Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!letni!mic!convex!ewright
From: ewright@convex.com (Edward V. Wright)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: The New Macs: Greedy Compromises?
Message-ID: <109822@convex.convex.com>
Date: 4 Dec 90 17:33:20 GMT
References: <1990Nov30.205419.14100@grape.ecs.clarkson.edu> <109755@convex.convex.com> <1990Dec4.092217.26859@cs.ucla.edu>
Sender: news@convex.com
Organization: Convex Computer Corporation; Richardson, TX
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In article <1990Dec4.092217.26859@cs.ucla.edu> lange@lanai.cs.ucla.edu (Trent Lange) writes:

>This is the second time in as many days that this little bit of misinformation
>has been spread, so it's time to correct it.
>
>- *All* NeXT machines come with floppies.

Funny, I have a brochure for the original NeXT cube -- still being sold
at discount prices -- right in front of me and the only removeable media
it mentions is the optical disk.

>As for all those other "nasty choices" (color and whether to get an
>optical), the average user doesn't have to worry about them.  The
>NeXTDimension color is a production-quality 32-bit board, coprocessor,
>and monitor system that is priced accordingly.  

So NeXT eliminates those nasty choices by making them so expensive no
one can afford them, huh?  Well, at $20 million a pop, the average user
doesn't have to worry about buying a Cray, either.  I'm sorry you feel
Apple is offering the users too many choices.  Some people *like* having
this flexibility.  Yesterday, I had to make the choice of whether to
continue using the 8-bit internal video on my Mac IIsi or buy a 24-bit
RasterOps graphics board for $399.

>The fact of the matter is that NeXT has stuck pretty well to its
>guns on the issue of keeping the lowest common denominator at
>a high level.  All pieces of software written for the NeXT can
>count on having a floating-point processor, at least 8 megs of
>RAM, a DSP chip, unix, protected virtual memory, display postscript,
>ethernet, and a screen with at least 1120x832 resolution.
>So can NeXT users.  Software that can count on using more advanced
>features can take more liberties and therefore do more things.

There is nothing stopping you from writing a program that will only
run on a Mac IIfx.  But doing that will limit your market to the small
number of users who can afford a IIfx.  Similiarly, writing for the
NeXT limits you to writing for users who can afford a NeXT.  The NeXT
station defines the *highest* possible denominator in computing; there
is (unfortunately) no such thing as a low-end NeXT. 

>Apple used to be that way too.  Even the old 128K Macs came loaded
>with more features than most of its competing IBM systems could shake
>a stick at.  And they have *slowly* raised the common denominator since.

And losing market share as a result because fewer and fewer users could
afford a Mac.  It was becoming to expensive even for the Fortune 500.

>a few dollars more here and there could have made a big difference in
>consistency and lessening consumer confusion (e.g. raising the price of
>the LC by $25 to pay for the added VRAM needed to support the 13" color
>monitor fully).

First of all, I don't think VRAM chips are quite that cheap, but I could
be wrong on that.  While we're at it, though, why not add another $25 worth
of hardware to support sound input in stereo?  And since we've done that,
another $50 for 16-bit CD-quality sound.  Changing the data bus to 32 bits
surely wouldn't cost more than $100.  Neither would adding an FPU.  Of course,
we want to use the 68030 to support virtual memory.  Adding a second slot
probably wouldn't be that expensive.  And since we've already raised the
price by several hundred dollars, a few hundred more would buy us 24-bit
video.... You can always add features to any product, but you've got to
stop somewhere.