Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!usc!ucla-cs!math.ucla.edu!barry@pico.math.ucla.edu
From: barry@pico.math.ucla.edu (Barry Merriman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: 15,000 orders---inflated?
Message-ID: <382@kaos.MATH.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 20 Sep 90 22:35:37 GMT
Sender: news@MATH.UCLA.EDU
Distribution: na
Organization: UCLA Dept. of Math,
Lines: 26

I was talking to our NeXT outlet here at UCLA, and they suggested
that the 15,000 orders for NeXTStations is inflated.
(However, our local outlet---the UCLA bookstore (UCLA-BS)---is not real
big on NeXTs anyway...)

I was told that originally NeXT said they wouldn't deal with UCLA-BS unless 
they order 50 machines for the coming year. UCLA-BS said no way,
based on past sales, and agreed to order 10. (Way to go, UCLA-BS :-)
NeXT said ok, _as long as_ UCLA-BS agreed to sign a contract
stating that they intended to order a total of 50 during the year.
Apparently, UCLA-BS signed this, even though thats definitely
not their intention. (I gues UCLA-BS doesn't expect big sales; given
their marketing strategies, I bet they can achieve this...:-)

Anyway, the bottom line is that NeXT may have coerced distributers
into promising to order more machines, so that Steve could
pull out the big 15,000 figure at the gala. So, we're not 
out of the woods, yet.



--
Barry Merriman
UCLA Dept. of Math
UCLA Inst. for Fusion and Plasma Research
barry@math.ucla.edu (Internet)