Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!ucla-cs!ucla-ma!pico!barry
From: barry@pico.math.ucla.edu (Barry Merriman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Publicizing NeXT
Message-ID: <1991May10.003154.5601@math.ucla.edu>
Date: 10 May 91 00:31:54 GMT
References: <91124.215239IO92395@MAINE.BITNET>
Sender: news@math.ucla.edu
Organization: UCLA Dept. of Math, UCLA Inst. for Fusion and Plasma Research
Lines: 59

In article <91124.215239IO92395@MAINE.BITNET> IO92395@MAINE.BITNET (T.C.A.Venkatesan) writes:
>Organization: University of Maine System
>Date: Saturday, 4 May 1991 21:18:48 EDT
>From: T.C.A.Venkatesan <IO92395@MAINE.BITNET>
>Message-ID: <91124.211848IO92395@MAINE.BITNET>
>Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
>Subject: Publicizing NeXT
>
>Hi,

>I think a similar thing can be done by NeXT as a great promotion campaign. They
>may not want to lease NeXTs to students, but they could lease them to
>Universities for faculty to use and to the industry, for an year or so. 

>So what do you think guys?
>

Nah, I don't think so. I'm all for it if NeXT wanted to do it,
but I don't think they could make any money on it.

(1) Their factory only has a 100,000 machine/yr capacity, so
    that puts an upper bound on how much of this they could do,
    unless they were making money off the leases.

(2) If they were making money off the leases, the leasing 
    fees for 1 year would be near the price of the NeXT anyway
    (Academic). Bear in mind you need to lease the systems
    mostly as standalone, and so you need a Slab, 300MB drive,
    and a laser printer. You aren't gonna lease that kind of stuff
    for just $100/mo! Leasing entire networks would be too big
    a hassle for places that weren't committed to NeXT sys admin.

(3) In a ``demo-lease'' mode, you can't expect the users
    to load up on NeXT software, since the NeXT may dissapear
    in a year. Thus NeXT would have to either bundle a lot
    of extra software (3rd party apps) that users would want,
    or leave the users stranded with useless machines
    (for someone who wants WordPerfect, that is). That wouldn't
    make them real popular.


No, I think its too much hassle. Apple can get away with it, as their 
machines are cheaper (to build), and people will have access to software
through more (illegal) channels.

I think if a faculty is interested in a NeXT, they should just 
cough up the $5000 it takes to get a good standalone system.
If they have any knid of equipment grants at all, that would be
no big deal. Even if they used their own money it wouldn't
be that bad.




--
Barry Merriman
UCLA Dept. of Math
UCLA Inst. for Fusion and Plasma Research
barry@math.ucla.edu (Internet)