Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site looking.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!looking!brad From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: PCs, ATs, DOS, Intel chips etc./ Reasons for unhappiness? Message-ID: <567@looking.UUCP> Date: Fri, 6-Jun-86 11:14:28 EDT Article-I.D.: looking.567 Posted: Fri Jun 6 11:14:28 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 7-Jun-86 06:36:37 EDT References: <563@imsvax.UUCP> <3921@sun.uucp> Reply-To: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 31 Summary: In article <3921@sun.uucp> larryl@sun.UUCP writes: > >His first point is that the price of 16bit workstations would have remained >around the $10 000 range. I don't beleive that this is strictly true. >There are always companies like Apple who will reduce hardware to the >minimum to reduce price. Try again. Apple is a high margin company, not a price cutter. There is little difference in the hardware of the Atari ST and the MAC, but observe the price differences. >There is the 68008 with an 8bit bus to reduce >costs, etc. The price may not have come down quite as quickly, but I think >that today we would still have the Apple MacIntoshes, Atari STs, and >Commodore Amigas at about the same price that they are today. IBM's price has come down largely due to competition. IBM's open architecture and third party OS allowed cheap clones. AT Clones (I am posting from one running a very nice Unix) are now available for $1450! (US$) The Mac has a proprietary OS and Rom, and the Atari ST is too cheap to make money cloning. Only the combination of high cost and non-proprietary hardware/software created the highly competitive PC compatible market that drove the price down. > >(the 386) is recognized as a stop-gap measure until the 486 You are the first person I have heard this from. You want my prediction, the 386 will take over the world. -- Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473