There's some reason to believe Apple is aware of this problem and is acknowledging it by way of its current designs. Most objective tests show that today's best PC processors - such as AMD's Athlon chip, running at 1 gigahertz or faster - easily outrun today's 500-megahertz PowerPC G4. The theoretically tremendous performance advantages of the Mac's PowerPC processors haven't really panned out. High-tech companies as a whole have suffered grievously in 2000 - one glance at the NASDAQ's bungee jump since March demonstrates that - but Apple's recent revenue and stock troubles are as specific to its products as they are general to its industry.

It's time to give up on the Mac-only microprocessor and make Mac hardware Windows compatible.

But in its current time of troubles, company executives may be discovering that their best bet is to think similar. Apple has long capitalized on its legendary status as the original headquarters of innovative design in computers.