The apocalypse has come! At the Macworld conference this last week Apple released intel core-duo based iMac computers and a new laptop called the Macbook Pro. This will make macs have a much higher performance-per-dollar ratio than under the power-PC. Apple and microsoft have both released statements mentioning that neither will take measures to stop a user from installing windows on the new apple machines, although XP cannot currently be installed as it does not support the EFI interface on the intel chips. Vista and Media Center editions do support EFI and are expected to work. Given that all the new PC laptops also have EFI as opposed to BIOS, microsoft is expected to release a patch soon. The new iMac sports an intel core duo processor, and comes in 17" or 20" screen configurations. http://www.apple.com/imac/ The 17" version base configuration sports: 1440x900 resolution 1.83 Ghz core duo 512MB RAM 160GB SATA hard drive 8x Dual-layer DVD/CD burner ATI X1600 graphics card with 128MB graphics memory built in wifi and bluetooth mac OSX. This model equipped as above starts at $1299 retail, or $1199 with an educational discount. The 20" version base configuration sports: 2.0 Ghz core duo 512MB RAM 250GB SATA hard drive 8x Dual-layer DVD/CD burner ATI X1600 graphics card with 128MB graphics memory, built in wifi and bluetooth mac OSX This model equipped as above starts at $1699 retail, or $1599 with an educational discount. Available Upgrades include: up to 2GB RAM, 256MB graphics memory, and up to 500GB hard drive. The Macbook Pro is the new intel-powered laptop by apple. Currently the only screen size available is 15.4" widescreen, but more are expected soon. The Macbook is available in two configurations that carry various performance options. http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/ The base model sports: 15.4" TFT LCD with 1440x900 resolution 1.67Ghz intel core duo processor 512MB RAM 80GB 5400RPM hard drive DVD/CD burner ATI Radeon x1600 with 128MB graphics memory The above configuration retails for $1999 or $1799 with an educational discount. The faster model has: 15.4" TFT LCD with 1440x900 resolution 1.83Ghz intel core duo processor 1GB RAM 100GB 5400RPM hard drive DVD/CD burner ATI Radeon x1600 with 256MB graphics memory The above configuration retails for $2499 or $2299 with an educational discount. Available Upgrades include: up to 2GB RAM, and up to 120GB hard drive. I'm excited about being able to dual-boot windows and OSX...I can finally play online poker on the same machine that I do everything else on!

Yeah,.........saw this a couple of days ago,........now the only difference between a PC and a Mac really will be the price and software availability ! Oh yeah and HD spindle speed and seek time. I've just built a dual 3.2Ghz Xeon machine for less than the cheapest of the above models. Just say no to Steve Jobs !

Steve Jobs is a jerk. Remember when he was saying that the G5 machines were fastest bestest, meanest machines in the world ever and nothing would ever come close. And now these are the fastest. Hey? Besides, AMD is faster, Nvidia is faster...

see!.only thing original will be the logo.

As a student, I just love the educational price! I get to buy these computers for a whole $100-$200 cheaper! But at that price, it isn't really much of a discount. The cool discounts are everywhere else. I can get Maya for for about $400. Then again, I am a student and really poor, so it is still really expensive!

As a mac user since 1988, I paid my first mac 5000$ for a classic. That was the best mac at this time. on pc was MS-Dos and on mac OS 7. Was simple beautiful and powerfull. Now i have a G5 double 2.7 and I pay it 3000$. I use it for photoshop and other 2D applications (finalcut) and a little for 3D. With velocity engine and image core, it's realy fast, more than a dualcore of AMD or pentium. For me mac is the best for professional in 2 D and PC for 3D. The problem is that people want a powerfull computer without problem with virus and WINDOWS, but they don't want to pay. So they buy a pc and get the problem. Otherwise I think that was an error for apple to switch from PPC to pentium. We will get the problem of pc on the mac :-( But when the time come and we see how vista is a big Bug people will change to mac. I'm sure that apple will stop making computer and are going to sell top software that will work on every computer. So after you will choose windob or OSX. We will see.

Switching to being a software manufacturer would possibly been the best move for Apple. But they got bitten by the control bug when the original Power PC appeared. Remember that one? Apple was supposed to open its architecture to everybody. And then decided that only they can produce/authorise the hardware for Macs. And fell behind. And will continue to be behind because they still insist on absolute control. That's why you paid $3000 for your dual G5. If I bought something comparable on Windows side, I would have paid $2100, judging the rest of the components by what I paid for my new computer. That would be 2 Opterons 2.2 GHz, dual motherboard, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB hard, Nvidia Geforce 6600 GT, DVD-ROM and recorder, a good case and a good power supply. And it would be a monster. No, there won't be a huge flood of viruses for Mac. OS X's a niche OS. Good, but niche. Processor has nothing to do with it. And I don't think that people will switch to Macs when Vista appears. If nothing else, Microsoft has better spin doctors than Steve Jobs. :-)

I agree, Erlik, the Intel CPU (chip) introduction to the Mac has nothing to do with Microsoft Operating System insofar as the OS and residing software must be geared to CPU architecture. So if Apple doesn't use Windows OS it wouldnt be susceptible to Windows bugs. Intel is Intel and Microsoft is Microsoft, two different companies.

Agree with above... Intel based Macs should be no more susceptable to Windows viruses than Intel based Linux machines. How some things are handled are still quite dependent on the OS software.