Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!pro-sol.cts.COM!andyn
From: andyn@pro-sol.cts.COM (Andy Nicholas)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: re:IIgs case redesign
Message-ID: <8808291037.AA02419@crash.cts.com>
Date: 29 Aug 88 05:41:13 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: pnet01!pro-sol!andyn@nosc.mil
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 90


re: IIgs Plus case design

( keep in mind that this entire commentary thing is driven to get Apple to
  change the IIgs's case in an upcoming machine, not get people lined up
  to buy them.  First things first. :-)

>    Andy, I know what you are thinking when you talk about your ideas with
> the new GS, but believe it or not Apple is not in the developing stage of
> there new computer, they are more like in their testing stages.

This is not an idea that takes much thought to execute.  The design for a new
case can be done in an afternoon.  This is not an idea which takes a
committee months of preparation to decide on.  Anyone with a little
imagination can design the extra space for the case.  It's not that hard.
Besides, why do you think I'm mentioning it *NOW*, and not 2 years down the
road after the new machine is already out.  Then I'd be assured of disaster.

>    Apple is not going to go out and pay money to have the molding of their
> cases changed to accomodate a HD, at least not for the $500 or so you think
> it will cost.  figure it out, Apple won't make that much money
> on it.

Who says apple "has to go out and get the molding changed" -- why do you think
apple has employees?  What do you think they do all day, sleep? (popular
notion, but very untrue)  I never said "it would cost apple $500 to have the
case changed" -- they won't have to "CHANGE" anything, they just have to do
it right for the next machine in the IIgs family.  I would hope that apple
would only charge *US* $500 for an upgrade. (sans hard drive)

Apple won't make money on it?  What do you think they design new machines for?
The fun of it?  Apple is in the business to make MONEY, and this would allow
them to make more of it.  If you assume selling 500,000 upgrades, and each
upgrade NETS apple a profit of $100, then they have made $50,000,000.  Then,
if you assume that apple might sell 100,000 hard drives (1/10 of the market..)
and they make $100 net profit off of each of those devices, they have made
a nice tidy sum of $10,000,000 on hard drive sales.  And let me tell you,
they net more than $100 per sale.  Apple make money?  You better believe it.

>    First of all it would cost way too much.  You figure the GS alone goes
> for $700 at the least right now, but with the HD and SCSI built in plus an
> extra charge to cover their losses on the re-designing of the case you are
> looking at, at least $1500 bucks just for the IIgs, case, mouse, HD, and
> SCSI, then there will be a charge on the keyboard ($100 or more) so you are
> looking at, at least $2300 which is very high.. 

First off, I think that there wouldn't be *ANY* loss in redesigning the case
because if you introduce it with a new machine ANYWAY, what's there to lose?

Second, who said you *HAVE* to buy a hard drive with the machine?  Does your
local Apple dealer point a gun at your head and say "BUY THIS!" when you visit
them?  If they do, I'd switch stores. :-)

I would assume that apple would keep the same relative pricing structure for
the IIgs as for a new machine.  But, that's a marketing decision, not
engineering, which is most of what I'm talking about.  If you're talking
about getting a whole new system, sure the price would be fairly steep, but
for those people who already have IIgs systems, they would (presumably) only
have to pay a $500, or so, fee to upgrade.. and viola!  new system.  (Believe
it or not, you can use the same disk drives, monitor, keyboard and mouse..
and it won't kill you).  If apple doesn't offer an upgrade, then you can stick
to your machine, I'll sell mine and get a IIgs Plus!

>   I would tend to think that all the GS users would not buy it unless you
> could trade in your GS to get it which Apple won't do cause then they
> couldn't do anything with them and they would lose out!

Gee, you're not very up on what apple has been doing for the last 10 years.
Apple has offered an upgrade from every major computer system to another
with the exception of the Mac II and Mac SE.  What does apple do with the
systems that are traded in?  Who cares?  You spent your money on them already!
And if apple gets you to upgrade, they get their second pint of blood, and
you should be happy because apple has showered this new machine on you...

Apple could care less about the old parts in the older machines that get
traded in.  What they care about is getting more money out of *YOU*.  Great
incentive for apple to offer an upgrade, eh?

> P.S.- Hey Andy, it is a great idea but it useless unless you just make a
>       whole different computer!

What do you think the IIgs Plus is all about?  This is the point I've trying
to make.  We're getting a new machine.  Let's all try to get apple to make it
a *GREAT* one.


Andy Nicholas

ARPA: crash!pnet01!pro-sol!andyn@nosc.MIL
INET: andyn@pro-sol.CTS.COM
College: nicholaA@moravian.EDU