Xref: utzoo sci.electronics:2571 comp.sys.atari.st:8475 comp.misc:2136
Path: utzoo!yunexus!gen1!peter
From: peter@gen1.UUCP (Peter CAMILLERI)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,comp.sys.atari.st,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Atari fights back ! (so should you!)
Keywords: ALLOCATIONS
Message-ID: <337@gen1.UUCP>
Date: 22 Mar 88 02:24:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: gen1.337
Posted: Mon Mar 21 21:24:05 1988
References: <1988Mar17.195328.12277@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> <1127@ektools.UUCP>
Reply-To: peter@gen1.UUCP (Peter CAMILLERI)
Organization: gen1 - York University, Petrie Bldg, Downsview, Ontario CANADA
Lines: 56

In article <1127@ektools.UUCP> john@ektools.UUCP (John H. Hall) writes:
>In article <1988Mar17.195328.12277@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> lharris@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Leonard Harris) writes:
>>
>>Sound familiar?  Have you tried to get 256K rams recently.  In toronto, quoted
>>prices (for micron) are $8.00 with 6-8 week delivery.  Places with stock want
>>over $12.00 and usually demand a certified cheque within 2 hours of the order.
>>(we're talking minimum 2K pieces.)  I was paying $2.50 each 1 year ago.
>>Since Japan stopped shipping (note: not dumping) ram to north america, the 
>                                                         ?????????????
>>US manufactures have been gouging the public.  I believe the only US 
>>DRAM manufactures of note are Motorola and Micron Tech. Neither can meet ...
>> ...
>>Wasn't it these same companies that forced congress to stop japanese DRAM 
>>imports saying it would cripple the US high teck markets?  So to "save"
>>these two companies from financial ruin, all technology that uses DRAMs 
>>is being held ransom by the US semiconductor industry.
>> ...
>>Enough said.  Canada is pretty impotent when it comes to things like this so
>>its up to you in the US to put pressure on washington to change things.
>>I hope this happens soon!
>	
>This makes no sense at all to me.  Canada is an independent nation,
>and the US Congress has no authority to impose trade restrictions
>on all of "North America",
>
>
>Don't blame Uncle Sam for this one.
>-- 

Well, lets look at what is ACTUALLY going on here. Not too long ago, several
highly influential corporate and government groups in the U.S. became 
convinced that Japanese semiconductor companies were dumping thier ware,
amung them DRAMs, at below cost. Massive tarrifs were threatened. The 
Japanese government, fearing a terrible trade war, agreed to "recomend"
production and export qoutas to certain countries. Namely, the U.S.,
Canada, and most of Europe. The chip makers given the choice of selling
$2.00 256k drams or $25 1M drams chose to use thier allocation on the
more profitable parts.

And there you have it. Soaring dram prices, shortages, and the U.S.
dictating world wide dram availability. The japanese? well I can almost
here them laughing, all the way to the bank. 

ps. the Europeans were furious! And I don't think they're going to take
it any more, but then they have Siemens, already in production of 256k
and 1M devices. As for us crazy canooks? We're S.O.L. 

pps. T.I. is the "other" US dram vendor, Motorola imports dies from the
"J" country.

I have no affiliation with any company mentioned, I just wish I had
stockpiled 256k drams 6 months ago :-)

-- 
Peter  Camilleri         UUCP:       ...!mnetor!yunexus!gen1!peter
                                       ...utzoo!/