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From: bmug@garnet.berkeley.edu (BMUG)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Jonathan (Macintosh Clone for somewhat more than $1000!)
Message-ID: <23524@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 24 Apr 89 17:33:41 GMT
References: <530@umiami.miami.edu> <7423@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <42494260.17b76@puffin.engin.umich.edu> <28404@apple.Apple.COM> <1996@wpi.wpi.edu>
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In article <1996@wpi.wpi.edu> tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) writes:
(stuff deleted)
>
>And to think, Apple could still make a more than reasonable profit selling the
>chips to manufacturers, and liscensing out software (I imagine that the cost
>vs profit ratio would be even better). Just look at what this process did to
>IBM & Microsoft - they are now, effectively, the biggest PC oriented companies
>in the world. 
>

Apple can make "more than reasonable" (i.e., BIG) profits licensing their
OS and hardware to clonemakers, and they can (and do) make BIG profits 
doing it all themselves.

The advantage to Apple for the latter course is that they retain control
of their entire system (why do you think they're working on a new
QuickDraw?  Because it'll allow them to move away from Adobe, the only
substantial software not invented at Apple that they depend on), can
freeze out anybody that tries to clone their stuff, and allows them
to set standards for Mac software and hardware innovations.

Of course, how good this situation is for the general user (or the
specialized user, for that matter) is directly proportional to
the brains, creativity, responsiveness, R&D dollars, commitment,
and numerous other variables residing on the Apple campus...

John Heckendorn
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