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From: gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: New Macs
Message-ID: <8400061@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 23 Jan 89 07:29:00 GMT
References: <1378@trotter.usma.edu>
Lines: 45
Nf-ID: #R:trotter.usma.edu:1378:m.cs.uiuc.edu:8400061:000:1999
Nf-From: m.cs.uiuc.edu!gillies    Jan 23 01:29:00 1989


/* joe@trotter.usma.edu in m.cs.uiuc.edu:comp.sys.mac Writes */
/* ---------- "New Macs" ---------- */
>I've been anxiously awaiting the resurgence of the innovative Apple that I
>once knew and loved, and all I get is a Mac SE with a 68030.  That's not
>innovation!  That's repackaging what they already make!

I disagree.  Besides the Mac II, Apple has *seldom* made great jumps
in their hardware design.  Here are some of the jumps from the past:

Device		Innovation (I'm not positive about all these)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mac128
Mac512K		+ more memory
Mac512KE	+ 800K floppies, SCSI port
Mac+		+ more RAM/PRAM
MacSE		+ better keyset/mouse, mini-Din connectors, 2* SCSI speed
MacII		+ nubus, color monitor, 68020, stereo sound
MacIIx		+ 1.44M floppies, 68030
MacSEx(/030)	+ ?


When the MacSE/II were introduced, things were obviously broken.  The
Mac+ keyboard & mouse were inferior.  Any color work had to be done on
a PC.  Fancy peripherals had to connected via the klugey SCSI port
(face it, the port is mainly for disks).

Apple was saving its tail.  Since Apple is not threatened with
extinction, why change things now?  What is wrong with the current
macs?  They have good mice, keyboards, screens.  They still have 1-3
years of before their memory address spaces will be exhausted (unlike
the PC-AT!)  The sound synthesis is adequate, and the architecture is
open.  The too-small floppy-disk problem is now fixed.  A 2-floppy
system is still possible.

Now there are two breeds of macintosh: The II-type, and the SE/+-type.
Don't expect to see an innovation with EVERY new introduction.  Expect
to see innovation whenever a PAIR of (SE,II) machines is introduced.
My theory is that the SE/030 was 3 months late, and was delayed
while they went ahead and announced the IIx to thwart Steve Jobs.

Apple's innovations are mainly in the software, not in the hardware.
Let's wait & see what's in System 7.0.

Don Gillies {uiucdcs!gillies} U of Illinois