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From: das@well.UUCP (David Shayer)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Apple SCSI HD20
Message-ID: <1791@well.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 16-Sep-86 01:32:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: well.1791
Posted: Tue Sep 16 01:32:02 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 16-Sep-86 18:56:31 EDT
References: <491@randvax.UUCP> <154@apple.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Whole Earth Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
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I was fortunate enough to be at Apple today, as they announced their new
Apple IIGS machine.  Along with it, but with little fanfare, they announced
the HD20 SCSI.  I don't know the price, sorry, but I've seen it, it
looks pretty much the same.  I couldn't get an estimate of its speed,
the place was just too crowded to get my hands on a machine.

Sorry I actually have little information on the HD20 SCSI except that
it does exist, but I can now talk about my hidden agenda, the Apple IIGS.
Thus:  What the hell does Apple think its doing?  I've seen the machine,
and its neat.  It can run all 10,000 old Apple II programs.  It also
has a ROM with Mac-like routines, and it can run Mac-like programs.
Note: It cannot run Mac programs, it doesn't have a 68000 or an emulator.
Developers must re-code theor programs to use the new ROM calls.
It has graphics that can keep up with the Atari, and I must admit,
since it has half the vertical pixel count of an Atari 1040ST, I don't
see how it produces color pictures that look better.  But it does.

But on to the main point.  Price and performance.  The Apple IIGS costs
$995, plus monitor and disk, which is $1600-$1900 list.  Okay, so
maybe its $1400 at a discount.  But the Atari costs $1000, complete.
The Apple IIGS runs at 3 MEGAHERTZ!  Thats slower than an IBM PC.
My Bicycle can go faster than that.  It comes with 256K, expandable
to 8 meg.  How can Apple sell a computer with one third the speed and
one quarter the memory of an Atari 1040ST for 150% of the price?
Is there some vital point I have missed?

Final Comment:  The new keyboard on the Apple IIGS is slated to be
put on all Macs next year.  It is Platinum (Apple's new colors this year,
as John Dvorak says, it looks like grey to me), it is lower (thinner)
than the Mac keyboard, and looks a little flimsier.  It does have a control
key, along with an option key, and a combined cloverleaf (command) and
appple key.  I didn't get a chance to type on one, so I don't know if it
feels good or not.

This is really the final comment:  Infoworld, an always reliable source
(cough cough) said that developers have prototypes of the new Macs, and they
have 68020's, slots, a space for a math coprocessor chip, and some kind
of memory management in hardware.  Also, the display is on a card in
one of the slots, thus you could put in any kind of display you want.

David Shayer, WELL
well!das