root@ucsfcca.UUCP (Computer Center) (05/01/86)
An interview with Jack Tramiel by David Bright appears in the 28 Apr 86 (or do you like 860428 so you can sort it?) issue of ComputerWorld. Attributed to Tramiel are assertions that 200,000 ST systems have been sold so far, about 70% outside the USA, and that Atari has gone from losing $10**7 / month to a profit of $9*10**6 / quarter since he took over (actually in the black before the STs started shipping.) Some market research skepticism was expressed over the total sales figure but if we accept it that's about $200M market value. Compare this to the DEC (second largest computer company) MicroVax II also introduced last May. Its 1985 sales were reported in the same issue as 12,000 units. At a system price around $25,000 that's a market value around $300M and it's considered a spectacular success. Tells you something about the motivation of people who are putting down the ST, doesn't it? Although there has been a prototype of an ST add-on to run IBM-PC programs, Tramiel is cited as indicating that before that would be available Atari would have an IBM-PC card to run ST programs. Sounds like you shouldn't hold your breath. Larry Samuels of Atari indicated more than 300 software packages are already available for the ST systems. Thos Sumner (...ucbvax!ucsfcgl!ucsfcca.UCSF!thos)