[comp.sys.apple] analyzing the market

AWCTTYPA@UIAMVS.BITNET ("David A. Lyons") (03/05/89)

>Date:         Sun, 5 Mar 89 00:28:32 GMT
>From:         David I Seah
>              <mailrus!ulowell!m2c!wpi!dseah@TUT.CIS.OHIO-STATE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Fool In the Rain, ALPE
>
>Perhaps I was hasty in drawing a "market trend" from the people I
>have talked to.  [...] Then our local group of GS owners sets up shop
>at a computer show, in which we compete head-to-head against the
>Amiga.  We get blown away (in terms of interested spectators) despite
>the money we've invested in top-knotch GS sound/graphics software.
>[...]

The number of interested spectators may not tell you a whole lot--I
don't know.  "Gee-whiz"ness could easily attract spectators at shows
without meaning they would go out and buy the machine they spent the
most time staring at at the show.  A lot more info would be needed
to conclude anything meaningful.  (For example, maybe most of the
spectators had already _seen_ GS demos, and had never seen an Amiga
before.)

>These conclusions were not carefully researched.  However, as I talk
>to more and more people in netland, I get stronger signals about what
>one segment of the Apple IIGS population thinks.  Do I have to take
>down birthdays and social security numbers before I can make some
>"silly" conclusions?

I don't doubt that one segment of the population of GS owners is
dumping its GSs and buying Amigas.  I have no idea how large it is.
Many of them will probably be disappointed to find that _every_
system has things to complain about, even if you don't notice them
until you've used it for a while.

I don't see how birthdays and SSNs would help.  The kind of thing you
_do_ need to consider is whether your sample is a fair representation
of the whole population you're interested in.  For example, people
who are fairly happy with their existing GS systems don't usually go
around explaining all the things they're happy with, while _unhappy_
people _do_ go arond complaining.

Consider that a relatively small fraction of computer users even
have modems.  For example, only 20% of Merlin owners have modems.

Since you're unlikely to come across a list of phone numbers for all
GS owners or anything like that, the best obtainable info will
probably come from sales figures, and maybe from things like
classified ads if you keep track of them carefully enough.

> | <<<<<(((((( DAVE SEAH ))))))>>>>> |    Internet:  dseah@wpi.wpi.edu
> | Worcester  Polytechnic  Institute |    Bitnet:       dseah@wpi.bitnet
> | Computer Engineering Class of '90 |    ALink PE:  Omnitreant

 --David A. Lyons              bitnet: awcttypa@uiamvs
   DAL Systems                 CompuServe:  72177,3233
   P.O. Box 287                GEnie mail:    D.LYONS2
   North Liberty, IA 52317     AppleLinkPE: Dave Lyons

RXBROWN@UALR.BITNET ("MR.FANTASTIC") (03/06/89)

TO: Dave Lyons.....

You tell'em Dave. I do some complaining too, but thats because I want more
for my machine. Also tell him about the type of software that somes out for
the two machines. The Amiga has a lot of mindless games that just show off
the graphics and sound, it seems like there are a lot of practicle things
out for the GS. Personally I would like to see a few mindless games that just
show off the graphics and sound. You know fighting aliens, just trying to
get the highest score you can. Nothing but pure joystick pleasure.

Robet Brown
AppleLink: RobPhd
BitNet: RXBROWN@UALR