Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!keith
From: keith@Apple.COM (Keith Rollin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Jean-Louis Gasee on the outs?
Message-ID: <38716@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 18 Feb 90 05:18:58 GMT
References: <947@mtk.UUCP>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 44

In article <947@mtk.UUCP> marmar@mtk.UUCP (Mark Martino) writes:
>I read the PC Week article about JLG leaving Apple.  Is this true?
>If this is true, can we expect Apple to redirect its marketing efforts somewhat?
>Can we expect this new direction to be in pricing? Dare we think, could there
>be, reasonable, (translated, much lower) prices?  

Mark,

I don't think that anyone should be listening to rumors about JLG's leaving. As
I type this, JLG is still President of Apple Products, and no one has made any
announcements concerning his future. All that's really happened is that he and
the Scull-man have been talking about what he'll be doing in the future. Just
as Sculley and Spindler probably talked about Spindler's coming to Cupertino
to become COO. You see, it doesn't have to be bad.

Also, I'm not sure that pointing the finder at JLG for high prices, 90-day
warranties, etc. is the right thing to do. As President of Apple Products JLG 
simply directs the creation of new products; I don't know that he has much to 
do with pricing or support issues. It seems to me that that would fall under 
the aegis of the President of Apple USA, who used to be Loren.

>Would Apple actually stoop
>to selling machines that have the hardware firepower (which is often the only
>thing people compare) similar to 286/386/486 clones at competive prices?
>Would they finally realize that an easy to use machine is worth 20%
>more, not 60% more than a clone?
>
>...or does this portend nothing at all?

I saw an interesting demo the other day. Someone took a 33MHz Compaq 386 and
a 16MHz Mac IIx. They set up Excel on both of them, and installed the same
macros on both of them, and ran them both at the same time and timed them. The
results: what took the 33MHz Compaq 47 seconds to do, the 16MHz Mac IIx was 
able to do in 34 seconds.

Soooooo, if you want a cheap 286/386/486 clone from us, I suggest buying a
8Mhz MacPlus, and tearing the ROMs out.

-- 
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Keith Rollin  ---  Apple Computer, Inc.  ---  Developer Technical Support
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"Argue for your Apple, and sure enough, it's yours" - Keith Rollin, Contusions