Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!crackers!m2c!umvlsi!umaecs!daly
From: daly@ecs.umass.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Northgate's Troubles
Message-ID: <11624.27585ccb@ecs.umass.edu>
Date: 2 Dec 90 01:45:47 GMT
References: <11951@sybase.sybase.com>
Lines: 25

In article <11951@sybase.sybase.com>, forrest@sybase.com writes:
> As an happy owner of some Northgate stuff I'm sorry to see them
> in dire straights. Maybe this is partially caused by all the money
> they wasted on excessive advertising. Have you ever noticed how
> many needless pages of advertising they've purchased over the years.
> I've been cleaning out a bunch of old Infoworlds and I'd say that
> each one has over 10 pages of ads from Northgate alone. What a waste
> of money!!
> 

I'd also say it was because of their high prices.  While I was shopping around
for a 33MHz system, I investigated Northgate's prices, and found them to be
on the expensive side.  For the system I looked at, Gateway 2000's price was
almost $900 less than what is advertised for Northgate's system.  ($3400 vs.
$4300) (To be fair, though, I happened to call Gateway on the day they were 
offering some sort of unadvertised special, which reduced their normal price by
about $300).  

While Northgate is known to produce good systems, I found the price difference
too great to make them a serious consideration.  Perhaps other people were
thinking the same thing.  I do agree with you about their advertising, though.
They have pages and pages in PC Magazine, BYTE, and Computer Shopper also.

Bryon Daly
daly@ecs.UMass.edu