Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!philip
From: philip@utstat.uucp (Philip McDunnough)
Subject: Re: Software rehash was: (Re: Egghead Drops Apple II)
Message-ID: <1991May20.160905.8818@utstat.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Statistics
References: <745@generic.UUCP> <1991May19.164402.12684@agate.berkeley.edu> <15983@darkstar.ucsc.edu>
Date: Mon, 20 May 1991 16:09:05 GMT

In article <15983@darkstar.ucsc.edu> unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) writes:

[quotes re old text based AppleII versions of Leasure Suit Larry...]

>	It's hard to believe none of the rest of you are worried that Egghead
>dropped the Apple II... it's awful news..

Don't fool yourself, I'm sure many people are worried. And if not, they 
should be. Probably the greatest impact computers will have over the next
few years will be in the home, disguised as entertainment/educational/
bit of work devices integrated with the family TV/VCR/etc... This is quite
a logical place for Apple to direct the GS. It is what is happening in
Japan( not Apple directing anything) and last week I was invited to Canada's
debut of Commodore's CDTV( this took place at our main museum) which is
sort of an A500 powered by a CD-ROM(+ graphics) device but looks like your
usual CD Audio( which it plays) unit. It's black, has various computer
ports in the back, S-VHS, NTSC, Midi, infra red control units( mouse, 
keyboard,etc..). There is a broad range of interesting software ranging
from educational to games to encyclopedias, and of course it can run any of
the Amiga 500 software. Similar units( not Commodore) exist in Japan from
a variety of companies and they are rather popular. People are no longer
content with your run of the mill computer games.
 
The current trend is to replace AppleII()'s in schools by either Mac's(
usually the Classic, as the LC is too expensive by today's standards) or
PC's.

The GS, which costs roughly the same as an LC, simply has no natural "home".

It has a terrible price/performance ratio at this point. What you are 
seeing is Apple's quite admirable support for existing customers but that's
it. Others see this. We have a nice computer with the GS and all the tools
to turn out some interesting software for our own use. But don't look for
too much shrink wrapped software, unless Apple were to somehow come out
with a GS based entertainment unit aimed squarely at the home(and this
seems most unlikely).

In any case, it's kind of fun owning niche computers( in my case a NeXT and 
a GS). The mainstream ones aren't a whole lot of fun, unless you enjoy
using Lotus1-2-3, Excel, PageMaker,etc...

Philip McDunnough
University of Toronto
philip@utstat.utoronto.ca
[my opinions,...]