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From: mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: A low blow from Apple
Message-ID: <44737@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 12 Sep 90 17:56:06 GMT
References: <150@alchemy.UUCP>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 41

Harry, for someone who seems to be on top of things, I find it hard to believe
that you can't understand some basic distinctions.

We feel television and mass-market print advertising is not cost effective
for the Apple II.  If we felt it was not cost-effective for all products, we
obviously wouldn't do it.

Whether that's right or not is a totally separate discussion, but you seem
obsessed with the idea that Apple should treat the Apple II exactly like it
treats the Macintosh - if one gets print ads, the other should; if one gets
new CPUs, the other should; etc.

This is, frankly, ridiculous.  They're not the same computer and no one around
here thinks they are.  They're bought for different purposes by different
people and spending millions of dollars to satisfy my or yours or anyone's
sense of "parity" when it doesn't make economic sense is quite ludicrous.

If you need thousands of ads per week from Apple to prop up your choice to buy
an Apple II in your mind, then I'm afraid you're going to be perpetually
frustrated.  We look very carefully at advertising and try to place it where
it can do the most good.  You see Apple ads for Macintosh a lot, but pay more
attention to *where* you see them.  You'll note a pattern if you do.

Sculley's letter is now appearing in A+/inCider and will be available to other
publications if they're interested.  It's not an "ad", it's an open letter.
That means other people can publish it if they ask for permission.

It sounds like what you're looking for is a multi-million dollar effort from
Apple to convince the world that the Apple II is the best machine ever, and
that you were right to buy one and all those people who make fun of it are
just total spam-brains.  That's not what we do.  We make personal computers to
empower individuals to do great things.  If you've been empowered, we've
succeeded.  We're not going to spend money to keep convincing you of this.

(Spam, incidentally, is a trademark of Hormel, Inc.)
-- 
============================================================================
Matt Deatherage, Apple Computer, Inc. | "The opinions represented here are
Developer Technical Support, Apple II |  not necessarily those of Apple
Group.  Personal mail only, please.   |  Computer, Inc.  Remember that."
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