blochowi@rt19.cs.wisc.edu (Jason Blochowiak) (10/30/89)
Small prelude: I have a Sony KV-1311CR, and cable TV. Quite often I
keep MTV on in the background ('cause it's easier to turn the sound off than
on my stereo), and occasionally I'll switch the video over to the TV. In the
last half hour, I've seen two different Amiga ads, both of which were
moderately interesting, as far as commercials go. Given MTV's target market, I
think the ads will be fairly effective.
I'm not an ad man, but I would think that advertising in the right
market would be effective. Finding the right market might be difficult for the
Apple ][, but how about things like educational specials, etc.? Apple would get
brownie points with the parents for sponsoring things that they think are good
for their kids, and the kids' interest could be raised quite a bit. Anyways,
this is just speculation... I have quite a bit more confidence in the DTS crew,
which seems to be competent and committed, over Apple's higher management,
who (I would presume) would control the PR department.
The only time I've seen Apple //gs'es in an ad is something from Dow,
which has some traveling educational thing (I think - I didn't pay all that
much attention), and then it was only for a few seconds, and the only reason I
knew they were //gs'es was because the CPU box shape is rather unique.
As for the sarcastic bit about keeping the installed user base happy:
I realize the point you were making, but don't you think that keeping the user
base happy is an important thing? It seems that home computer sales are
dictated primarily by 1) What's at the office, 2) What's at the school, and
3) What other home owners say. It would seem that #1 is almost completely
owned by IBM, but that does seem to be changing. #2 does tend to be Apple //'s
(at least in the lower ranges), but that too appears to be changing a bit.
#3, although last on the list, can be a deciding factor - I've had people base
their purchase decisions on what I've said (not exclusively, of course, but I
have been the deciding factor in purchase decisions). If I were really unhappy
with what Apple is/was doing (as I have been, and many other people seem to
be), then my advice would probably point to another machine.
None of this is intended to be a flame - I greatly appreciate what the
DTS crew does (!), and I realize that the management at Apple has a company to
run, but I think that they're making some mistakes, which hurts. I've been
programming these machines for roughly half of my lifetime, and I intend to
keep going, but what Apple management does will greatly affect the value of a
huge personal investment of mine. This makes it difficult not to comment and
air my opinions and complaints.
--
Jason Blochowiak - back at school (again).
blochowi@garfield.cs.wisc.edu or jason@madnix.UUCP
"I'm having nightmares about a white Halloween..."
(Sung to the tune of "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas")mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage) (10/30/89)
In article <3507@puff.cs.wisc.edu> blochowi@rt19.cs.wisc.edu (Jason Blochowiak) writes: >I realize the point you were making, but don't you think that keeping the user >base happy is an important thing? It seems that home computer sales are >dictated primarily by 1) What's at the office, 2) What's at the school, and >3) What other home owners say. It would seem that #1 is almost completely >owned by IBM, but that does seem to be changing. #2 does tend to be Apple //'s >(at least in the lower ranges), but that too appears to be changing a bit. >#3, although last on the list, can be a deciding factor - I've had people base >their purchase decisions on what I've said (not exclusively, of course, but I >have been the deciding factor in purchase decisions). If I were really unhappy >with what Apple is/was doing (as I have been, and many other people seem to >be), then my advice would probably point to another machine. > > None of this is intended to be a flame - I greatly appreciate what the >DTS crew does (!), and I realize that the management at Apple has a company to >run, but I think that they're making some mistakes, which hurts. I've been >programming these machines for roughly half of my lifetime, and I intend to >keep going, but what Apple management does will greatly affect the value of a >huge personal investment of mine. This makes it difficult not to comment and >air my opinions and complaints. >-- > Jason Blochowiak - back at school (again). > blochowi@garfield.cs.wisc.edu or jason@madnix.UUCP I think things like 5.0 are a major step towards keeping the installed base happy. You run advertisements to attract new customers, not to convince the old customers that they made the right choice. You keep the installed base happy in other ways, like system software upgrades and new ways that the technology they already own can change their lives. Whenever I travel, I try to visit some Apple dealers in the area. I've heard a great deal more negative publicity on this newsgroup than I have from those dealers (although, I will admit, it's not good for an Apple II owner to be referred to a Macintosh-only dealer who will respond to questions with "What's that?"). I personally believe that the rumors of the Apple II's downfall are greatly exaggerated. This is one reason I'm trying to respond to as many messages like this as I can - because it's not as bad as everyone seems to have taken for granted, and no one else is pointing this out. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matt Deatherage, Apple Computer, Inc. | "The opinions expressed in this tome Send PERSONAL mail ONLY (please) to: | should not be construed to imply that Amer. Online: Matt DTS | Apple Computer, Inc., or any of its ThisNet: mattd@apple.com | subsidiaries, in whole or in part, ThatNet: (stuff)!ames!apple!mattd | have any opinion on any subject." Other mail by request only, please. | "So there." -----------------------------------------------------------------------------