Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!rutgers!cunixf.cc.columbia.edu!cunixb.cc.columbia.edu!es1
From: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Price of NEW Macs (for comparison)
Message-ID: <1990Jul24.175200.29088@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Date: 24 Jul 90 17:52:00 GMT
References: <25497@snow-white.udel.EDU>
Sender: news@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (The Daily News)
Reply-To: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
Organization: Columbia University
Lines: 75

>>	Of course it is! You aren't considering that the Macs
>>COME with the screen built in. And although a color monitor is
>>nice for most people (who buy on Educ. Disc.) the Apple
>>monochrome is just fine. It DOESN'T flicker and looks very solid.
>>The price for an A500 w/1MB, 2 drives, monitor and 20MB is
>>$1,369. This makes the Mac $280 cheaper.
>>	I'd say that at that price the SE/20 will be the most
>>sold Mac (on discount that is). An equivalent Amiga is much more.
>>	And I believe I said that these prices don't bring Mac
>>down to Amiga pricing on the high end models, just the low end.
>>
>     The Amiga 500 with 1 meg, external drive and monitor is $799 for
> the education discount plan.  The Plus system listed is $150 less without
> the second floppy.  Seeing as the plus is way out of date and is monochrome,
> it's not too serious compitition.
>
>     Of coures, Macintosh's have been big sellers even at much higher prices,
> I doubt Commodore is in for a whitewashing.  I would like to see a reaction
> from Commodore, though.  Does Apple still buy their chips from Commodore?
> Anyone have a price on the A500P?
>
>     As for the "Mac Classic", I think that most of the sales for that
> machine will come from prospective Mac SE buyers, which are higher ticket
> items.  The only way Apple could sell a low end machine to compete with
> the A500 is if had the apeal the Amiga has, i.e. color graphics.  Apple
> has demonstrated that they cannot produce a machine with resonable color
> for anywhere near the A500's price.
>
>     As for the SE's screen, don't forget that it is interlace, and would
> flicker if it had more than two colors.
>

	Most people who buy computers in college buy them for
word processing. Which will do better word processing: a
Macintosh with Microsoft Word or an Amiga 500 in either x200 mode
(with scan lines visible) or in x400 mode that flickers like
anything? Most people will want the Mac, especially at $150 less.
	How about the 40MB SE? I am actively trying to get Amigas
into Columbia but I will only be able to reach niche groups
unless prices come down compared to Apple.
	Your point that the Plus is old technology doesn't mean
much, as it still runs MS Word and all the other basic programs.
It lacks color, but that isn't a big deal for most uses they'll
put it to.
	Finally, for those students who need more scientific
programs: they aren't even available on the Amiga! The Mac has
far more and far better science/math/computer software available
for it.
	Finally2, and honestly, most students pirate from anyone
they can, so Amiga software being cheaper is irrelevant. It is
more expensive usually, because there aren't as many Amiga
friends to trade with and they'll HAVE to buy it.
	As I mentioned initially, I wouldn't change my computer
for the world (well maybe...), but we should realize that low end
Macs now have an advantage. The Amiga is trying to upset the
leader. The biggest advantage used to be price. Apple got smart
and lowered the prices on their low-end models, while keeping the
expensive ones high.


>
> --------
>      F. Michael Theilig  -  The University of Rhode Island at Little Rest
>                            GWO110 at URIACC.Bitnet
>                            GKZ117 at URIACC.Bitnet
>
>"Gooooood coffee."


	-- Ethan

Ethan Solomita: es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu

"If Commodore had to market sushi they'd call it `raw cold fish'"
		-- The Bandito, inevitably stolen from someone else