maybe Apple wants AMD to produce PowerPC chips for another source of supplies of them besides IBM and Motorola?

Maybe Apple wants a WINTEL machine so that users can dual-boot Windows and Darwin or Linux on it? Maybe they have no real plans, but are just considering it?

Kind of reminds me of Sun workstations, one using SPARC and the other using Intel chips.

But you are right, with the Apple modifications it will cost more than a WINTEL clone. But would it still cost less than a PowerMac? Lucky Goldstar, or LG Electronics, who made the G3 iMac, also makes WINTEL clones, it would be easy for Apple to outsource the MacX86 to LG in Korea to keep the prices low. Maybe $700USD or $800USD instead of $600USD?

Of course consider the X86 based Amiga systems:

[link|http://www.computing-extreme.com/amiga/amigaxpricing.html|[link|http://www.computing-extreme.com/amiga/amigaxpricing.html|http://www.computin...pricing.html]]

They are priced a bit higher than normal WINTEL Clones, they can run Linux, Windows, AmigaOS XL, etc. Amiga decided to make X86 based Amigas to extend the life of the Amiga and to make cheaper Amiga systems. Of course the software also works on almost any modern X86 PC Clone system, not just Amiga brand ones. Does this mean that the G3/G4 AmigaOne is kaput? Not really, it is just a different standard and different system.