Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!udel!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!jm7e+ From: jm7e+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jeremy G. Mereness) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Re: New Macs (was:Re: surprise for apple II) Message-ID: Date: 15 Oct 90 18:15:10 GMT References: , <7814@darkstar.ucsc.edu> Distribution: comp Organization: Computing Systems, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 45 In-Reply-To: <7814@darkstar.ucsc.edu> Well, I just took at look at these new Macs, or atleast the si and the lc. Neither one are all that special. In fact, in some ways, their damned stupid. The Mac LC, the cheap-color thing that's supposed to get the //e emulation board, is basically a $2500 Mac // without NuBus slots. It also has no math-coprocessor, something that some vendor-code takes for granted. That's a lose. The price does not cover a monitor, which will run you another $600+. 2 megs RAM and a 40 meg drive are thrown in for free, but I'm not sure about a keyboard. The one slot is a Processor Direct to the machine's 020.... there are no cards that will fit it right now. The Mac //si is intended for the Low-end Unix workstation market. It comes with an 80 meg drive and 5 megs RAM. The price is $4600 (monochrome). There is one slot, and the math-coprocessor is an option. To get A/UX, you shell out another $800-1000, and another $300 for Apple's X-windows. No word on a mouse with more than one button. With only a 20 MHz 68030, the //si is a lose for a workstation. And once you add in the cost of A/UX and a mega-pixel monitor (the little monitors just won't do for X-windows), your cost is horrendous. I am aware that this is supposed to fit in with the '386-Unix crowd, but why bother when a Sparc is so cheap? or better yet, buy a NeXT? The point of this article? Well, there are so many Macs now that I have lost track of them, and Apple's marketing seems pretty brain-dead all over. They seriously lost stock with the //fx ($10,000) and they aren't being too smart about things now, either. A low cost color Mac // is needed, but not stripped of basics like slots and math-chips. And the //si is just too much trouble for too little. All this time, sweat, and effort could have been spent doing better things, like a new Apple //. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |Jeremy Mereness | Support | Ye Olde Disclaimer: | |jm7e+@andrew.cmu.edu (internet) | Free | The above represent my| |a700jm7e@cmccvb (Vax... bitnet) | Software| opinions, alone. | |staff/student@Carnegie Mellon U.| | Ya Gotta Love It. | -----------------------------------------------------------------------