Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!usc!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!scubed!dan From: dan@s3sol.scubed (Dan Peterka) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware Subject: Re: '040 Mac Message-ID: Date: 28 Sep 90 16:13:14 GMT References: <1990Sep26.181933.239@fog.ann-arbor.mi.us> <1990Sep27.184128.22227@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> Sender: usenet@scubed.SCUBED.COM Organization: /users/csd/dan/.organization Lines: 44 In-reply-to: dan@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu's message of 27 Sep 90 18:41:28 GMT In article <1990Sep27.184128.22227@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> dan@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Dan Schwarz) writes: My guesses: (NOT based on any advanced info; this is pure speculation...) The '040 Mac will not be introduced for at least one year. Apple's got to get things straightened out with their System 7.0 first, and there are a lot more projects which need to be tackled before the '040 can be rolled out successfully. The '040 Mac will come in some modified version of the Mac II case; it'll be a complete redesign of the case most likely, but with similar dimensions. Why? For the same reason that Honda doesn't put a V-8 in a compact car. If you're spending the bucks on the performance of an '040, chances are you will be using it for some major power applications... often these applications will require many slots. Also there is a problem with product differentiation. With only a few exceptions, Apple has put its most powerful CPUs in chassis with more slots. As ethernet connections, DSP cards, and other devices become more common, the need for slots among power users will increase. I'd like to disagree with this assessment. I think it would be a big mistake for Apple to ignore the NeXT and come out with an expensive, large chassis '040 Mac. I think that one effect of the new NeXT machines (I don't own one, but they look damn good at this point), is that Apple runs the risk of losing a good portion of it's high-end user base. These users are the most capable of abandoning ship for another platform simply because they are more adaptable than the average user. They also tend to be the leading edge users, so where they go, others follow. Carrying the above analogy even further... If Mitsubishi puts a V-8 in an inexpensive compact car, Honda had better follow suit or face erosion of market share - assuming consumers want V-8's in compact cars (this may not be the case for compact cars, but I think it is with computers). -- _________________________________________________________________________ Dan Peterka S-CUBED 3398 Carmel Mtn Rd. dan@scubed.scubed.com (619) 587-8338 San Diego, CA 92121 _________________________________________________________________________