Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!m.cs.uiuc.edu!gillies
From: gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: NeXT behind schedule?
Message-ID: <61300038@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 9 Nov 90 21:10:00 GMT
References: <2431@opus.cs.mcgill.ca>
Lines: 13
Nf-ID: #R:opus.cs.mcgill.ca:2431:m.cs.uiuc.edu:61300038:000:621
Nf-From: m.cs.uiuc.edu!gillies    Nov  9 15:10:00 1990


If machines ship on Nov 19th, then it's only a 60-day pre-announce.
It would take me at least 60 days to make up my mind to buy such a
beast.  I still need to spend some time using a public NeXT box at
this university before i am convinced to plunk down the $3500 price.
$3500 for a device not used is $3500 wasted.

Furthermore, this university hasn't even organized its student sales /
support operation, so even if machines were ready Sept 15, they
probably couldn't have been sold until this month anyway.

Sixty days is not a large lead time -- 9-12 months (IBM's practice
with some mainframes) IS a large lead time.