Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!UMKCVAX3.BITNET!VS83F8 From: VS83F8@UMKCVAX3.BITNET Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: An open letter to all Apple II lovers/Apple Bashers Message-ID: <9005020758.AA27657@apple.com> Date: 2 May 90 07:57:00 GMT Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 95 >>... For example, say you owned a Chrysler >>Imperial. Are you necessarily upset that Chrysler stopped making >>that car? Were you upset when news got out that they were going to >>replace it? By forcing Apple to make such an old machine, with sales going >>down, we might all be the cause of Apple's downfall as a company, which in my >>opinion, makes the best personal computers around. It might be time to move >>on. > A Chrysler Imperial doesn't have 5 Million owners who collectively have >25,000 programs that run ONLY on a Chrysler Imperial. Also take into account >people who don't want to pay a fortune to buy a Mercedes when they can get >by with a revamped Imperial (the Fury, perhaps?) I think you see my point. > The apple II made Apple the profit it needed to develop the Macintosh. >It can still make money. There are over 50 million households that could >conceivably buy personal computers. If Apple wants to make some REAL money, >they should hit THAT market. Comment then Question: Comment:Give me, yourself, and Apple a break and let's talk economics. Now, as I understand it, Apple currently has the highest margins on its products in the industry, about 50%. That means that on each $10,000 mac fx apple sells they get $5,000 *profit*. Let us suppose for a second that a II product with a 386 power, multitasking operating system, fast peripherials, etc as well as compatiblity mode with 8bit and gs machines (similar to the dos compatibility in os/2) could be built. Let us further suppose that apple could market this in a world that is either dos, unix, mac, or mainframe oriented. okay. No way could apple maintain a 50% margin, maybe 10% which is typical in the clone wars. Have you priced cpu's lately? High end cpu's, and let us not forget that to remain compatible with 15 year old technology, Apple would have to custom design the chips, are VERY expensive. Let us say apple could put the whole package together in a IIc type box, and people could use their tvs for monitors, and could sell them to compete with the nintendo market at say $200. A ten percent margin would be $20. You'd have to sell about 250 of them for every mac II they sell now to make the same kind of money. Go jump off a ledge, people. That would be stupid. On the other hand, there is an established market for apple IIs that apple has not left out in the dark. For a few moments people consider what it costs Apple to support the II market!!! They hardly have to; you guys haven't been the profit center for years. That they choose to speaks highly of Apple, but doesn't suprise me. I have always loved Apple; its the spirit of the machines they build --> for me (yes even at 10,000 the mac fx is "for me;" give me an fx under A/UX over a sun /apollo/ decStation *ANY* time.) I think it is great that apple is continuing to offer support for the II even though I've not touched mine in years. That the product might be a board level II in a mac is hardly surprising; the technology has been exploited for a couple of years: there are PC/AT boards to run in your macs two. (In fact if this works out, one could theoretically run windows, II software [I hope gs compatiblitiy but won't hold my breath], and mac stuff at the same time; a gaming platform to kill for). Question: Why do you people have such hangups about the mac? I've been subscribing to the II list here for a little while and I get several distinct impressions: a) You ("generic internet users") consider the II a "hacker's machine," that is, one in which the average joe/joette can program. b) You (joe/joette) think the mac is a confining environment dictated by the programmers at Apple/Claris/MicroSoft/etc. Guys (no gender reference): Catch a clue! When my mac boots about ten million inits boot; My control panel is full to scrolling of the screen; my hard disk is crammed. Freeware, shareware all of it. This before you consider Desk accesories, and full length applications, and most especially HyperCard. And I've heard your opinions that hyperCard is a joke compared to applesoft. Come on guys (ngr): I've seen grown men/women spend hours programming supurb,complex applications in hypercard --> these are people who would never ever touch a computer before. The mac is the most extensible machine on the market. Please read extensible as flexible as hackable. Okay, I can see your reluctance to the price. But again guys (ngr) you are being blind! I work on a mac Plus, 2.5 meg ram and a sixty meg harddrive. $1800. Okay, I don't have color, but but I *do* have the best graphics on the market. Hopefully Apple will ship a low end color mac by years end and I'll upgrade Think about it guys. For you IIc'ers this is not much more; for you GS'ers, *this is cheaper!* And further, Apple is coming out with a card to save your investment in II software. God (apologies to faithful)! You people need to count your blessings you didn't get hooked into loving your sinclairs, or SOLs, or pc jrs, or (ad infinitum). Apple knows you exist; Apple cares; Apple is trying to keep you in the fold; Give a listen sometime. Jonathan. Entropy: Fight the real enemy before it's too late.