🚀 go-pugleaf

Apple does suffer from the "production capacity" blues. Most of its 
manufacturing lines are working at full steam and they still can't meet 
orders. Part of this is because Apple has had to spend so much of its 
R&D money on the software side of the house rather than on operations.
Building the plant in Austin will surely help, but the biggest reason 
Apple needs clone partners isn't because it needs more companies 
producing Mac's per se, it because they need the production capacity to 
meet demand. Mac prices, particularly on the lower end are well in line 
with most PC's (except Packard Bell who saves money by cutting corners 
and utilizing used parts). But compared to Dell, Gateway, HP, Dec, IBM,
Toshiba, Compaq, there is little or now difference. If Apple can 
successfully bring in a good PC assembler to help, they should be able 
to increase marketshare with out much problem. While I doubt they can 
increase it like they had earlier predicted, Apple and its cloners could
easily go from 8-11% of the market to 15-20% in hardware and from its 
20% of software to 30%. I'd expect Apple to make a major partnership 
when the PPC615 is released next year. Apple might even use its huge 
cash reserve to buy a major stake in a PC assembler, like Gateway.

MHO

Marston Gould