Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!vsi1!apple!keith From: keith@Apple.COM (Keith Rollin) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: Apple VS IBM Message-ID: <25073@apple.Apple.COM> Date: 31 Jan 89 17:56:01 GMT References: <8901270656.AA01616@crash.cts.com> <6258@boulder.Colorado.EDU> Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA Lines: 93 In article <6258@boulder.Colorado.EDU> hassell@tramp.Colorado.EDU (Christopher Hassell) writes: >Just to note this question from an also-Apple-addict. I don't think >Big Red is listening. It is an obese corporate ape now. There appears to >be very little refinement and "vision" >left there. > >There is very little left anywhere, from what I can see. > >There would appear to be not much creativity in the market these days that >isn't overblown and near-useless or very-OVERPRICED. > >Apple's ideas about what a computer could be and it's versitility were NOT >taken up by IBM, they were slowed down. After this only some wild graphics >techniques using up new processor speed made it and has left apple what it >is today. I certainly beleive that we may yet see again a "newcomer" >if a wild new approach to technology comes upon us once more. > >But until then... ...we'll just have to use the "new industry standard" >or make and furnish our own, I think. Christopher, It is obvious that you are upset; that is clear. It is also obvious that a number of people on this net are upset. However, I am trying to figure out why. There are a couple of reasons that have become fairly common to most people: 1) that the Apple II isn't as powerful as some people would like, and 2) that they are too expensive. The first problem is due to the fact that the Apple II is based on the 6502 family. Trying to make this more powerful while maintaining compatibility is very difficult. True, there are faster processors for the Apple IIGS. Until Apple can get one of these built into the box, there are always third parties with upgrade boards. The second problem has to do with the fact that the Apple II never really had competition in the way that the IBM PC did with clones. Because of the ubiquitous clone market, parts and chips have come down drastically in price, making those computers simple and cheap to manufacture. Nothing like that has happened on the Apple II, so we don't have the cheap parts that other computer makers do. So much for the general analysis. Back to some of the comments I've seen lately. One of the problems with having a large installed base of computers is that it is very difficult to please *ALL* of the users. This is especially true with an audience like this one, made up mostly of CS students and computer companies, all of them high-powered users. With such diversity in the world, you get comments like: "I bought an Apple II because it was easy to program" vs. "Where is all the 3rd party software? I can't do anything without it!" "I bought an Apple IIGS because it was easy to approach. I like it's grahics interface." vs. "What happened to the good old days? The Apple IIG is getting way too complicated." The same thing happens on comp.sys.mac: "What ever happened to Apple's innovativeness?" vs. "It's amazing that Apple could come out with things like a Color QuickDraw Toolbox and MultiFinder, and maintain compatibility with 90% of the existing 3rd party software!" So, we try to do what we can: please as many people as we can. Given feedback that we recieve here, from other electronic services, from our Customer Support phone lines, and from our letters, I think that we do that very well. As always, when I try to answer the question: "Why isn't Apple as great as *I* think it should be?", I leave you with this challenge: put your talents where your mouth is. Apple is always looking for good people with good ideas. There are a lot of you out there who obviously think that you can do a better job. Thats good! The world needs people like you! And if you joined Apple, you would be able to show the world just what you can do. Already, there is someone on this net who should be broadcasting from Apple.COM very soon (Oh, please, oh,please!). When he does so, he will not only be helping out Apple, but he will also be able to see all of the new things we are working on in response to your suggestions. Just don't indulge in the saying: "Why doesn't somebody (except me) do something?" In your last sentence, you threaten to take the matter into your own hands and doing some creative stuff of your own. Well...what's stopping you? I'd love to see what you can do. Apple got famous off of the efforts of early luminaries like the authors of VisiCalc, AppleWriter, Raster Blaster, Flight Simulator, all of the graphics adventuers, DBMaster, and more! They didn't work for Apple. They did what they did because they looked around and said "What this world needs is a...". And they did it. Keith Rollin --- Apple Computer, Inc. --- Developer Technical Support INTERNET: keith@apple.com UUCP: {decwrl, hoptoad, nsc, sun, amdahl}!apple!keith "You can do what you want to me, but leave my computer alone!"