craparotta@ny1mm.DEC (02/11/85)
I read with great SORROW that The WOZ is leaving Apple. It seems that they still don't see the great possibilities of the // line. Especially with the advent of the new 65C816 or 65816 chip which will let the // line do BOTH 8/16 bit by doing double cycles for 16 bit mode(from what I've read).Mr. Scully since his hiring has done really nothing for the // line. Don't tell me about the //C. All that is, is a //e that's portable. Nothing else!! A company as big as Apple has really to my knowledge done anything to help or educate the users after the purchase has been made. Their tech line is ALWAYS busy and when you do get thru they ARE helpful,BUT I always get the same person!!! Is he there alone or what. WOZ'S statement that the // line is ignored is so TRUE. Since Apple's inception it was a tight company. Now that MR. Scully has brought the BIG COMPANY philosiphies Apple has grown up andis very reclusive!!! Try and get some info from them. I can state this as I've been in APPLE land for some 4 years now and have seen this. I'm not saying that getting a Big Company Image is bad, but JEEZ don't FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM!!! That is the ultimate SIN...... Probably the happiest day for Apple owners will be when Mr. Scully LEAVES!!! What they need is a PERSON who doesn't forget where APPLE came from and supports there users with the same LOYALTY as WE have SUPPORTED them!!! I KNOW that APPLE is on the ENET (although they don't let you know!) I don't mean for this to be so negative but feel that it should be said. I also feel that APPLE(Mr. Scully) Should get a little of his own MEDICINE!!!! I long for the days when you could call Apple and get or talk to someone. Get the info you need and say THANKYOU. Not like that STUPID 800 # that had everyone saying thanx. I would imagine to see see some replies so below will be my ENET addr. or if you really think I'm crazy and want to yell at me in person, my fone # will alos(oops) be there. Maybe even APPLE will answer although I doubt it! Wow maybe even Mr. Scully will call. later!!!! Joe Craparotta ENET---CRAPAROTTA::NY1MM or for human to human 718-670-3564 8-5est
dgh@sun.uucp (David Hough) (02/12/85)
The bottom line for this and similar comments that appear regularly here is the following: hackers are not a billion dollar market. Hackers are not important to a billion dollar company except when they create commercial software that helps sell hardware to non-hackers, i.e. ordinary consumers. As far as I know, none of the principal players in the personal business computer market, including Apple and IBM, have anything to brag about in the way of end-user support, particularly for technically demanding end-users. You can't call GM in Detroit and expect to be put through to the engineer who designed your Cadillac, much less your Chevy. If you want that kind of support you deal with a very small custom car builder and pay appropriately. GM will tell you to call the dealer, who will put the salesman back on the line to tell you what a great little car you bought. If you want a technical discussion you can probably talk to the service mechanics for $40 an hour. Steve Jobs has mentioned repeatedly that Apple is now in the toaster appliance business. Believe it. I guess Woz finally did. It just may be that improving the Apple ][ too much would adversely affect Macintosh sales. IBM has these kinds of conflicts all the time. The resolution is as much political as technical. Remember the last executive Sculley hired was a Pepsi guy. David Hough