Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!pasteur!helios.ee.lbl.gov!ncis.tis.llnl.gov!blackbird!udecc!udcps3!vanleeuw
From: vanleeuw@udcps3.cps.udayton.edu (James Van Leeuwen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Atari's Quarterly Results ($5.4 Million Lost) :)
Summary: Rebuttle to pro-Atari comments...
Message-ID: <1990Feb5.174022.17129@udcps3.cps.udayton.edu>
Date: 5 Feb 90 17:40:22 GMT
References: <1990Jan7.084927.19588@csusac.csus.edu> <1929@laura.UUCP> <485d8c5b.14a1f@force.UUCP> <34112@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender: vanleeuw@udcps3.cps.udayton.edu (James Van Leeuwen)
Reply-To: vanleeuw@udcps3.cps.udayton.edu (James Van Leeuwen)
Organization: The University of Dayton Computer Science Department, Dayton, Ohio
Lines: 39

In article <34112@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> kawakami@earthquake.Berkeley.EDU (John Kawakami) writes:
>In article <485d8c5b.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) writes:
>>
>>well, once again Atari Corp has shown how much it cares about the
>>USA market by releasing its new products overseas first. I really wonder
>>just how committed Atari corp is to the USa market anyway??
>
>1.  I didn't know there was a sea between the USA and Canada.
>2.  I think Atari ships to other countries first because Atari diddles
>    too long figuring out how to market the machines here.  The Atari
>    has a serious identity crisis.
>2a. I don't think shipping to other countries is such a bad thing, especially
>    if the dollar is weak elswhere.

Well, here's my two cents worth.  First of all, I have worked for one of the
nation's largest ST dealers for about 9 months now, so I have a little
perspective on the issue.  One of the major reasons that equipment seems to get
overseas faster than it arrives here is a little organization called the 
FCC.  Not only is the process for approval slow, it gives any company an
excuse for not releasing products on time.  

I agree entirely that shipping overseas is a good idea, but I think that
Atari has taken it a little too far.  In their attempts to expand their
overseas market, Atari has forgotten about the US market completely. 
Not only is Atari at fault in this category, many of the third party software
developers are guilty as well.  Ever seen an American version of Turbo 
C/Pascal from Borland? 

I also don't feel that delays in the introduction of products to the US market
are due to marketing.  Atari does little (read almost nothing) in marketing
in the US.  It relies heavily on the major dealers to sell the product for
them.  This alone causes many problems, particularly when the dealers know as
little about the products as the consumers.  The dealers would probably be
willing to pass on information to consumers if it were only available.  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Van Leeuwen                                 vanleeuw@udcps3.cps.udayton.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------