lazarus@igloo.UUCP (David Sugar) (02/04/89)
I've seen a lot of talk recently about the fate and future of the Apple // line and feel that most people are addressing the wrong issues here. I don't believe the future will be decided by if Apple upgrades/enhances the //gs or not, nor even directly by whatever happens with the Mac. The real issues that need to be addressed if the Apple // is ever to succede beyond the existing base of // users is it's perception in the rest of the user community. A lot has been said about the attitude of 'Mac' people, especially about certain people in the Mac 'mainstream' who occasionally talk about the Apple // as a product to be phased out and/or merged into the Mac 'family'. What is being missed here is that these attitudes and prejiduces exist FAR MORE STRONGLY now in the minds of IBM, Amiga, and other camps than they ever did in the Mac community. Most new computer buyers receive their advice from people who already have machines, and most people do not own Apple's. The general census out there is that the Apple is an obsolete line likely to be phased out, and an Apple // is the LAST thing non-apple users recommend people to get. Strangly enough, most IBM types I've seen like the Amiga, and I suspect a large number of potential new // users go there (or to a clone when looking for a bargain). In a large part the bitter Apple/Mac feuds and even the percieved direction of Apple Marketing (Mac for business and 'profesional' users, GS for K-12) has created and reinforced this attitude. I feel, on technical merits alone, a GS is more capable and faster than the typical PC/PS 2 machine (the ability to address large memory vs the Mush-dos 640K limit, a clean file system with no trace of CP/M, a powerful built in windowing environment (toolkit) vs the sluggish and primitive MS-Windows, etc) but these things are unknown outside the Apple // community. All most have to identify the Apple // line with is Apple TV spots with kids oogling pretty but meaningless screen displays, the constant rumors, and the views of the small but very local anti-// people in the Mac crowd. If Apple fails to seriously address these issues I feel that it's share of new users will continue to dwindle for the // line. I seriously doubt the Apple // line will dissapear completely as there is still a hungry market in existing users for new machines, but it will certainly not grow beyond this market and will continue to lose clout in new development and the ability to attract major interest in the big software houses. Dave