kdd@well.UUCP (Keith David Doyle) (10/22/86)
References:
[..............]
Was at the L.A. local Siggraph meeting last week, (it was on the Amiga)
and someone there asked an interesting question of the local Commodore
rep. A guy in the audience asked, "Why are you trying to push the Amiga
as a business tool, when it is so great in the video and artist marketplace?".
The rep's answer was basically a couple of questions which were answered
by the original questioner:
q: When the Mac first came out, do you think it was a business machine?
a: no
q: Do you think the Mac is a business machine now?
a: yes
And he then went on to state that he thought that in time the Amiga would
become a business machine too.
I think though, he missed a couple of points that the original questioner
was groping for.
I don't know if any of you have noticed, but if you go into some of the more
prestigious PC stores, in particular some of the ex "IBM Business Centers" that
are now owned by Nynex or whoever, you will notice that there are a few Macs
there among the PCs.
In my mind, this is for only one reason: DESKTOP PUBLISHING. And why?
Because this is one thing the Mac can do that the PC can't (yet, or is just
now getting around to). And, desktop publishing was seen as a potential
business opportunity of enough magnitude that everyone didn't want to miss
out on it.
It was this new application, the one that you couldn't get for PC's, that gave
the Mac presence in the business marketplace in my estimation.
So, all that has to be done to help the Amiga using this theory, is to push it
into a marketplace that does not exist on either the PC or Macintosh.
So what is it? Well, let's see.... How about DESKTOP SLIDE PRODUCTION, or
uh... uh... DESKTOP VIDEO... yeah! that's the ticket! And there's gotta be
more, or a bigger way to say it.... DESKTOP PRESENTATIONS ... naw, not
catchy enough... DESKTOP VISUALS ... or maybe a series of products in the
BUSINESS VISUAL marketplace.... Where's my product name generator program,
gotta modify it to generate market niche names.... Gotta get some IMPORTANT
business oriented terms in there...
Well, at any rate, I guess you get the point. Sure, the Amiga may be accepted
as a business machine someday, but one thing that would sure help, is to corner
the market in an area where the Amiga is the ONLY machine that can even provide
such a service.
Whatever that service is, it may not last long, as if it DOES become
recognized as important enough, you'll see Apple and IBM and Microsoft and
everybody else make sure the machines can do it.
Right now, the Amiga has BETTER GRAPHICS with the default configuration,
than any machine in it's class (whatever that is, in the under $7000 or
something I guess). The fact that it is BUILT IN with the default
configuration, means that EVERY SOFTWARE PACKAGE can make use of it
without worry that it won't run unless you have certain enhancements
(and the sound capability ain't too bad either).
If a new product dosen't even make USE of something the Amiga has that
the others don't, then why would anyone bother to get an Amiga? Obviously
not just to run THAT product.
So, maybe, just MAYBE the effort ought to be concentrated on developing
the areas where the Amiga can do things that brand-X CAN'T. Especially
in business type marketplaces if they can be identified. And remember, there
are all kinds of business marketplaces. Mac glommed onto Publishing, but
there's Video, Slides, Color Publishing, and probably all kinds of stuff
I'm not thinking of right now.
So let's get with it. There are a couple of spreadsheets, a couple of
word processors, a couple of database managers, HOW MANY DO YOU NEED?
Maybe some people think that until you have as many versions of spreadsheets
as the PC has, you can't be considered a business machine? GAK! Perhaps
a few more obscure applications, such as financial, medical, legal, etc.
BUT, you can get that with the PC with perhaps a few more options, so
why not work on a feature or two you won't get with a PC? That's enough
to get it the kind of press it needs and to wriggle it's way into the
PC Product Centers. Until you see it there, it ain't a business machine
in my estimation (not that I really even care, I just want to see it succeed
and I'm BORED with this AT in my office that I'm typing on right now, the
Amiga's at home).
Enough,... More pep talk from:
Keith Doyle
# {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd
# cadovax!keithd@ucla-locus.arpavanam@pttesac.UUCP (Marnix van Ammers) (10/22/86)
In article <1965@well.UUCP> kdd@well.UUCP (Keith David Doyle) writes: > >[..............] > >So, maybe, just MAYBE the effort ought to be concentrated on developing >the areas where the Amiga can do things that brand-X CAN'T. Especially You didn't mention multitasking. The Amiga is the only computer in it's price range (that I'm aware off) that has multitasking. I don't think we've taken much advantage of that feature. The Amiga should be capable of receiving and transmitting email in the background. It shouldn't take too much to have my Amiga then be able to accept a voice call from me and read my email to me. I know this part would take a little peripheral equipment, but not that much. -- Marnix A. van\ Ammers Home: (707) 644-9781 Work: (415) 545-8334 {ihnp4|ptsfa}!pttesac!vanam CIS: 70027,70
ed@plx.UUCP (Ed Chaban) (10/23/86)
In article: <1965@well.UUCP> Keith Doyle writes: > In my mind, this is for only one reason: DESKTOP PUBLISHING. And why? > Because this is one thing the Mac can do that the PC can't (yet, or is just > now getting around to). And, desktop publishing was seen as a potential > business opportunity of enough magnitude that everyone didn't want to miss > out on it. > The Mac has *BIG* problems in the Desktop Publishing market since it can't do PORTRAIT MODE without a $2000 monitor designed by Burell Smith > > So what is it? Well, let's see.... How about DESKTOP SLIDE PRODUCTION, or > uh... uh... DESKTOP VIDEO... yeah! that's the ticket! And there's gotta be > more, or a bigger way to say it.... DESKTOP PRESENTATIONS ... naw, not > catchy enough... DESKTOP VISUALS ... or maybe a series of products in the > BUSINESS VISUAL marketplace.... Where's my product name generator program, > gotta modify it to generate market niche names.... Gotta get some IMPORTANT > business oriented terms in there... > Nah, that ain't it. How often do you do presentations? Also, How do you get decent COLOR hardcopy? Even a Mom & Pop business needs Desktop Publishing but only a Fortune 1000 company need "Desktop Video" or whatever. > So, maybe, just MAYBE the effort ought to be concentrated on developing > the areas where the Amiga can do things that brand-X CAN'T. Especially > in business type marketplaces if they can be identified. And remember, there > are all kinds of business marketplaces. Mac glommed onto Publishing, but > there's Video, Slides, Color Publishing, and probably all kinds of stuff > I'm not thinking of right now. > > So let's get with it. There are a couple of spreadsheets, a couple of > word processors, a couple of database managers, HOW MANY DO YOU NEED? You need only one *GOOD* one. So far, the stuff available on AMIGA is SH*T. The Amiga should be able to do PORTRAIT MODE disktop pubishing (simply rotate a standard RGB monitor) THIS is a market. > > Keith Doyle > # {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd > # cadovax!keithd@ucla-locus.arpa The blame for Amiga's failure in the business marketplace must fall squarely on CBM's marketing department. Last I heard, they were trying to sell Amigas to GM or Ford or Chrysler for some industry specific (vertical) application. GEEZ guys! that's a job for an amiga reseller!!!! Ed Chaban (Soon to be a FORMER amiga owner) Plexus Computers Inc. Phone: (408) 943-2226 Net:sun!plx!ed
spencer@well.UUCP (Randal Spencer) (10/25/86)
In article <304@plx.UUCP>, ed@plx.UUCP (Ed Chaban) writes: > > In article: <1965@well.UUCP> Keith Doyle writes: > > > In my mind, this is for only one reason: DESKTOP PUBLISHING. And why? > > Because this is one thing the Mac can do that the PC can't (yet, or is just > > now getting around to). > > The Mac has *BIG* problems in the Desktop Publishing market since it > can't do PORTRAIT MODE without a $2000 monitor designed by Burell Smith > > > > > So what is it? Well, let's see.... How about DESKTOP SLIDE PRODUCTION, > > or uh... uh... DESKTOP VIDEO... yeah! that's the ticket! > > > > Nah, that ain't it. How often do you do presentations? Also, How do you > get decent COLOR hardcopy? Even a Mom & Pop business needs Desktop > Publishing but only a Fortune 1000 company need "Desktop Video" or > whatever. > > > So, maybe, just MAYBE the effort ought to be concentrated on developing > > the areas where the Amiga can do things that brand-X CAN'T. > > The Amiga should be able to do PORTRAIT MODE disktop pubishing (simply > rotate a standard RGB monitor) THIS is a market. > > > > > Keith Doyle > > # {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd > > # cadovax!keithd@ucla-locus.arpa > > Ed Chaban (Soon to be a FORMER amiga owner) > Plexus Computers Inc. > Phone: (408) 943-2226 > Net:sun!plx!ed I don't know that I really see the Amiga being able to shine in the area of desktop publishing just because you can rotate the monitor to get a full 8 1/2 x 11 picture. The ST would be better for this (if you got the b&w monitor.) Even the old 8-bit Epson has a resolution of 640x400. The point of the previous article is that the Amiga has the capability to do something that NO other computer out there can. That is put Amazing pict- ures on a TV tube or video tape. The machine was designed from the beginning (or soon there abouts) to work with NTSC. The GenLock grows out of this thinking. *No* other machine (in standard configuration) has this capability. This means that you can use any software to help you generate videos, not just the ones that work with an NTSC display adapter (if there is such a thing for IBM PC's or Mac's or Epson's (or even ST's)). I bought my Amiga for this advantage, the CLI, the multitasking, and all the other advantages came later. I love them, and would find it hard to live with out them, but what convienced me first was the NTSC compatibility. Something to Chew on Randy Spencer Unemployed DEC/Amiga consultant ============================= still no cute .signature file =============================
hamilton@uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU (10/25/86)
vanam@pttesac says: > In article <1965@well.UUCP> kdd@well.UUCP (Keith David Doyle) writes: > > > >[..............] > > > >So, maybe, just MAYBE the effort ought to be concentrated on developing > >the areas where the Amiga can do things that brand-X CAN'T. Especially > > You didn't mention multitasking. The Amiga is the only computer in > it's price range (that I'm aware off) that has multitasking. I don't > think we've taken much advantage of that feature. The Amiga should > be capable of receiving and transmitting email in the background. > > It shouldn't take too much to have my Amiga then be able to accept > a voice call from me and read my email to me. I know this part would > take a little peripheral equipment, but not that much. i agree that ("true") multi-tasking is important, especially to folks like me who have been banging on Unix systems for years, but i don't think it's going to provide for amiga the foot-in-the-door business-application niche that publishing provided for the mac. the ibm pc (running DOS, that is) doesn't have "real" multi-tasking, but it has enough kludges like sidekick, carousel, and topview/windows to satisfy the typical business user. it won't be easy to convince him he's missing something, or that it's important enough for him to leave the ibm/microsoft/apple cradle. i have a package on my desk right now that allows a pc to transmit and receive e-mail (and files in general) in the background. the mac's desk accessories are almost in the same league. wayne hamilton U of Il and US Army Corps of Engineers CERL UUCP: {ihnp4,pur-ee,convex}!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!hamilton ARPA: hamilton%uiucuxc@a.cs.uiuc.edu USMail: Box 476, Urbana, IL 61801 CSNET: hamilton%uiucuxc@uiuc.csnet Phone: (217)333-8703 CIS: [73047,544] PLink: w hamilton