Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!watdragon!watcsc!omynous From: omynous@watcsc.waterloo.edu (Shannon Mann) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Wish I had an Amiga 1500 Summary: Greatest costs in retooling Message-ID: <1989Jul18.055901.21444@watcsc.waterloo.edu> Date: 18 Jul 89 09:58:56 GMT References: <20219@cup.portal.com> <42606@bbn.COM> <222@kesmai.COM> Reply-To: omynous@watcsc.UUCP (Shannon Mann) Organization: University of Waterloo Computer Science Club Lines: 51 In article <222@kesmai.COM> dca@kesmai.COM (David C. Albrecht) writes: >In article <42606@bbn.COM>, denbeste@bbn.com (Steven Den Beste) writes: >> >> If GM spends $10,000 redesigning a car to eliminate 3 5-cent screws, GM makes >> money. >True, but we're talking about redesigning most of the car here, not changing >the hub cabs. New circuit board, new cabinet, is a pretty substantial deal >not just a few screws. Even GM probably has to sell quite a few cars before >they recoup the cost of a substantially remodelled car. Redesign sounds really expensive, but, it usually represents a relatively small fraction of the cost of the final product. The real and often forgotten cost is in retooling. Given the fact that most design is now done on cad workstations, even major changes can be incorporated quickly, with minor difficulty. (Of course, I am ignoring testing of prototypes, etc...) Implementing those changes in the manufacturing process isn't simple, nor cheap. Changing from single-sided boards to double (or worse multi-layer) sided boards can mean introducing new equipment into the line, hiring-training/retraining staff to handle the new processes, abandoning a working process for one that may contain flaws, etc. Even small changes (i.e. to fix a design flaw) can cause these problems. Kinda like asking for a headache :-) -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- A500 - redesigned A1000 board to take advantage of better memory chips etc, a minimum of retooling. A2000/2500 - single motherboard capable of after-production enhancement from base machine to UNIX, improvements to video, mpu/fpu, addition of IBM (yech!) compatability, etc. All without changes to the motherboard, nor the need to retool. -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- -=- Redesign existing models??? And Retool??? Hah! Good way to slit your own throat. Personally, I believe the A2000/2500 to be the most versatile machine on the market. I cannot wait 'til I can afford one! :-) Now, if Commodore can maintain excellent after-sales support, they may get somewhere... :-) >David Albrecht -=- -=- Shannon Mann -=- omynous@watcsc.UUCP -=-