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From: chucks@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Erik Funkenbusch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: Revised Amiga line
Message-ID: <4778@orbit.cts.com>
Date: 2 May 91 06:45:03 GMT
Sender: news@orbit.cts.com
Organization: People-Net [pnet51], Minneapolis, MN.
Lines: 66

peterk@cbmger.UUCP (Peter Kittel GERMANY) writes:
>In article <1991Apr29.165747.10393@sbcs.sunysb.edu> dtiberio@eeserv1.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) writes:
>>In article <4702@orbit.cts.com> chucks@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Erik Funkenbusch) writes:
>>
>>>1) An EXTREMELY low cost 500.  this would be a totally re-designed 500
>>>motherboard with ECS, NO Zorro expansion, built-in scsi, and a Pizza box
>
>Hmm, you want to *add* things: SCSI, separated keyboard. How on earth
>do you think that will make it *cheaper*???

Peter, (i hope you don't mind my getting on a first name basis, if so, please
tell me) i said add scsi, but take away expansion.  i didn't say the keyboard
needed to be detatchable, as obosed to just being on a cord.  it could be set
up so that it was difficult to dis-connect the keyboard.  thus reducing the
chance that people would remove the keyboard while the system was on.  the
expensive parts of a removable keyboard over a non-removable are that they
must have safeguard circuitry in case the keyboard is removed with the power
on.  if this were made much more difficult, the circuitry need not be there. 
i also said, in my original post that adding SCSI WOULD increase the cost but
i felt the net cost reduction from removing the expansion would make it
cheaper.

>
>>  All A500 expansion can also be done via CPU sockets.
>
>Yes, but always only *one* such device at a time. To use different ones,
>you won't open your Amiga everytime and change processor adaptor PCBs?

I don't even think the 68000 should be socketed.  it should be surface mounted
or soldered like the 3000's.  I am a firm beleiver that an entry level system
should be as cheap as possible, and if you need more, buy a new system.  that
may sound unfeasable to alot of people, but look.  Ibm's and Mac's and such
can sell more machines by forcing people to continually buy new motherbards,
or new models when their needs change, therefore they can make more profit,
make and design newer more fantastic machines, ADVERTISE, and such.  Amiga's
on the otherhand.. people buy a 500 and hold onto it for 5 years, and never
buy a new system.  therefore commodore cannot make any more money off of them,
only third party people who sell the expansions.  I would bet the the number
of actually USED machines is closer to the total number of Amiga's sold, which
would put it at about the same size of user base.  because apple sells 6
million macs, they forget to tell you that 4 million of them were uprades to
previously sold 2 million users.  get the picture?  i'm not saying this is the
case, but it's probably closer to reality than 6 million mac users with 6
million macs.


>
>>  IDE controllers seem to be a lot cheaper (I have seen them for $40 on 
>>clones).
>
>Perhaps. But when talking low price, you'll have to decide, SCSI *or*
>IDE, not both. They aren't free!
>
>-- 
>Best regards, Dr. Peter Kittel  // E-Mail to  \\  Only my personal opinions... 
>Commodore Frankfurt, Germany  \X/ {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!cbmger!peterk

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