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From: rogers@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM (Bob Rogers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Vapourware!!!
Message-ID: <1761@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM>
Date: 29 Nov 89 05:42:54 GMT
References: <8911070804.AA12600@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <9802@zodiac.ADS.COM> <34785@grapevine.uucp> <9823@zodiac.ADS.COM> <1475@cc.helsinki.fi> <24310@cup.portal.com> <17212@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU> <24502@cup.portal.com>
Reply-To: rogers@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM (Bob Rogers)
Organization: NCR Comten, Inc.
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In article <24502@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes:
>Just to clear up what seems to be a general misunderstanding:
> 
>David Paschall-Zimbel says:
>>Yes, I was around on GEnie back in the good old days of 1986.  No, I don't
>>remember reading anything which was labelled "OFFICAL PROMISE" from Neil
>>Harris.
> 
>Neil Harris was the *OFFICIAL* representative of Atari Corp.  *ANYTHING*
>he said, unless specifically accompanied by a disclaimer to the contrary
>was  *OFFICIAL*  from Atari Corp.

In the October, 1986 issue of "COMPUTE!'s Atari ST" magazine Atari President
Sam Tramiel said (interview, "Sam Tramiel Speaks Out", p21):

"When the blit is ready, your 520 and your 1040 will be upgradable with the
blitter.  We're working that out.  There will be no problem for both STs to
take the blit."

What might explain this sort of behavior on Atari's part?  Perhaps the answer
is contained in an interview with Jack Tramiel that appeared in the Winter,
1986 issue of "STart".

The interviewer said: "The Wall Street Journal wrote, 'Commodore under Jack
Tramiel was notorious for announcing products that never made it to
retailers' shelves.'  That's a perception that must create difficulty in 
dealing with retailers."

Jack replied: "The retailers, or anyone else I would have problems with - they
do not understand the market, and they must be selling other products than mine
so they like to say what I'm doing is wrong.  When you plan a product that
normally takes 12 months or longer better technology can be produced during 
that time.  Then it's important to kill the product before it reaches the 
market because it's very expensive to kill after it comes out.  I am not afraid
to announce my intentions, but I'm very careful before I put it on a dealer's
shelf.  Anyway, I'm not working for the Wall Street Journal.  What they say
really doesnn't interest me."

-- 
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Bob Rogers                    rogers@stpaul.ncr.com  or  rogers@pnet51.cts.com
NCR Comten, St. Paul, MN      GEnie: R.C.ROGERS