Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ukma!rutgers!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: I thought Amiga is Amiga and IBM is IBM (was Re: Next Amiga)
Message-ID: <4987@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 13 Oct 88 18:12:59 GMT
References: <722@wsccs.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 45

in article <722@wsccs.UUCP>, dharvey@wsccs.UUCP (David Harvey) says:
> Summary: Result of Informal survey (IBM Compatibility?)

> What I would REALLY LIKE TO HEAR is a reponse from Commodore as to how many 
> of there bridgeboards they have sold.  And that is the bottom line.  

Last I heard, in rough numbers, for every two A2000s sold, they are selling more
than one 1 BridgeCard.  I haven't heard any hard numbers, but I do know that the
demand for the thing far outpaced the capability to make them.

> At a recent meeting of the Amiga Roundtable (our local Amiga users group), one 
> member even heckled a representative for Word Perfect, and that is a Utah 
> company folks!

Obviously dealing with a high class group here.

> Therefore, I propose the following.  Write to Commodore and tell them
> whether you personally plan to ever purchase the bridgeboard (or AT
> successor).  Or if you want, send a yes/no reply to me and I will post
> a summary to the net and mail a response to Commodore.  

It's already been pointed out that the ability to run a BridgeCard in an Amiga
doesn't take anything else away from that Amiga.  And I don't very often see 
folks being led at gunpoint into their local Amiga dealers and being forced to
buy BridgeCards.  But some people ARE buying the BridgeCard.  Some may buy the
A2000 just cause it's capable of running a BridgeCard.  The most often asked
question I get (now that 1.3 is out) is, by FAR, "where's the AT Bridge Card".
So the availablility of this card is a benefit to some, a detriment to none.

So what's your problem?

> Personally, I think they would be best to target the original purchasers of 
> the machine and High Schools as their customers.  

I think they have a number of markets defined, both of these among them.  But
once you've already bought an Amiga, while you certainly need support, and
add-ons, you don't need to be converted.  So one of the tasks of the marketing
folks is to convert those who don't yet have Amigas, and in order to convert
them, you first have to let 'em know it exists.

> dharvey@wsccs
-- 
Dave Haynie  "The 32 Bit Guy"     Commodore-Amiga  "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: D-DAVE H     BIX: hazy
		"I can't relax, 'cause I'm a Boinger!"