Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!darrell!gaudi!zimmer.CSUFresno.EDU!erick From: erick@CSUFresno.EDU (Eric Keisler) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Commodore at FCC Message-ID: <1990Sep20.162641.1723@CSUFresno.EDU> Date: 20 Sep 90 16:26:41 GMT References: <22107@grebyn.com> Reply-To: erick@zimmer.CSUFresno.EDU (Eric Keisler) Organization: California State University, Fresno Lines: 91 In article <22107@grebyn.com> ckp@grebyn.UUCP (Checkpoint Technologies) writes: >NeXT was there too. They had a bevy of cubes sitting around for >demos. They also had a new box: the NeXTstation. I picked up a >brochure. > >It's in a box that looks just the same size and shape as the >SPARCstation 1, but it's black (like the cube). It's got a 105 Meg HD >and a 2.88 meg floppy drive; no more optical. It has 8 Meg RAM >standard. It still has the 17" monitor with 4 shades of grey. With >the reduced disk space, they no longer include the works of >Shakespeare or Mathematica (still available but not included), >otherwise the software looks the same. It's got one expansion >connector that appears to be for connecting the video display >circuitry (therefore, it's now upgradable, and NeXT has been promising >color for a while now). > >The shockers: It sports a 25MHz 68040, yes, an Oh Forty. And the list >price is $4995. > >If I speculate the price of an A3000 plus 68040 plus 8 meg RAM plus >Viking 1 monitor plus Unix, I seem to get a number higher than that. >I don't mean to be a doom-sayer, but I don't see much reason to buy an >A3000 to run Unix when the NeXTstation looks the way it does. And >it's got the DSP, the sound, and it runs Lotus - the brochure talks >almost as much about Lotus Improv(tm) as it does about the rest of the >machine. I've noticed a flurry of queries about the new NeXTs. I recently got a bunch of info on them so here's a synopsis: The NeXTStation as described above is indeed as decribed above. It *does* come with a 68040 - *all* the NeXTs do now. The expansion connector mentioned above *is not* for video, but is the DSP port. Two other bundled packages of the NeXTStation are offered: One with a 340mb drive ($6,995) and one with the 400dpi NeXT laser printer ($6,790). A color version of the NeXTStation is offered. Is is the same as the mono system, but supports 16 bit color. The NeXTStation Color system can display 4096 colors at once on its color MegaPixle display. Prices: $7995 for 105mb system, $10,995 for 340mb system, $12,790 for 340mb and NeXT laser. NeXT also has similar offerings for the good 'ol NeXT cube. Note that *all* of these systems are *powerful*: the 25mhz 68040 churns out 15MIPs. A 25MHZ 56001 DSP is also included. All the bundles stated above are complete systems and include everything you need to get started: disk, memory, monitor, mouse, floppy drive, systems software, and *applications*. The *real* news is NeXT's annoucement of the NeXT Dimension graphics board. This thing looks *real* interesting. 32bits per pixel (16.7 million colors plus alpha channels), 1120x832 resolution, i869 33mhz RISC engine, 30,000 polys/sec, image compression processor,4mb VRAM, double buffering, NTSC in and out, PAL compatability option, genlock, S-Video in and out, RGB out. NeXT offers three options: A Dimension equipped Cube system bundle: $14,115 (8mb RAM, 105mb) and $17,615 (16mb ram, 340mb disk). The board itself costs around $7,115. It looks like it can *only* go in a NeXT Cube system. As I understand it, one of the things this puppy can do is capture live full-color full-motion video, compress it, record it to disk - in real time! They mention being able to store 60 minutes of video on a 340mb drive. The captured video can be played back in real time also. There's much more, but I'm sure you'll be reading much about it real soon. Now think about the implications... A NeXT Dimension system has all the ingredients for an awesome mediastation: 32bit accelerated graphics, full motion video processing, video interfaces, CD quality sound, fast processors, and so on. Also, remember that Steve Jobs has financial ties to PIXAR, so be on the lookout for a RenderMan modeller/renderer engine for this system RSN. What impact will all these NeXTs have on the Amiga? I don't see them as a major threat. The Amiga's strengths as a low cost media system still compare favorably. Remember, the NeXTStation systems have *no* NTSC outputs. The Dimension systems are *way* above the cost of an Amiga with a Toaster (or whatever). Also, NeXT software is much more expensive than Amiga stuff, not to mention that there's comparatively few applications available for NeXTs at the moment. Lastly, the NeXTs all run Unix. Now, I'm a Unix freak myself, and the NeXT does have a pretty intuitive user interface, but getting Joe (or Joan) Blow consumer to plunk down major bucks for a Unix system is a major hurdle. Think about it. How many computer retailers can you think of that *really* could provide useful support for Unix systems? NeXT has alot of hurdles to overcome before the industry *really* notices an impact. The new NeXTS simply remove just one of the hurdles. I'd say in 2 (maybe 3) years that NeXT will *finally* be making major penetration into the consumer markets - but by then CBM will probably have rolled out *it's* 68080 based 30MIP home computer for $1,995 ( ;-> ) --- eric