec than the Aurora. Thats the only realy thing that I love about the Windows side is that u have a choice , u have options. You can either buy a Box like the Aurora or DIY and cherry pick your components. your not stuck with whatever Apple feels is adequate. Apple likes to put cheap Componets and Jack up the price, that just pisses me off because the PC that u really want you can't afford Honsetly there is no reason a $3000+ G5 should not come with the absolute best Parts standard (Raid, Radeon 9800Pro , 7.1 Soundcard ,Wireless Keyboard ,Wireless 2 Button Mouse ...Jobs stop being a Prick and just give us a damn 2 button wheel mouse already).

See if i'm going to Spend $3000 on a freakin' G5 i demand the absolute best Both hardware and software. That piece of mind of having a PC that is hardly ever crashes is still not going to make me forget that I overspent $1,000+ on a Comp that is not any faster or in some cases slower than PC's
costing a 1/3rd Less.

I am not like some of these Mac Heads that let thier Blind Loyalty keep them from seeing the Obvious (that in the Hardware dept the current crop of Macs are not a good deal and still have a ways to go. i mean come'on 9 months and still no G5 Updates , are we are back to the Motorola Days again....Apple get your Sh*t Together). My Loyalty is to My Money getting the Best Bang for my Buck and if at the time of a PC purchase Mac's offer a Bettter option then i will go Mac if not I will go AMD.


Check out those CoolerMaster Wavemaster's (Black Anodized Alu makes me Drool).

This goes Back to what every Analyst , and PC expert says. for Macs to survive in the long run as a Desktop they have to go Intel/AMD. cuz in the end IBM will Dump Apple just like Moto did as Apples Market share continues to shrink. Macs will not sell well enough for IBM to Justify the Production cost. IBM will most likely just Make G5's for XBox 2 when it is all said and done. Apple in 2 yrs can go AMD and occupy the Place Sony's Vaio once had.

My Dream PC Aurora AMD FX-53 Running OSX

 

[Dippo]

I respect that to a point,my livelihood doesnt so much depend on the mac though i use it to print my bills and letterhead and business envelopes. ill still have a mac(own2 at the moment or make that 3 daughter is using) but i like to play current games at the end of the day and the Aurora is very hard to beat. plus there is just so much on the otherside software wise and i can walk into any store and find it. Then that Aurora is very cool with its colors, saucer silver with blue alien ice and is laid out on the inside very much like the new G5s. very little clutter. AMD has some nice cpu's and they have cool and quiet so they throttle down when not being pushed. one more thing is they are making constant advances and have not even gone to the 90nm process yet so their future to me looks as bright as the G5 or even brighter since they sell a lot more then Apple can with its only 1 product with G5s. heres a picture in case you are interested in a Nasty and Fast PC.

Just to be fair, I must point out that Alienware isn't known for their inexpensive PC's. The top of the line system that you pictured cost $3,200.

Personally I prefer to build my own rig...

Of course AMD does have some nice processors (I am running an AMD at the moment), and if I remember correctly they license some of their tech from IBM.

I am sure Apple and IBM are working very had to bring us some faster G5's...I think that the transistion to 90nm might have been tougher than expected. Of course the FX-53 is still made using 130nm.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Actually the rig I posted you can get for under 2 grand with a 9800xt in it. jiggie2g im not sure what that is that you posted? is that a current model or older model?
Apple lovers must realize that Apple has been screwing them in the hardware dept for years. sure they have allways had all the connectors,firewire usb,ethernet,etc but video options and cpu options have been piss pot poor. Without G5 they would have to be making Intel/AMD machines because Moto has been lost for years. Apple doesnt let you pick and choose much of anything. I would like these options in a single cpu flavor mac. cpu speed,video card, memory without taking my firstborn, and optical drive. Apple wont let you. they have forgotten consumer is KING not Jobs and not Apple. its their way or the PC maker. Alienware is looking Great but should i go with silver?blue?yellow?purple?black?green? with Mac its Sterile Aluminum styling from the 50s. If you pull up those posts from day 1 of G5 release a lot of us said YUK! My god ! with so many cool concepts floating around and then seeing the cheesgrate was almost to much. they need to find what they had from 98.

 

[jiggie2g]

Actually the rig I posted you can get for under 2 grand with a 9800xt in it. jiggie2g im not sure what that is that you posted? is that a current model or older model?
Apple lovers must realize that Apple has been screwing them in the hardware dept for years. sure they have allways had all the connectors,firewire usb,ethernet,etc but video options and cpu options have been piss pot poor. Without G5 they would have to be making Intel/AMD machines because Moto has been lost for years. Apple doesnt let you pick and choose much of anything. I would like these options in a single cpu flavor mac. cpu speed,video card, memory without taking my firstborn, and optical drive. Apple wont let you. they have forgotten consumer is KING not Jobs and not Apple. its their way or the PC maker. Alienware is looking Great but should i go with silver?blue?yellow?purple?black?green? with Mac its Sterile Aluminum styling from the 50s. If you pull up those posts from day 1 of G5 release a lot of us said YUK! My god ! with so many cool concepts floating around and then seeing the cheesgrate was almost to much. they need to find what they had from 98.

Cheesegrate LOL good one. Sorry about the confusion , Those are CoolerMaster Wave Master Cases in Silver or Black made of Anodized Aluminum, they go for $150 each and are very Solid, Tough as a Hummer. For those people saying Don't Hurt Me Posted rigged Bench marks from a PC Mag , take a look at the one's from Macworld and Look as the G5 get it's ass handed by the Aurora FX-51 and even some of the P4's in about every Benchmark except DVD encoding.

Let's face it Motorola hads delt the Mac a Fatal Wound that may not cause the Mac to die now but instead slowly bleed to death over time as marketshare continues to shrink. I like Jobs but not as the Head of Apple because he lets his Personal Feeling and Ego impair His Judgement. Hurting Apple because of his age old Grudge with Bill Gates. He's a creative Genius and Excellent Marketer , but as a Leader i don't like Him because he dosen't do what is Best for Apple ... even small things like a 2 button mouse. This little Bullsh*t just to show his Defiance towards windows , but at the same time something as simple as not having a 2 button mouse impair's a persons everyday productivity. Even Jobs has to see that the Mac in it's current form is a sinking ship and that a company cannot survive on a less than 3% marketshare. they are Living off the iPod and thier Money Surplus of $4.5bill from the old Candy iMac days which will not last them forever.

don't even get me started with the Laptops and how The Centrino's are just kiling everyone. the Pentium M is Intels Best Processor I think they go like this.
According to Voodoo PC
Pentium M
M 1.4 = 2.5 P4
M 1.5 = 2.7 P4
M 1.6 = 2.9 P4
M 1.7 = 3.06 P4

Lets See a PowerBook do That with it's Turtle speed 1.25-1.33 G4 and i've seen Centrino's get over 5hrs battery life with no prob once the batter is Conditioned right. just another Reason 4 Apple to go Intel/AMD

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

its almost like Motorola all over again and i do agree with you on Jobs, he is missing what consumers want. blame ego,blame status,or culture but he is out of touch with mainstream computer users or rather consumer gamers. Moto has given Apple a wound that cant seem to heal. Apple coming out and making a OS(markler or whatever it was called would stop the bleeding but another year of G4 will not) they waited to long to get rid of that monkey. 2 G5s match one Intel or AMD? before you know it we will hear more spin from Apple. I would suggest they fire some top brass and hire some down to earth people from this forum. they are out of touch. not having Games and not having Tv in the digital hub is a mistake. consumers love Tv and love gaming. If they only want to sell to the pro photoshop user then they have hit the mark of 1% marketshare.

 

[LethalWolfe]

I'm not trying to be flippant here but if you don't like what Apple is currently offering then buy something that you do like. I think everyone knows you don't like Apple's line-up, and haven't for sometime, sense you bring it up on a regular basis. Yes you have to pay attention to what customers want but you can't let the inmates run the asylum<sp?>. No one company can please everyone. Dell caters to certain markets. Alienware caters to certain markets. eMachines caters to certain markets. Apple caters to certain markets. If you want to play the latest games and have hardware w/the highest m/ghz rating for the lowest price then Apple is probably not the company you should be purchasing from.

And, just for sh*ts and giggles, don't forget that a dual proc G5 running the latest version of FCP 4 can do more streams of full res, uncompressed video than the dual 2.8ghz Xeon workstations made by HP that Avid uses for it's PC-based editing solutions. That's software only out pacing a software+hardware hybred approach.


Lethal

 

[MrMacMan]

AMD = Always Melting Down.

If you like blue screens and rebooting often, then AMD is the chip for you

Uhhh...

Not if you COOL your CPU...


And please stop posting about Alienware this and Alienware that.


Alienware is like apple:
OVERPRICED.

Buy the parts and assmble your own frikken coputer people!

Don't be so lame!

 

[aswitcher]

its almost like Motorola all over again and i do agree with you on Jobs, he is missing what consumers want. blame ego,blame status,or culture but he is out of touch with mainstream computer users or rather consumer gamers.

So if you had the Apple helm until June 2006 (2+ years), what would you do to turn things around?

 

[yamabushi]

LethalWolfe- If you are tired of reading posts about lackluster Apple hardware, feel free to ignore posts and threads by DHM and others that bring up this point.

I love Macs but they aren't perfect. I can't fault someone for pointing out the weak points in the platform until they get fixed. This is how something good becomes something great.

Outside criticism of business decisions made by Apple executives is valid at this time. Declining computer sales and market share is proof of failure, not an indication of success in catering to a specific market segment. Suggestions for improvement are made out of love, not hate. The most frustrating part is that many proposed solutions would be relatively easy to implement.

 

[crackpip]

Uhhh...

Buy the parts and assmble your own frikken coputer people!

Don't be so lame!

I'm sorry Mr133t, but the idea that all people should build their own computer is just wrong. Building your own computer is fine for people who are either experts, hobbyists or people who don't value their time, but there are many people, maybe even most, who don't fall into those categories. These people need to do real work. These people are too busy to spend the extra time making sure all their components are compatible and would rather just be playing games. In addition, some organizations (e.g. some major universities) prohibit or add extra charges (+50% in my case) to buying the parts to build the machines when using research or grant funding for example.

I've built my own computers. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't an expert and values their time. I built a small cluster, and saved a couple grand. Big ****ing deal, I lost more money in downtime and lost productivity in trying to sort out various incompatibilities (some due to wrong technicians) and waiting for replacment parts. Unfortunately for me, it was just before the g5's came out and the funds needed to spent or lost; otherwise, there'd be a small cluster of g5's in my lab.

So to anyone thinking of building their first PC, consider the extra time and effort required not just the pricetag. It could be significant.

crackpip

 

[sethypoo]

AMD = Always Melting Down.

If you like blue screens and rebooting often, then AMD is the chip for you

I just want to say that that is a completely unfounded, unproven, and (what I believe to be) a very untrue statement.

AMD's are great processors, comparable to Apple's processors (yes, even the G4).

Go AMD!

 

[jiggie2g]

So if you had the Apple helm until June 2006 (2+ years), what would you do to turn things around?

Well if i or anyone was at the Helm it would sure take more than 2yrs to see any real progress. but here's what i Would do.

1. I know Apple was working on Marklar(x86 version of OSX) While i like the concept. If apple made any such attempt to penitrate the Windows Market head on it would be Crushed by an 800lbs Gorilla called Microsoft. They hate Linux but Ignore it for the most Part because it's not really a Treat to them on the Consumer Level , Lindows OS is a Small pebble in Microsofts shoe and I see they are already Setting up a Sledge Hammer for it with all these Petty Name Likeness Lawsuits. So Imaging how hard they would comedown on Apple if they Tried to Port OSX on Intel/AMD Hardware.

If I was head of Apple I would Give Gates what he Wants, OSX. Persuade him intergate it into Longhorn or whatever new Version of Windows in exchange for a small percentage on it's sales and the sales of future Versions that feature OSX Technology. Making a new OS. it's no secret that Gates Covets OSX it's Apparent in XP when u see all the stuff they ripp off. Let Microsoft spend Billions on R&D for the OS.

2. Port iLife to x86 and Push it to become the Dominant Consumer Creative Suite sell it for $79. along with iSight cut it to $99 or $79 bundle it with iChat AV/ AIM for Windows. Port Final Cut Pro , DVD Studio Pro and all the Pro Apps so Adobe and Avid can Piss in thier Pants.

3. Abandon the PPC Market and Switch in Wintel. Sony's Vaio is as good as dead this leaves a huge space and oppertunity for a Creative PC maker like apple to step up and show everyone that your PC dosen't have to look like crap. i'm sure Jonathan Ive can come up with some amazing designs. Probabally design an OSX emulator for x86 to ease the Transition. Imagine how iMacs would sell if they sold for $1399 with an Athlon 64's and that lovely 17in wide screen.

4. Abandon the Mac name, call it something else the name Macintosh always has a negative affect on Wintel Users , the moment they hear it they say Blah Mac's Suck. move away from that negative image. Keep the Apple Logo of course....

5. Let the Hardware Makers do the work 4 you , Let Asus, Lite-on , Pioneer, AMD, Intel, make the parts. let them fight and out bid eachother so u can carry thier hardware. you just pick them and make the Cases. now manufaturing Cost are Down. since the only hardware u makes are Desktop , note book cases , iSight and iPods. no more Costly Mother Boards to design. cut the Prices on Apple Displays to be competitive.
now since we are saving a ton on R&D and Manufaturing. we can bring those savings to the consumer by being able to sell Apple Comps at Prices Competitive to Dell and HP, but our software bundle is wayyy better and PC's actually look cool. 15in PowerBooks running Intel Pentium M Centrino fully loaded for $1999 w/real 6hr battery life.

6. Give The Consumer a Choice let them customize the Apple PC thats right 4 them , not what you feel is best. now Isn't this what made Dell King of the Hill. Offer rebates and fair trade-in's to current Mac owners who want to switch for a Limited time of course.

7. Cut Deals with Stores Best Buy, Circuit City, Walmart(i Dare say)and all the Major Players in the Consumer Electronics Retail Market.

8. Huge Marketing Campaign , call all Papers , Mags, TV Stations get free exposure. Plaster Citys with Ad's,and flood TV with Commmercials.......Apple Does Windows.

Apple does this and we'll bust the market wide open.

Just a Few Sudgestions... what do u think people?