Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!natinst!davoli From: davoli@natinst.com (Russell Davoli) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: The Fate of the Macintosh Message-ID: <21160@natinst.natinst.com> Date: 25 Mar 91 16:36:25 GMT References: <1991Mar22.154811.8691@rucs2.sunlab.cs.runet.edu> Organization: National Instruments, Austin, TX Lines: 46 In article , melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger) writes: > > In article <1991Mar22.154811.8691@rucs2.sunlab.cs.runet.edu> rdeal@rucs2.sunlab.cs.runet.edu (Butch Deal) writes: > > It is more than a symbolic gesture, an LC is far cheaper than a big blue > windows speed not deamon. When the new mac 68040's are released then > the 68020 machines will go down even more as well as the 68030's > > When Apple's 040 machine with Ethernet is released, a lot of Mac > owners are going to come to their senses and realize how much of a > deal the NeXT is. > Nice to see you're back an uptight as ever Mike! :-) I think you do have a point about the pricing/(pefomance-features) of the Mac versus the NeXT. $10K is a lot to spend for a Mac that has most of the features of the Nextstation at around $5K (these are retail, not edu. discount I believe, but everyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.) The thing that really hurts NeXT IMHO is what Apple has been fighting for years - the suits running purchasing departments throughout corporate America. Generally all they can keep in mind is "DOS", "IBM", and "386". NeXT doesn't fit in there. Also, another problem I see with NeXT is they're non-standard implementation of the NuBus. Like it or not, Apple's style is the de facto standard for the 10 MHz bus, and I don't think that NeXT adheres to the NuBus '90 specs for the 20 MHz bus either. This makes it esp. hard for people making hardware expansions boards for the Mac to justify switching over to the limited NeXT market. Maybe if NeXT can hang on and pick up a little market share, then things will change. Basically, I'm very skeptical that NeXT will be the next big mover and shaker of the computer industry, despite their cool machines. Even though they've started off with a vastly more powerful computer than the original Macintosh, the NeXT doesn't seem to capture the imagination like the early Macintoshes did, which I think in large part contributed to their survival by creating scores of fanatics. Nowadays, most people look at the NeXT and see an imcompatible Mac-like thing, not something to crusade about. Before you hit 'f' and start heaving nepalm bombs, please note that I'm not an apologist for Apple. There just has to be a way for them to build more powerful machines for the prices they charge now, or sell their current crop for less. --Russell