knf@druxo.UUCP (FricklasK) (10/16/85)
I saw this in net.micro.amiga, and I thought it was worth cross-posting to here: >From: mendoza@aero.ARPA (Lee Mendoza) >Subject: Electronic Arts and the Atari ST >Message-ID: <498@aero.ARPA> >Date: Thu, 10-Oct-85 22:34:47 MDT >Reply-To: mendoza@aero.UUCP (Lee Mendoza) >Organization: The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA > >Here is another posting for Mike Boiko of Digital Equipment Corp., who is still >unable to post directly. > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Well ST fans there's not much I can say about this note,(it pretty much >speaks for itself) except to say that this came across our internal net the >other day and I felt obligated to pass it on.... > > I would be very interested in any comments anyone might have concerning >this note. Please post responses to net.micro.atari. > > _Mike Boiko_ > >****************************************************************************** > >The following text is comprised of a letter sent to this store from a >customer. Obviously Mr. McClary had written Electronic Arts about their >product line for the 520ST, and got the following response. Mr. McClary >attached a note to the copy of this letter sent to me that said; "Hope you >will share this with your users group or upload it on BBS's and get people >to write EA." Well, I found the letter quite appalling, and I am sure that >the majority of the Atari community will also. So, in response to Mr. >McClary's request I am sending a copy of this letter to Antic, Analog and >the new Atari Corporation. I am also sending a copy of the letter I wrote >Electronic Arts in response to their criticism of the ST to the same >aforementioned companies in the hope that these letters will be printed for >all Atari owners to read, including those who are presently unable to access >Compuserve. > >Electronic Arts letter reads as follows: > > >"September 12, 1985 > > > >Mr. J.L. McClary >3222 Clearwater Drive >Cleveland, TN 37311 > > >Dear Mr. McClary: > >Thank you for the compliments on our products and for asking about our >product plans for the Atari 520ST. > >Electronic Arts is in favor of industry hardware standardization. For this >reason, EA is supporting the Commodore Amiga because it is the best >designed, best supported, and most powerful new 16 bit computer, by a wide >margin. We would like to see it become a success, and eventually and >industry standard. > >EA is also interested in supporting hardware systems that come from >companies that can properly support our development efforts, and which have >the financial resources to properly develop service and sales channels, and >the marketing resources to develop and maintain a large customer base. Due >to the confusion in the marketplace, it is especially important for a >company to have a large advertising budget in order to educate consumers >about the benefits of home computing. In EA's opinion, only Apple, Commodore >and IBM are in this position in today's market, and as a result, we fully >support their machines (Apple II and Macintosh, Commodore 64, 128 and Amiga, >and IBM PC) and compatible machines like the Tandy 1000 and the Compaq >product line. We believe all these machines represent good value in >computing, and we are not swayed simply by the pricing of the Atari ST, >which we believe to be misleading. For example, the Atari 520ST is touted >as a 512K system, when in fact more than half the memory is used for GEM, a >user-interface inferior to Macintosh's and Amiga's, both of which are stored >in user ROM and not deducted from the RAM available to the user. We are >familiar with the marketing practices, support, and reliability of machines >built by companies operated by the current Atari management, and we are not >anxious to repeat that experience. > >Put simply, the Atari ST is a completely incompatible machine from a company >that lacks the resources or the interest to support it fully. Ironically, >the consumers most likely to buy the Atari ST are currently in Atari 800 >user groups. You may not realize that the current Atari management are the >same people who, while they were running Commodore helped BURY the old Atari >and many of it's software developers. You also may not be aware of the fact >that the designer of the Amiga is Jay Miner, who used to work at Atari and >DESIGNED THE ATARI 800! > >NEVERTHELESS, we are currently developing Marble Madness and Financial >Cookbook for the ST, in order to learn more about the machine and it's >market potential; and once we can see some sales history for those products, >which will be out in early 1986, we will consider expanding our efforts if >we are proven to be mistaken about everything that has been written above. > >I appreciate your interest and hope that you will share my views with your >users group. > > >Regards, > > > >Trip Hawkins >President >Electronic Arts > > Way to go, Trip! '`'` Ken `'`'