joseph@elbereth.rutgers.edu (Seymour Joseph) (08/25/89)
To Apple Computer and Apple //GS owners: "Apple cannot get this part in large enough quantity or at a low enough price to use in a mass market production machine." We have heard this dozens of times as a reason for not manufacturing a higher performance product. Recently I have been hearing this about fast 65816 processors for the Apple //GS. To a large extent, Apple is telling the truth. This cycle of new IC products starting out as expensive, low yield, high performance parts happens over and over with different products. Sun Microsystems and other, smaller manufacturers had fast 68020 and 68030 machines available a long time before Apple, simply because their quantity needs were smaller and their markups higher. The Apple IIGS is a special case. Unlike the 68000 series of processors, the sixteen bit 6502 follow up processors (65816...) are ONLY being used by one manufacturer of mass market computers for ONE product. The Apple //GS. There are no Sun Microsystems pushing the state of the art in 65816 architecture and paying high prices for new chips, just Apple and the //GS. Remember that AE and other third party companies are relatively small compared to the number of manufacturers that vied for the fastest, best, 68000 family chips. I accept that, at present, there are not enough high speed parts to make a faster production machine. What we should not accept is that Apple is willing to simply sit around and wait for them. At a seminar sponsored by Apple Computer, I was fortunate to hear Allan Kay speak. His topic: "Creating the Future." The gist of his excellent presentation was: "The only way to predict the future is to be involved in making the future yourself." I propose that if Apple, isn't getting the parts they need to build a competitive Apple //GS in a reasonable amount of time, and they want to continue the Apple // line, they must become actively involved in developing and manufacturing those parts. Apple has been involved in designing VLSI before, The IWM, MEGA II and SWIM chips are just a few examples of the kinds of things Apple can do if it wants to. Apple is a very large company graced with a population of extremely talented people that can do amazing things when properly focused and motivated. Apple needs to make an investment in the future of the Apple // by investing in the company (companies?) that makes the processors. This may mean more than simply trading stock. Get enthusiastic, knowlegable Apple engineers to work on the processor design and manufacture. Put some of that Apple know-how, enthusiasm and cash to work on the problems. If you can't get the right parts, make the right parts! Seymour Joseph Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey Apple II Users Group coordinator
emerrill@tippy.uucp (08/26/89)
>If you can't get the right parts, make the right parts! Amen!! _________________________________________________________ | | | Eric Merrill Alink PE: Doc Neuro GEnie: e.merrill | | tippy!emerrill@newton.physics.purdue.edu | | Disclaimer: | | If you think I'm serious, that's your problem! | |_________________________________________________________|
brianw@microsoft.UUCP (Brian Willoughby) (08/28/89)
In article <127500015@tippy> emerrill@tippy.uucp writes: > >>If you can't get the right parts, make the right parts! > >Amen!! > And while they're at it, they should just design a cache memory controller and a virtual memory controller as well, so that the 6502 will be getting all the help that the other speedy pc's out there need to get their performance. Hey, I'm not kidding! (In fact, I'm offering to do it for a salary!) Brian Willoughby UUCP: ...!{tikal, sun, uunet, elwood}!microsoft!brianw InterNet: microsoft!brianw@uunet.UU.NET or: microsoft!brianw@Sun.COM Bitnet brianw@microsoft.UUCP