Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!iuvax!bsu-cs!mithomas
From: mithomas@bsu-cs.UUCP (Michael Thomas Niehaus)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Laserwriter sales to students
Message-ID: <6270@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Date: 22 Mar 89 05:34:01 GMT
References: <9028@netnews.upenn.edu> <1052@Portia.Stanford.EDU> <27679@apple.Apple.COM>
Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, Indiana
Lines: 48

In article <27679@apple.Apple.COM>, mjohnson@Apple.COM (Mark B. Johnson) writes:
> In article <1052@Portia.Stanford.EDU> ameet@Portia.UUCP (Ameet Bhansali) writes:
> >
> >At Stanford too, students are *not* eligible for LaserWriter NT(X)s.
> >It is not clear why this is so.  If it's Apple's policy, I would like to
> >know the justification behind this.
> >
> This isn't an official Apple viewpoint, but when I was at Notre Dame I
> understood that the reason students could no longer purchase LaserWriters
> after the first year or so when they were available is that too many
> students were buying them for their parents and their businesses...not exactly
> proper use of the consortium pricing and something which really upsets
> local dealers...
> 
> 
> Mark B. Johnson                                            AppleLink: mjohnson
> Developer Technical Support                         domain: mjohnson@Apple.com
> Apple Computer, Inc.         UUCP:  {amdahl,decwrl,sun,unisoft}!apple!mjohnson

I have heard several different stories, and I find the one that Mark spelled
out above to be the most believable.  Here is a list of the others that I have
heard (none of these are official either):

1.  The consortium prices on a LaserWriter IINT and IINTX are actually less
    than the cost to produce the printers, since they have much memory,
    Postscript licensing, etc.  The IISC, on the other hand, does not require
    memory or Postscript licensing, and Apple at least breaks even selling this
    printer at consortium prices.  It's fine to lose money on a university
    account when you can make it up on computers and peripherals, but students
    don't have the same lasting (money-spending) relationship.
2.  Dealers want to have some item that they sell exclusively to draw (rich)
    student Mac buyers into their stores.  If Apple sold every product that
    they made through the consortium, the dealers would have nothing unique to
    offer.  [Personally, I think that the person who told me this one should 
    be shot :-)]

Just out of curiosity, how much is the LaserWriter IISC to IINT upgrade running
right now?  You could buy a IISC from Apple at a reduced price, and then find
a dealer that is selling the upgrade at a good discount...

Of course, Apple rarely admits my existence, so I speak only for myself...

-Michael

-- 
Michael Niehaus        UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!mithomas
Apple Student Rep      ARPA:  mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu
Ball State University  AppleLink: ST0374 (from UUCP: st0374@applelink.apple.com)