Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cti1!greg
From: greg@cti1.UUCP (Greg Fabian)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: New Macintosh Strategy
Summary: Is Apple really more competitive with its new Macs?
Keywords: Macintosh
Message-ID: <306@cti1.UUCP>
Date: 29 Oct 90 14:34:20 GMT
Distribution: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Organization: Comprehensive Technologies Int., Arlington VA
Lines: 64


     I was leafing through the Washington Post Business section
this Monday morning before work when I came across an ad for an
Apple computer store.  They have the new Macintoshes for sale with
prices and options listed.  I can buy a Macintosh Plus with a Sony
40 MB hard disk and 1 MB RAM for $998.  This price includes a
keyboard and mouse.

     Just above the Mac Plus ad is the new Mac Classic.  I can
pick-up one of these babies for $1399.  It has 2.5 MB RAM and an
Apple 40 MB hard disk and also includes the keyboard and mouse.
Assuming that I can upgrade the Mac Plus memory for $100/meg, I
could boost the Plus to the Classic level for a total cost of $1199
(with 3 megs RAM) and pay $200 less than the Classic.

     Granted, the Classic has an Apple hard disk and the Plus a
Sony, but is there any real advantage to one over the other?? 
Isn't the new Classic supposed to be more affordable than the
Plus??  From what I can see, I get slicker looking plastic with the
Classic, but the guts inside seem to operate the same.

     Take the Mac II lc.  This looks like a potentially crippled
machine.  There is no memory/paging chip in it, so when the new
System 7.0 comes out, this machine won't be able to use virtual
memory management.  And the new Mac II si.  If I want to use a
Newbus expansion board, I have to buy a board that plugs into the 
processor slot for about $250 so I can then plug a Newbus board into
the machine.  

     They say that Apple is trying to become more price competitive
with ISA PC prices.  Of course that will never happen because the
Mac is still a closed box - sure you can buy expansion boards and
memory, and other stuff from other manufacturers, but the BIOS and
ROMs are all Apple and they will never open those up.  I can stroll
down to the local computer store and buy a store brand 386/25 with
4 MB RAM, 80 MB hard disk and a 14" VGA plus monitor for $2500 and
it will blow the doors of the Mac II lc/si and come in at a cheaper
price.

     Don't get me wrong.  I like the Mac.  It's software is great
and novice users can get up to speed quickly on the machine because
you only have to learn to use the applications and not the computer
(on an MS DOS box you have to learn the applications and MS DOS). 
It never ceases to amaze me, however, that Mac software is well
designed from an ergonomic view but the physical design of the box
itself sucks - you can look at a non-adjustable 9" screen for only
so long before your eyes feel like they're about to roll out of
their sockets.  They didn't change that with the Classic.

     I've always regarded Apple as a somewhat greedy company.  This
new marketing tack seems to make Apple more price competitive (if
you are looking at IBM, Compaq, and other expensive PC
manufacturers), but I am not convinced.  Is everyone else?
     

-- 
Greg Fabian

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