Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!aplcen!samsung!think!ames!lll-winken!arisia!sgi!shinobu!odin!odin.corp.sgi.com!portuesi From: portuesi@tweezers.esd.sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Amiga vs. low cost Mac (was Re: Xerox sues Apple) Message-ID: Date: 20 Dec 89 10:06:53 GMT References: <196@modcomp.UUCP> <5339@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU> <129465@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> Sender: news@odin.SGI.COM Reply-To: portuesi@sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mtn. View, CA Lines: 60 In-reply-to: cmcmanis@stpeter.Sun.COM's message of 20 Dec 89 02:02:52 GMT >>>>> On 20 Dec 89 02:02:52 GMT, cmcmanis@stpeter.Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) said: chuck> it seems that Apple is really taking it chuck> on the chin because of two conditions : chuck> 1) Their low end (< $2000) is taking it on the chin because they chuck> don't have anything except the SE holding them up and it's losing chuck> to the PC clones. chuck> 2) Their bread and butter is their low end. chuck> This does give people like Commodore an opportunity to steal some market chuck> share from Apple by offering more features for less money and a better chuck> system overall. From the latest issue of "Computer Currents," a Bay Area computer magazine: Cheap Mac Still A Year Away It's no secret that Apple wants to introduce a low-cost Mac, but journalists and insiders are still clamoring to get dates and specifications for the new machine. CMP Publications' _Macintosh_News_ thinks it's got a handle on a few new facts. The weekly trade magazine reports that there won't be a Macintosh below $1500 until early 1991 and quotes sources as saying that Apple engineers are finding it difficult to put the system software on ROM, believed to be the major cause for delay. The machine is also expected to have an 8 MHz 68000 microprocessor, one megabyte of memory, and a 1.4 MB SuperDrive. The magazine also adds that the low-cost system will sport one expansion slot, two Apple Desktop Bus ports, a sound port, SCSI port, external drive sport, and built-in AppleTalk capability. At the same time, two other Macintoshes are expected to be unveiled, including a color version of the SE. Apple Computer's Vice President Don Casey recently told analysts in Boston that Apple would be adding a lower cost computer to its line but he would not disclose dates. "Without pinning down dates it's clearly in Apple's interest to develop products at both ends of the spectrum," he was quoted as saying. ------ So, the question is not if Apple is going to put out a low-cost Mac, but when. Commodore has a real chance to get a jump on Apple in the low end market, but only if it acts REAL quickly. Could someone post an address for us to write cards and letters to Harry and Irving, so that we can help Commodore along? --M -- __ \/ Michael Portuesi Silicon Graphics Computer Systems, Inc. portuesi@SGI.COM Entry Systems Division -- Engineering