Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!unido!nadia!peterii
From: peterii@nadia.UUCP (Peter Bechtold)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: ST in USSR
Keywords: USSR
Message-ID: <595@nadia.UUCP>
Date: 18 Oct 89 16:35:50 GMT
References: <758@utacs.UTA.FI>
Reply-To: peterii@nadia.UUCP (Peter Bechtold)
Organization: Stuttgart Net System, FRG
Lines: 41

In article <758@utacs.UTA.FI> jackin@utacs.UTA.FI (Markku M{enp{{) writes:

>I have just read the article 'Computing in cold' (something like that)
>in October PCW (Personal Computer World). I have thought of USSR being 
>a very attractive marketing place for Atari ST. The writer (don't remember
>his name) told that ATARI (the company) missed a big chance to make ST 
>de facto in Soviet schools. That's sad. Has any one more information
>about this ? I can't see any reason why Atari still couldn't make it
>big in the USSR. If Atari is going into the American market in a big 
>way in -90, why not USSR as well (competition shouldn't be too fierce :-).
>
>Just a thought. Any comments any one ?
>
>! Markku M{enp{{ (jackin) ! 
 Yeah, i've a comment on this.

I don't think that the USSR is an attractive market place for ATARI.
The computers the Soviet Union wants to buy aren't produced by ATARI.
They need mini's and super computers and they do not have the bucks to
buy STs for their schools. 
I've been twice in the USSR, i talked to many pupils and visited a couple
of schools, but i didn't meet anyone who had ever worked with a computer
(even not with a pocket-calculator; some friends of mine sold a few of those
solar powered credit card sized calculators, each worth a few bucks.
They got about 60 rubels, that is 90 dollars ! The average salary of a russian
is 150 rubels ...).

I can't imagine that the USSR would by ANY computers for their schools within
the next 5 or 10 years.

pii/West Germany

(Besides, in the GDR, there are quite a lot computer owner and user !)




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