Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ll-xn!nike!lll-crg!lll-lcc!well!kdd From: kdd@well.UUCP (Keith David Doyle) Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga Subject: Amiga Business Message-ID: <1965@well.UUCP> Date: Tue, 21-Oct-86 22:18:03 EDT Article-I.D.: well.1965 Posted: Tue Oct 21 22:18:03 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 22-Oct-86 22:31:13 EDT Reply-To: kdd@well.UUCP (Keith David Doyle) Organization: Whole Earth Lectronic Link, Sausalito CA Lines: 93 References: [..............] Was at the L.A. local Siggraph meeting last week, (it was on the Amiga) and someone there asked an interesting question of the local Commodore rep. A guy in the audience asked, "Why are you trying to push the Amiga as a business tool, when it is so great in the video and artist marketplace?". The rep's answer was basically a couple of questions which were answered by the original questioner: q: When the Mac first came out, do you think it was a business machine? a: no q: Do you think the Mac is a business machine now? a: yes And he then went on to state that he thought that in time the Amiga would become a business machine too. I think though, he missed a couple of points that the original questioner was groping for. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but if you go into some of the more prestigious PC stores, in particular some of the ex "IBM Business Centers" that are now owned by Nynex or whoever, you will notice that there are a few Macs there among the PCs. In my mind, this is for only one reason: DESKTOP PUBLISHING. And why? Because this is one thing the Mac can do that the PC can't (yet, or is just now getting around to). And, desktop publishing was seen as a potential business opportunity of enough magnitude that everyone didn't want to miss out on it. It was this new application, the one that you couldn't get for PC's, that gave the Mac presence in the business marketplace in my estimation. So, all that has to be done to help the Amiga using this theory, is to push it into a marketplace that does not exist on either the PC or Macintosh. So what is it? Well, let's see.... How about DESKTOP SLIDE PRODUCTION, or uh... uh... DESKTOP VIDEO... yeah! that's the ticket! And there's gotta be more, or a bigger way to say it.... DESKTOP PRESENTATIONS ... naw, not catchy enough... DESKTOP VISUALS ... or maybe a series of products in the BUSINESS VISUAL marketplace.... Where's my product name generator program, gotta modify it to generate market niche names.... Gotta get some IMPORTANT business oriented terms in there... Well, at any rate, I guess you get the point. Sure, the Amiga may be accepted as a business machine someday, but one thing that would sure help, is to corner the market in an area where the Amiga is the ONLY machine that can even provide such a service. Whatever that service is, it may not last long, as if it DOES become recognized as important enough, you'll see Apple and IBM and Microsoft and everybody else make sure the machines can do it. Right now, the Amiga has BETTER GRAPHICS with the default configuration, than any machine in it's class (whatever that is, in the under $7000 or something I guess). The fact that it is BUILT IN with the default configuration, means that EVERY SOFTWARE PACKAGE can make use of it without worry that it won't run unless you have certain enhancements (and the sound capability ain't too bad either). If a new product dosen't even make USE of something the Amiga has that the others don't, then why would anyone bother to get an Amiga? Obviously not just to run THAT product. So, maybe, just MAYBE the effort ought to be concentrated on developing the areas where the Amiga can do things that brand-X CAN'T. Especially in business type marketplaces if they can be identified. And remember, there are all kinds of business marketplaces. Mac glommed onto Publishing, but there's Video, Slides, Color Publishing, and probably all kinds of stuff I'm not thinking of right now. So let's get with it. There are a couple of spreadsheets, a couple of word processors, a couple of database managers, HOW MANY DO YOU NEED? Maybe some people think that until you have as many versions of spreadsheets as the PC has, you can't be considered a business machine? GAK! Perhaps a few more obscure applications, such as financial, medical, legal, etc. BUT, you can get that with the PC with perhaps a few more options, so why not work on a feature or two you won't get with a PC? That's enough to get it the kind of press it needs and to wriggle it's way into the PC Product Centers. Until you see it there, it ain't a business machine in my estimation (not that I really even care, I just want to see it succeed and I'm BORED with this AT in my office that I'm typing on right now, the Amiga's at home). Enough,... More pep talk from: Keith Doyle # {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd # cadovax!keithd@ucla-locus.arpa