Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!sunc5!knauer
From: knauer@sunc5 (Rob Knauerhase)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Woz giveth, Scully taketh away
Message-ID: <1990Oct2.044919.12938@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 2 Oct 90 04:49:19 GMT
References: <4756@crash.cts.com>
Sender: news@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (News)
Reply-To: knauer@cs.uiuc.edu (Rob Knauerhase)
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Science, Urbana
Lines: 57

In article <4756@crash.cts.com> bobl@pro-graphics.cts.com (Bob Lindabury) writes:
>Well, it seems to me that the Apple // is now defunct.  Apple isn't going to
>produce any more cpu's with "Apple //xx" on it you can rest assured.  The
>closest you will be able to come is "Mac XXXX".   So, I suggest you all stop
>bitching about it because all the bitching in the world isn't going to change
>matters any.  After all, Apple is releasing no less than 3 (count 'em) new Mac
>CPU's in the next month.  This should clue you die-hards in.

This is bad; mere doomsaying.  "The sky is falling..."
Apple has released so many Mac CPU's in the past four years that I've
stopped paying close attention to their differences.  Why should we give up
faith just because Apple's releasing three more? :)  [Ill-disguised cynicism.]

>I suggest that if you want the 'ol Apple // fire, you go and purchase the
>Apple // of today, an Amiga.  It is the underdog with the great CPU, graphics
>and it's (most importantly) affordable.  The same feelings I experienced when
>I purchased my first Apple // back in 1982 can be had again by purchasing an
[snip, snip]

There's some merit to this, but let's keep it in comp.sys.amiga or
alt.religion.computers.  Not all is roses with the Amiga.  [And besides, it's
a (gasp) Commodore?!? Peeeee-yew! <grin>]

>All they [Apple] are
>concerned about is the bottom line.  Because, the bottom line is all there is
>for the Apple of the 90's.  Apple has become IBM in Mac clothing.

Not really.  If they cared about the bottom line, they wouldn't try to
foist an 8Mhz 68000 with 9" B/W monitor and 800K drive on the American public
of 1990.  I really hope this machine fails; the GS blows it away in almost
every respect...

If Apple were a little more like IBM, they'd follow IBM's lead and market
a machine for the estimated 66 million households who can afford a PS/1.
They'd revamp the GS for speed and price, bundle it with AppleWorks GS
(or even AppleWorks) and maybe a cheap hard disk, and let it blow the PS/1
away.  This month's _A2-Central_ addresses this issue well, and ends with
some great lines (quoted from 10/90 A2-Central, Dennis Dom's editorial):

"Despite the fact that Apple's customers have clearly stated their desires and
despite a four-year lead time, IBM has beaten Apple to the market that the IIGS
is perfect for.  I hope Apple finds the results truly embarassing."

Just food for thought.  I admit that the past few months haven't been the
brightest in the GS's history, but there's still a lot of potential there IF
ONLY, IF ONLY Apple would see it.

Rob
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Robert C. Knauerhase                                                      |
|   knauer@cs.uiuc.edu                   | U of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign|
|   rck@ces.cwru.edu,knauer@cwru.bitnet  | Case Western Reserve University |
|   knauer@scivax.lerc.nasa.gov          | NASA Lewis Research Center      |
+----------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
|   "Computers are different from telephones.  Computers do not ring."     |
|                    -- A. Tanenbaum, "Computer Networks", p. 32           |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+