Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!usc!ucsd!hub.ucsb.edu!henri!doner
From: doner@henri.ucsb.edu (John Doner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Apple pricing (was Re: Cost of Hypercard (was Re: "Innovative software like Hypercard" [sic]))
Message-ID: <5916@hub.ucsb.edu>
Date: 9 Jul 90 19:58:02 GMT
References: <1990Jul3.113921.1299@d.cs.okstate.edu> <77516@aerospace.AERO.ORG> <33519@ut-emx.UUCP> <1300@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu> <4aa_3IO00WB8EBerB9@andrew.cmu.edu>
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Reply-To: doner@henri.UUCP (John Doner)
Organization: University of California, Santa Barbara
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In article <4aa_3IO00WB8EBerB9@andrew.cmu.edu> jk3t+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jonathan King) writes:
>I'm sorry, but I believe that the initial premise of this thread (that
>the development cost of Hypercard is making Macs unaffordable) is
>pretty far off.

This whole thing is getting out of hand.  In my original posting, I
maintained that Apple could not sell computers at PC-clone prices and
also have their rather elaborate R & D program.  I mentioned Hypercard
only in one phrase, not even a whole line, as an example of innovative
software. 

Incidentally, it's important to realize that companies engaged in real
innovation on a wide scale are almost certain to incur much higher
costs per successful product.  They must chase down all the blind
alleys.  Probably only one idea in 10 turns out to be a good one, and
only a minor percentage of good ideas actually lead to successful
products.  That's just the way research is, and pretty much the same
holds for creative development work.

Contrast that with the task of a firm simply trying to follow the lead
of another, even if they aren't just copying.  Someone else has
already found what works and what doesn't.  They can focus on
implementing the good ideas, and don't have to pay people for working
on projects that don't pan out.

Apple's chosen place is the forefront. Their prices will reflect the
costs of staying in that place.






John E. Doner	       | "The beginner...should not be discouraged if...he
Mathematics, UCSB      | finds that he does not have the prerequisites for
Santa Barbara, CA 93106| reading the prerequisites."
doner@henri.ucsb.edu   |      --Paul Halmos, Measure Theory