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From: rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Commodore at FCC
Message-ID: <4cf1554a.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Date: 21 Sep 90 15:21:00 GMT
References: <22107@grebyn.com> <1990Sep20.162641.1723@CSUFresno.EDU>
Sender: root@apollo.HP.COM
Reply-To: rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Apollo Division - Chelmsford, MA
Lines: 49

In article <1990Sep20.162641.1723@CSUFresno.EDU> erick@zimmer.CSUFresno.EDU (Eric Keisler) writes:
>Note that *all* of these systems are *powerful*: the 25mhz 68040 churns out
>15MIPs.

    Motorola rates the chip itself as being capable of more like 20
    Dhrystone MIPS.  (But then, we all should know by now what to think
    about MIPS figures, yes?)

>  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.

    I think his financial ties to Canon might be more pertinent to NeXT's
    success.

>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.

    IMO, NeXT is doing the right things technically and marketeerwise to
    succeed in a big way in multimedia.  Another MM platform that drinks
    from the s/w developer pool means fewer developers working on the
    Amiga in that area, I'd think.  Cost of the platform could work in
    NeXT's favor, actually -- if I were a MM developer, and I believed
    that I could sell 1,000 copies of my FooWare at $1,000 each on the
    NeXT, I'd take that over possibly 10,000 copies at $100 each on the
    Commodore.

>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.

    What makes you think NeXT is interested in Joe/Joan Blow?  Their
    feature-list and pricing sure doesn't say it to me.

>  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 ( ;-> )

    I hope Commodore wins big with CDTV; that to me seems like a product
    with more potential in the consumer market than anything else they've
    done.
--
   >>"Aaiiyeeee!  Death from above!"<<     | (Steve) rehrauer@apollo.hp.com
"Spontaneous human combustion - what luck!"| Apollo Computer (Hewlett-Packard)