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From: billkatt@sol.engin.umich.edu (billkatt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac pricing and the future of the Mac
Message-ID: <42206779.a590@mag.engin.umich.edu>
Date: 20 Mar 89 01:30:00 GMT
References: <12101@reed.UUCP> <864@tasis.utas.oz>
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Reply-To: billkatt@caen.engin.umich.edu (billkatt)
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In article <864@tasis.utas.oz> ben@tasis.utas.oz (Ben Lian) writes:
>In article <12101@reed.UUCP> wab@reed.UUCP (Bill Baker) writes:
>>
>>In article <919@fornax.UUCP> mcdonald@fornax.UUCP (Ken Mcdonald) writes:
[Complaints about Apple's pricing and their upgrade program (Which is still
better than IBM's deleted]
>>>now, I can have full confidence that Apple will try to price any future
>>>upgrades completely out of my price range."  Not very confidence-inspiring.
>
>[Rest of diatribe deleted.]
>
>Too right!  Whether or not Apple and Scully really think this way about
>marketing the Mac line, this is the impression I get too.  Now here's
>my strategy:  I'm going to get rid of the Mac Plus while I still can get
>some money for it, take a loan out to acquire a IIcx (and humouring Apple
>one last time), then toss out the IIcx for a NeXT when the software for
>it matures in about 1 to 1-1/2 years' time.  I'll bet you that NeXT has
>really got Apple worried, eh?  Just as commercial companies aim to
>maximise the profit of the shareholders, you should aim to maximise what
>you get out of the good money you pay for a PC.  To heck with allegiances
>if another company produces a better machine, and there is good software
>for it as well.
>
>BTW, I don't know if NeXT is going to be able to hold their pricing on
>their machine.  The $6,500 announced for their base configuration is
>almost too good to be true.
>
What would you be content with?  There is always something better.  As for
a company making a better machine, the NeXT isn't it.  Besides, there is no
software for it.

Here at the University of Michigan, we have 5 or 6 NeXT's just in the
department I work in.  We have a quasi-full time staff member just keeping them
working (they crash all the time), and we have put them out in labs for
students to putter around with because there is no productive work we can do
with them.  The software isn't there, and there are no manuals to look at so
you can write some.  No one here has found the machine so amazing that they
just couldn't resist trying to write software for it.

As for NeXT holding their price, I'm not sure they will
hold together.  RIGHT NOW, you can get a DECStation 3100 (brand new), which
is based on the MIPS R2000 RISC chip.  It runs Ultrix (bsd 4.3 UNIX), and
X Windows.  I.E., it is available right now, and there is a load of software
available for it right now.  X Windows is a STANDARD, so there is much software
for it, unlike NeXTStep which is buggy and has no software written for it.
It runs 10-14 VAX MIPS, the NeXT runs 5 MIPS (and it seems like 2, after
display PostScript is done soaking up processor).  Best of all, we get them
for $6500 with monochrome monitors (15") and 380 meg drives.  The speed is
incredible, the graphics are great (especially on the COLOR machine we have),
software is available, and the price is right.  I don't see how NeXT can
compete with the DECStation 3100.  The only advantage the NeXT has is its
sound chip, and the DECStation is an overwhelming winner in all other ways.

I just don't see how so many people can be duped with the newest media darling,
when what they have does everything they want.  As for Apple being scared, I
don't think the NeXT keeps them awake at night.

+----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
| Steve Bollinger      | Internet: billkatt@caen.engin.umich.edu            |
| 4297 Sulgrave Dr.    +------+---------------------------------------------+
| Swartz Creek, Mi. 48473     | "My employer doesn't take my opinion any    |
+-----------------------------+  more seriously than you do."               |
| "You remember the IIe, it   +---------------------------------------------+
| was the machine Apple made before they decided people didn't need         |
| machines with big screens, color, or slots."                              |
|                                 - Harry Anderson (from NBC's Night Court) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+