Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!caromero
From: caromero@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (C. Antonio Romero)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: ST Future
Message-ID: <8163@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 5 May 89 17:59:15 GMT
References: <408@carroll1.UUCP>
Reply-To: caromero@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (C. Antonio Romero)
Organization: Princeton University, NJ
Lines: 29

In article <408@carroll1.UUCP> dnewton@carroll1.UUCP (Dave Newton) writes:
)In article <23888@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> you write:
)>In article <602@greens.UUCP> allegro@sunpix.UUCP ( SunNCAA) writes:
)>> atari will soon drop the ST line in favor of a 'GAME MACHINE'!
)>Yeah, what is this game machine?!?!  Atari won't drop the ST line.  
)From what I've heard, they ARE dropping the ST line, but NOT the Mega.

Isn't this splitting hairs a bit?  If they do introduce the
Mega 1 that we've been hearing rumors about, the only important change
there is in packaging (and maybe in ROM version).  Sounds like they're
just settling on a uniform machine rather than dropping the ST line
altogether.  This would probably cut manufacturing costs without
changing anything really important or orphaning the ST itself.

)The game machine will be a basic ST without the keyboard (but maybe as
)an option?) with the same old stuff on it and a dedicated ROM port for
)games.  This system is intended to compete with the new 16-bit video games
)being put out by Sega and Nintendo and one other company I can't remember.

Sounds like a reasonable business move to me... 

One thing I'm surprised no one's brought up yet:  
Has it occurred to anyone else that the (rumored) STacey plus a Spectre
GCR (if it's not too clumsy to be portable) would solve the portable
Macintosh problem at an incredible price, and drive Atari sales through
the roof (if the supply of Mac ROMs doesn't dry up)?  Maybe this is
part of Atari's motivation in moving to a portable machine... 

-Antonio Romero      romero@confidence.princeton.edu