Remember what happened to Be. Mac clones were stripped off the market, and Be had to switch to x86 just to survive.
Except they didn't, they met Microsoft who crushed them like a bug (they recently settled for $23 million).
How many companies have sitched to x86 / Windows expecting big rewards only to find a whole heap of competition and promptly go bust?
How many Amiga companies have made the transition recently and even survived?
Be couldn't hack making their own hardware; I don't see why people think things they are any different for Amiga companies.
Because Be lost $200 per machine. Pegasos makes money and I expect the A1 does also.
The failure of people to realize why x86 survives is WHY such an awful architecture destroyed the competition, and continues to hold its own.
Marketing, Conservatisim and low Costs.
It just cracks me up to hear people bash technologies that swallow up entire markets.
The best technologies rarely win.
You are arguing that we should go x86.
OK lets say we did that. We would have a lot less hassles component wise* but due to our low volumes we'd be selling the same hardware for a much higher price.
Result: one hardware company out of the hardware business.
Ok we have MorphOS so we coulds sell it as an OS. Firstly we'd lose all compatibility due to the little / big endian issue alone, that could be fixed by an emulator but there's pretty serious performance isses there.
Then of course we'd be in the same boat as Be. If we don't do our own hardware we have to get someone else to ship the OS with theirs, and if they sell Windows thats a big goodbye from them.
Be had the most advanced OS out there, they were even willing to give it away free to Hardware companies but not one took it.
What you are advocating would destroy the companies serving the Amiga market.
A big market has advantages yes, but most people also forget that a big market has big competition. PPC may be a niche desktop wise but it's one we can at least survive in.
Not being able to use a standard PC part for the NorthBridge is a problem now but that'll be solved when the 970 gets HyperTransport.
