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From: mckenzie@elaine5.stanford.edu (David McKenzie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Some questions to APPLE
Message-ID: <1990Nov15.182253.5628@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 15 Nov 90 18:22:53 GMT
References: <1990Nov15.044137.13223@cs.uoregon.edu>
Sender: news@portia.Stanford.EDU (USENET News System)
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In article <1990Nov15.044137.13223@cs.uoregon.edu> mings@comix.cs.uoregon.edu (Ming Yau So) writes:
>Did any of you out there have ever think of asking APPLE the following
>questions ?
>
>   2. From the recent Mac vs NeXT war, we know that NeXT sells their '030
>      and '040 workstation at about $3,000 to $4,000 (educational price),
>      and this price already include a MegaPixel monitor, keyboard, mouse,
>      HD, FDHD, bundled software, and _PostScript_.  So why do APPLE still
>      sells the IIci cpu at about $4,000 and the IIfx cpu at about $6,000
>      (with educational discount) ?  Remember that these prices does not
>      include monitor, keyboard, bundled software except HyperCard), and
>      PostScript; and given that the NeXTs has higher performance than the
>      IIci and IIfx.
>      So, APPLE, what's your pricing policy/scheme ?
>
I have nothing to do with Apple (except as a semi-satisfied customer -
c'mon guys, get a real repair policy; I don't need a $340 analog board
just because my $30 flyback transformer is dead), but this one isn't hard
to answer. Steve Jobs is offering bargain prices on the new NeXTs because
he is desperately trying to save his company from going under - he only
sold a few Cubes (I think I saw 7,000 mentioned here), and if he doesn't
sell a lot more machines than that soon he will a) fail to break into
the market in a serious way, and b) probably go bankrupt soon (or at least
have to dig very deep into his own or his backers' pockets to keep going).
Apple is operating under no such constraints. Sure, they're not going to
take over the PC market any time soon, but they sell an awful lot of Macs
and Laserwriters, and will probably sell many many Classics. (Does anyone
have any sales numbers?) They (and NeXT) are in business to make as much
money as possible, not to provide the customer with a great deal. NeXT is
only offering low prices now because they need to build market share so
that they can make more money later. I am glad that NeXT is doing this -
if they start to make progress it may have a salutary effect on Apple's
prices.

David McKenzie
mckenzie@portia.stanford.edu