Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!mimsy!oddjob!gargoyle!ihnp4!meccts!meccsd!prw From: prw@meccsd.MECC.MN.ORG (Paul R. Wenker) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: Scully at The Boston Computer Society Message-ID: <801@meccsd.MECC.MN.ORG> Date: Fri, 16-Oct-87 16:37:59 EDT Article-I.D.: meccsd.801 Posted: Fri Oct 16 16:37:59 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 18-Oct-87 06:24:51 EDT References: <1644@dasys1.UUCP> Reply-To: prw@meccsd.UUCP (Paul R. Wenker) Organization: Minn. Educ. Comp. Corp. Lines: 91 Keywords: Pertinent Questions In article <1644@dasys1.UUCP> patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring) writes: > - Why has Apple consistently put most of its resources into > MacIntosh development, marketing and support, and so little > into the Apple II? Several years ago (back when Apple expected the Apple II line disappear), their resources were put mainly towards their new machine, the Macintosh. Recently, Apple has admitted that the Apple II line will be around for a while and their marketing, etc. has been much more balanced. Considering the higher profits they receive from Mac products, you can hardly blame them. > - Why has Apple been so slow to update Apple's products > (especially Appleworks) with the advanced features so > prevalent on IBM word processors, data bases and > spreadsheets? Apple is not in the application software business. They make hardware and the system software to support it. The only reason they dabble in the application software business is to promote their hardware. > - Will Apple continue to artificially overprice products by: > - dropping dealers who sell at a discount, > - opposing mail orders, One of Apple's largest concerns is dealer support. Discount computer dealers generally don't provide any support. Ditto for the mail order houses. > - and fighting Apple-clones? If somebody was selling an exact copy of something you made, wouldn't you be a little angry too? Apple is just protecting it's legal rights. > Why are new products for the Apple II usually introduced > well after similar Mac products are introduced? The Apple II line is aimed at the education and home markets so they need to keep prices down. State of the art technology is too expensive for the market the are catering to. Once the technology is proven and costs have come down, it has a better profit potential for the lower end of the market. > When can we expect the following types of products for the > Apple II: > - good CD ROM drives with massive storage (e.g. 600+ > megabytes)? > - high resolution digital monitors? > - Hypercard? > - 32-bit CPU? > - 25 hertz speed? > - Multiprocessing? > - Mac-like graphic interface faster than the ProDos 16 > snail? > - local area networks? > - IBM compatibility/transportability? > - Mac compatibility/transportabilty? Who ever wrote this just wants a 25 Mhz Mac II for one tenth the price. > - Is the rumor true that Apple is actively preventing > improvements to the IIGS that would make it more competitive > in the business world? Specifically, is it true that Apple > tried to kill Applied Engineering 6 hz. accelerator chip? > Is it true that Apple has discouraged developers from > developing business software that could compete with the > Mac? Just like it says, rumors. > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > I am sure other readers have similar questions. When we've > tried to address these concerns in the past, Apple referred > inquiries to local dealers. The dealers, of course, knew > nothing! > Something is severely screwed up with Apple when one can buy > an IBM clone that is 8 times as fast and has a 40 megabyte > hard disk, floppy, and monitor for less than the cost of an > Apple 20 megabyte hard by itself! Only when users unite, > and register their complaints with APPLE CUPERTINO > directly, can we expect to get answers! If you don't like it, then why don't you buy an IBM? Can you imagine what IBM would say if you went to them with similar concerns? -Paul R. Wenker ihnp4!meccts!prw -MECC