Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!lll-lcc!qantel!ihnp4!cbatt!neoucom!wtm
From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew)
Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga
Subject: Re: new threat?
Message-ID: <281@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Sep-86 09:15:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: neoucom.281
Posted: Tue Sep 23 09:15:33 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Sep-86 01:02:11 EDT
References: <5394@decwrl.DEC.COM> <24500017@uiucuxe>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 44
Summary: Not a significant threat A different market niche


### Hi line munchie. ###

	At first blush, I feared that the Apple // GS might be the
demise of the Amiga.  In reality, they seem to be aiming at a
different group of, albeit probably more profitable, group of
consumers.

	The GS is really aimed at the big group of Apple ][ users
that are anxious for more power from the Apple, rather than
desiring the features of the Amiga.  The main fix will be *finally*
giving the Apple a decent address space to run modern programming.
It sure has been blinking hard for me to write nice stuff because
of the tiny 64K memory.  The GS will be a relief, especailly since
it has good support from the [ROM] O.S. a-la Amiga and Mac.

	The GS still is not an Amiga, though, as  as far I know
that the updated ProDOS/16 OS that it is going to have does not
support multitasking in the way we are accustomed on the Amiga.
I'd bet that programming for the GS is going to be very MAC-like,
where your own program has to call the OS all the time in order to
keep the system breathing.

	The sound for the GS seems to be the most exciting part of
the machine.  Its sound chip has 15 (I presume) DMA channels for
output.  I don't know if they are real ADCs as in the Amiga.  The
preview I read claimed that the GS also had a built-in audio input,
presumably for digitizing sound.

	I forget the exact numbers, but the GS video display should
be roughly equivalent to the Amiga hi-res noninterlaced display
mode.  The apple, I think, offers more colors.  (The amiga has
enough colors for me, thanks any way.)

	Given that the GS is not a quantum step, I don't think that
it will terribly interest Atari, Amiga, and MAC owners.  The GS is
also relatively expensive for what you get.  (Remember that Apple
discounts aren't very good for consumers.)  For the cost of the
Apple system box, I can buy an entire Amiga or ST.  Also Apple's
attitude is that their computers should be treated more as
appliances, rather than hacking for fun, thus the Amiga still
appeals more to me.

  --Bill