>>> Apple could have had it back when IBM/Motorola/Apple made alliances, but instead they let PReP slip through their hands and must now make CHRP, or PPCP. If Apple would have made an OS for the PReP platform years ago we would have lots of clone makers now. <<<
Basically, the reason Apple didn't do this is because you wouldn't want PReP.. It was fairly PC-centric, and wasn't very refined. Plus of course, at the time, they weren't anywhere near an OS that could run on it. Copland has a lot of features that help it run on a multitude of hardware.
And as you can see, with some 7 million PowerMacs, and probably just a few thousand PReP boxes, the market wasn't exactly clamoring for it.