jmg@cernvax.UUCP (jmg) (11/08/85)
This open letter is NOT concerned with whether the 520ST is better or worse than the amiga: I feel that both are very interesting machines which might either flop or sell a lot. It IS concerned with that nasty subject of END-USER PRICE, in particular for those of us who live in Europe. As an indicator of the problem, consider the following prices for the Atari 520ST (floppy, mouse, monochrome) :- In the USA $600-700 In England $1000 (+15% VAT) In Switzerland $1400 Obviously I do not yet have figures for the Amiga in Europe. I do know that in the past the Commodore European prices have not been outrageous compared to US prices. Now, I know that there are all sorts of arguments why prices in Europe are higher than the US prices, and why Swiss prices are still higher. However, I buy sufficient amounts of computer hardware to have heard all these arguments many times, and my empiric observation is that a markup of above 10% (England) or 20% (Switzerland) is excessive. Please don't waste my time trying to argue otherwise. Therefore, the message to Atari and Commodore is as follows:- If the Commodore markup is anything like the Atari markup, then the Amiga will be priced around a Mac. As such, it will lose out simply because of the volume of software already available for the Mac. Also, of course, it is then more expensive than the IBM PC: same arguments. However, if the markup is very small then the price might be around the current 520ST price. So, Mr Commodore, please minimise this markup as soon as you start to sell in Europe. If the Atari markup stays so ridiculously high then it will not be much below that of cheap PC clones (or even perhaps the Amiga). It will certainly not be in the right range for the Home Computing market: note that this market is only now starting in Switzerland (lots of C64s on sale, educational programs on the box etc.). People will start getting 520s in funny places, modifying them locally, and there will not be a tidy organised selling operation. Therefore, Mr Atari, please tell your European distributors to be less short-term greedy and more long-term intelligent. I hope that these words might help people like me, who envisage upgrading their current home computer next year, but don't know yet with what!
mjg@ecsvax.UUCP (Michael Gingell) (11/09/85)
> subject of END-USER PRICE, in particular for those of us who live in > Europe. > > As an indicator of the problem, consider the following prices for the > Atari 520ST (floppy, mouse, monochrome) :- > > In the USA $600-700 > In England $1000 (+15% VAT) From my experience just about everything is more expensive when imported. Just try and buy a BMW or Mercedes in the USA and see how the price is inflated (even allowing for US emission controls). The Swiss are probably just trying to recoup all the taxes levied to run the navy .... :-) Mike Gingell ..decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!mjg > In Switzerland $1400 >