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From: WHE46@ccvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Amiga Competitiveness.
Message-ID: <31531@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Date: 25 Sep 90 19:59:41 GMT
Sender: mmdf@ee.udel.edu
Lines: 40


   Since it's introduction in 1985, Commodore has allowed the Amiga
to slowly lose it's competitiveness.  At first, there was a more than
$5,000 gap between the Amiga and the closest machines (in price) that
could rival it's capabilities.

   The Amiga 3000 is still competitive in the high-end, though, as
everything about it -- from the Zorro II bus to the graphics to the
hard drive -- is just plain fast.  The Amiga 500 is also still very
competitive in the low-end, offering a good GUI, bundled software,
and a low price.

   The Amiga 2000 is a whole other story.  The Amiga 2000 is not
competitive at all.  In fact, I can get 20Mhz i386 systems with 4M
of RAM, 1.44M floppy, 40M hard drive, VGA card, and VGA monitor, for
only $100 more than the *EDUCATION* price of the A2000HD.  Clearly,
something desperately needs to be done to make the A2000 competitive
again.  Right now it isn't, period.

   I would like to see the current A2000 totally discontinued, and
replaced by a new system that is almost exactly the same, except
that uses a 14Mhz 68020 on the motherboard instead of the 68000,
has a 32-bit path to the Chip RAM for the CPU, and Zorro III
slots.  Oh, yes, this new A2000 should sell at the same prices
as the old A2000.

   This would be just what the doctor ordered for the A2000.  This
would keep it competitive for a little while longer, in a fiercely
conpetitive market.  If this is not done, though, I don't see how
the A2000 can survive much longer being a vastly underpowered and
overpriced machine in this market.  In all reality, I don't see
how a weak 7Mhz 68000 system can survive against 20Mhz 386 systems
for the same price.

   BTW, making the A2000 68020-based would make for a nice orderly
progression up the Amiga product line.  The A500 would be 68000-based,
the A2000 would be 68020-based, and the A3000 would be 68030-based.


                                 -MB-