Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!watdragon!watsol.waterloo.edu!scfsiu
From: scfsiu@watsol.waterloo.edu (Steven C. F. Siu)
Subject: A3000UX info in newest BYTE
Message-ID: <1990Nov26.161956.7275@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Owner of Many System Processes)
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 90 16:19:56 GMT
Lines: 43


In the 'First Impression' section of the newest BYTE (the one that features
Computer Graphics; probably December '90 but might be November '90) there is
a one-page article on the A3000UX.  (According to the article it is essentially
an A3000/25-100 with 8 meg RAM (I wonder how that is divided into chip/fast 
RAM) and SVR4.  There is a choice of the 'standard Amiga color monitor' (I
assume it is the multisync) or the high-resolution monochrome monitor.

The most exciting bit of information is the price: 'approximately $4000'.
According to the posted list of educational price (effective Sept. 1) in this
newsgroup, the A3000/25-100 system (w/5 meg ram, multisync, AmigaVision) has
a list price of $5798 and an educational discount price of $3899.  Now how
can you add 3 meg RAM and SVR4 (and subtract AmigaVision??) to get $4000???


My observation:

BYTE and companies like Commodore, Sun, NeXT, Apple try to co-operate so that
articles on new machines come out at about the same time as the machines'
public debut.  But there is still no sign of a A3000UX public debut.  A
previous post by Ethan Solomita (about how everyone can be a developer and
get an A3000UX system for $4999) hinted (in a quote from a Commodore official)
that the A3000UX will be debuted in an EDUCOM(sp) event (which Ethan told me
is around next February).  There seems to be something wrong in the timing
between BYTE and Commodore.

My guess:  The BYTE article is about one of the 'Virginia Tech' machines and
is not 'Commodore-sanctioned'.  The ~$4000 price then is naturally the
educational discount price.  Even then it is a good price when compared to the
$3899 price.  That means Commodore is not going to milk us on SVR4.
(I read that the several third-party UNIX on the IBM-PC costs on the order of
$1000, and I have this mortal fear that SVR4 is going to be similarly
expensive.  Especially since Commodore absolutely positively refused to give
the slightest hint of an approximate cost.  That fear is enough to make me
look at NeXT seriously.  Now my fear is relieved.  But I still don't understand
Commodore's policy.)

On the other hand, maybe Commodore is getting really agressive and the $4000
is really the list price (magazine articles usually give list price only).
Maybe that is Commodore's answer to NeXT.


Steven