Need $1-million? Build A Unique PC For Intel.

What’s the world coming to? Chip giant Intel has to offer a bounty, a million-dollar reward to PC makers to make PCs.

What kind of PC, Jeffrey? A PC like the Mac mini. Intel wants PC makers to build a Mac mini.

Let me understand this correctly. The Mac mini has been around for nearly two years, both PPC and Intel chips inside.

Is there a comparable, popular PC in the same form factor? I guess not.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini launched The Intel Core™ Processor Challenge to PC makers.

There’s plenty of specifics to the rules, but it boils down to building something cool with Intel chips.

Otellini and a hand full of technocrats will judge the new PC entrants and determine winners and prizes.

It doesn’t look as though a single PC maker will walk away with a check or cash to the tune of a cool million dollars, but you get the idea.

Does it seem to you as though Intel is desperate to get PC maker to design and develop something cool?

Intel’s press release on the Core Challenge carries two headline sections.

The first is, ”Think Outside the big, beige box.” That’s clever.

Who’s been thinking outside the beige box since they stopped making beige boxes about 10 years ago? Apple. Duh.

It’s one thing to think outside the box-- not something beige box makers like Dell and HP and others have ever done-- it’s something else to have to be goaded into it by a chip maker.

The second headline section is ”Show Your Style.” That’s not clever, and may not be possible with the typical PC maker.

Show Your Style is an important part of the whole $1-million contest.

So, the objective is build a clever, attractive, fashionable, stylish PC and win some money from Intel.

The Grand prize winner gets up to $300,000 for hard tooling costs of their winning design, and another $400,000 for co-marketing with Intel promoting the design.

The rules state that the first place winneer will receive up to $300,000 for hard tooling of their winning design.

Apparently, it’s just a design contest, but if you win, Intel gives you money to build the real thing, and will help you sell it.

The stipulations are modest. If you plan to enter the contest, you may submit up to five different designs, but they have to be original, and use the Intel Core 2 Duo chips in an Intel Viv technology-based PC.

I’m not saying they should do it, but would it be cool or what if Apple entered and won?

If you plan to enter make sure to get your entry in by January 15, 2007.

That’ll give you about a week after Apple’s Macworld Expo announcements to come up with something Apple hasn’t already done.

It’s funny, but this is one PC event that I’m actually looking forward to. Intel says they’ll announce the winners next March in San Francisco.

Mark your calendar.

The question of the day is, will Apple enter the contest, or not?

My guess is not. Apple has more to lose by losing such a contest than they have to gain by entering and winning.

Don’t expect to see a new Apple design show up at an Intel contest touting beige box makers.

Click Here for all the details, the Official Rules, and the online Challenge application. 

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