hsu@cvl.UUCP (Dave Hsu) (05/02/85)
Having just babbled with somebody who claimed to have friends at Atari, I now hear a rumor that Atari's absence from the summer CES is caused by two things...one: they feel that the XE and ST series machines have been sufficiently announced and two: having no other new products to show (I wonder about this. Have all the new periphs been shown?) it would be pointless to rehash the obvious. Anybody else heard this? Also, a computer dealer he talked with (Atlanta, GA) claims ST's will be shipped to the store THIS WEEK. Clearly, Atlanta is some distance from Canada. Anybody else talked with their (surviving) Atari dealers? What's going on? When can I lay my hands on one? Hmm hmm hmm? waiting patiently, -dave
vr0z05@unido.UUCP (05/05/85)
In Germany at the Hannover Fair J. Tramiel announced that ATARI will do some seperate exihibition in parallel to the CES. Don't know whether this is true or only a rumor. Uwe Hoch Computer Science Department University of Dortmund 4600 Dortmund 50 P.O. Box 500500 West Germany
kek@mgweed.UUCP (Kit Kimes) (05/07/85)
I just got the May issue of Computer Entertainer, a newsletter the reviews software (mainly games) and hardware. They keep pretty close tabs on the happenings in the industry. Their feeling clearly parallels my own. No company can afford to miss the Summer CES if they want to sell big orders to retailers for the comming Christmas season. Although they didn't mention that ATARI would have a private showing at some hotel room, they did mention that this is getting more popular. For instance, the list of software manufacturers NOT at the summer CES is as long as those that will be there. CBS Software has just cancelled their booth and others are contemplating doing the same. They estimate is costs anywhere from $250,000 to $750,000 to have a booth at summer CES if you have a decent size booth, including transportation, staffing, set-up, hotels, etc. The bottom line is money and ATARI can ill afford to throw away a half a million bucks. They just had another lay-off according to Computer Entertainer and reportedly employees are grumbling because the latest paycheck has a pay cut of anywhere from 5 to 20 %, without any fore- warning! ATARI has had trouble getting distributors to commit to big orders for the ST line and software vendors are not exactly jumping on the slow moving bandwagon. In fact, SIERRA is one of the only ones to be actively developing some software at the present time. Kit Kimes AT&T Consumer Products Montgomery Works Montgomery, Il. 60538-0305 ..!ihnp4!mgweed!kek
calway@ecsvax.UUCP (James Calloway) (05/10/85)
x
As you've probably heard by now, Atari made a last-minute decision to
attend the COMDEX in Atlanta. And as several people on the net have
speculated, Atari will work out of a hotel suite in Chicago while the
Consumer Electronics Show is in progress. They now say they will sell the
520ST through computer dealers ONLY, and not through mass market outlets.
This is a reversal of a position they stated less than two weeks ago.
The 520ST ships in the U.S. on July 8. It will sell in a package
with hi-res monochrome monitor and single-sided 3 1/2 inch disk drive
(500K unformatted, 360K formatted) for $799. Computer alone will be
$499 later on.
The Wall Street Journal reported today (May 9) that the machine is about
to ship in Europe, and Atari Canada still says they will ship it by the
end of the month. In the U.S., selected users groups will get a
chance to buy it before July.
--
James Calloway
The News and Observer
Box 191
Raleigh, N.C. 27602
(919) 829-4570
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