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From: tsouth@pro-pac.cts.com (System Administrator)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Words of Wisdom
Message-ID: <8902261257.AA23279@crash.cts.com>
Date: 26 Feb 89 00:43:28 GMT
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In the latest issue of Compute magazine, March 1989, the "COMPUTE specific"
section mentioned a number of things that I think should be voiced in this
forum.  Trying to walk the thin line, since there was no phone number
available for the editor staff, I want to state a few excerpts from this
section, written by Gregg Keizer, which should be quite interesting to the
net, and specifically to the Apple Inc. employees who regularly read the
info-apple.

In Gregg's section, "Has Apple Lost?", he takes an interesting look at the
seeming downfall of Apple in losing the educational software market.

        "Numbers, so they say, don't lie.  Ands the numbers from the
Software Publisher's Association (SPA) don't look good for the Apple II."

He goes on to provide substance to this argument:

        "...software sales from the first three quarters of 1988 showed
the Apple II losing ground on all fronts.  Compared to the same period
in 1987, total sales of Apple II software were down nearly 6 percent."

Now, this may not seem like much, but to you and I (and Apple) it should
forewarn against a trend that is likely to keep up.  Further more, Gregg
describes how almost every bit of the lost revenues are going directly to
MS-DOS sales.  During the periods mentioned, Apple II sales were down
approximately 6.8 percent, while MS-DOS sales were up 6.4 percent.  And,
as noted, one of the major reasons that parents purchase Apple II's for
their kids is that they are able to use them as they do at school.  With
a trend towards MS-DOS, the home market could well be turning away from
Apple II sales if there is no school incentive.

Gregg wraps up his article with a foreboding tone:

        "So does the Apple II line have a full future?  It has to be a
tossup if the downhill trend continues.  What could Apple do to turn back
the tide?  Drop its computer prices, especially the overpriced IIgs. 
When educators and parents are forced with the hard economic choice
between _one_ IIgs or _two_ MS-DOS machines, it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to predict the decision most people will make."

As for my own comments, I sincerely feel that Apple should take a look
at just what they are doing to the IIgs market with this price increases.
The single fact that Mac prices, in some areas have gone back down, but
_no_ Apple II prices have even been mentioned for reduction is making
educators highly biased, in my opinion, towards the low cost MS-DOS
markets.  We can preach quality, software base, and support all we want,
but this matters little when most lower, middle, and high school CS
departments are looking at the cold hard facts of budgeting.

Todd South

P.S.    For those of you that do not regularly read Compute magazine
        I recommend that you pick up the March 1989 issue, as it
        really provides a bounty of Apple information as compared to
        previous issues' average information towards the Apple II.

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