SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (07/11/87)
It seems "forever" isn't as long as it used to be. My friends at the H.U.G.E. Apple (II & Macintosh) computer club tell me that Compuserve is alive with rumors that Apple is about to announce the demise of the venerable II line (OR perhaps they'll not announce the demise and keep the production line rolling, but there won't be any further product development effort within Apple). Most of the comment seems to have been instigated by the shake-up in Apple's "evangelist" group and, apparently, an attitude that the new "evangelists" are conveying to clubs that says "we only speak Macintosh" (or a "what are you still here?" response to Apple II owners). Were I Apple, I too would put most of my chips on the Mac. IBM has handed Apple the marketing opportunity of the century, but it's a real question whether Apple will be able to mobilize to take advantage of it (best guess is it will be about 18 months before the PS/2 catches up to where the Mac is today). However, Apple is crazy if they forget that 40% of new computer buyers already own a computer. Do they really want Apple II owners trading up to Amigas and Atari ST's instead of Macintoshes (it's not so far fetched a notion)? In the struggle with IBM, does Apple really want LOTS of negative word of mouth from a national network of Apple II owners? Remember a month or two ago there was a note on INFO-APPLE about Apple's fan introducing hum into IIgs sound? Have you seen the editorial in the August A+ (which includes Apple's "back of the hand" response -- Apple II owners' gripes tend to become widely dissiminated VERY quickly)? The signs seem to be saying that Apple's "on again, off again" attitude toward the II and user groups is "off again." And if that's not bad enough, I've just heard that the only local source for the Macintosh II is (are you ready for this?) Computerland. That's a revolting prospect. Apple touts its dealer network and then turns its back on the few good dealers it does manage to attract. Computerland LOVES IBM (and maybe Compaq) and boy do they have an undue interest in relieving the customer of his(her) money! Apple is in contact with the largest Apple clubs in the country. We get lots of sales pitch and hoopla from Apple but not many questions. I guess Mr. Sculley doesn't like us telling him too many Apple dealers seem to be failed shoe salesmen. The fact that it's the truth seems to have escaped his attention.
patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring) (07/28/87)
I would guess that you're right about the demise of the Apple ][ series; just take this for example - take a peek at the comp.sys.macintosh newsgroup and see all the Apple reps online!!! Are they here? Do they respond to your postings, or mine? Not if you're not a Macintosh owner they don't! And what are all the schools who have hoardes of Apple ][ computers to do now??? And all the parents who bought Apple ]['s for kids who use Apple ]['s at school - what will we all do? Oh sure, shell out another $2,000 and buy a MAC! Fat chance! My next purchase is an IBM clone - I've had it up to my neck with Apple and it's on again off again policies and also with their buggy programs DOS 3.3 and ProDOS that trash sector 00 on disks without warning! -- Patt Haring UUCP: ..cmc12!phri!dasys1!patth Big Electric Cat Compu$erve: 76566,2510 New York, NY, USA MCI Mail: 306-1255; GEnie: PATT
ranger@ecsvax.UUCP (Rick N. Fincher) (07/28/87)
I don't know who starts these silly rumors. There is no way Apple will drop the Apple II at this point. They are making megabucks on the //gs and the //e is still selling well. The education market alone would justify Apple keeping the II around. Corporate executives make decisions based on $$$ alone (well, maybe not only on $$$). If Apple discontinued the II they would be flushing half of their profits. This was why Jobs was forced out. He was trying to kill off the Apple II when it was making 60% of Apple's revenue. People like Del Yocam and Jean-Louis Gasee wouldn't be going to the Apple II product rollouts and trade shows if they weren't interested in the machine. The evangelists at Apple don't make key decisions anyway. They are markting types. It is there job to promote the products and give the company feedback from the users. Even if they say to dump the II, the ultimate user feedback, dollars spent on the product, will force Apple to continue with it. Rick Fincher ranger@ecsvax
Marc_R._Krigel.ElSegundo@XEROX.COM (07/28/87)
How about this to make tyou feel the Apple // isn't forever: I received promotional material for an Apple made IBM compatible. Marc
lwv@n8emr.UUCP (Larry W. Virden) (07/29/87)
Hi there! I would like to know exactly WHAT rumors you are describing were heard on MAUG, as well as where. I am a relatively heave user of Maug's Apple 2 and Apple Developer's group, and have not seen anything along this line. In fact, I have seen just the opposite as far as Apple support goes; Maug has the technical notes online, the developer's demo disks (4 disks full of software, including the toolsets, both ProDosii, etc.), and lots of technical answers freely provided. I am a GS owner and have found several of the GS development staff on hand to provide lots of answers to rather bizarre questions and flame wars... I don't deny that there are various parts of the 4 or 5 Apple forums that I dont read so that this rumor could very well have appeared. Then again, infoworld had rumors that Apple was going to buy out Sun Micros last year and we see how far that one got... -- Larry W. Virden 75046,606 (CIS) 674 Falls Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (614) 864-8817 cbosgd!n8emr!lwv HAM/SWL BBS (HBBS) 614-457-4227.. 300/1200 bps We haven't inherited the world from our parents, but borrowed it from our children.
elliott@dspuv2.steinmetz (jim elliott) (07/29/87)
In article <907@dasys1.UUCP> patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring) writes: >My next purchase is an IBM clone - I've had it up to my neck with >Apple and it's on again off again policies And IBM is better? After all these business bought IBM PCs because they were "standard", and IBM has decided to trash that line and make everyone buy PS/2s? I hear a LOT businesses are "Just saying NO" to IBM's new architecture and are looking into NuBus (a la Mac 2) because it is simply a better architecture. . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . ... . . Jim Elliott / ...!seismo!uunet!steinmetz!crd!elliott / "Don't look, son, it's / Jim_Elliott%mts@itsgw.rpi.edu [school] a secular humanist!" / (or) elliott@ge-crd.arpa [work] . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . ... . .
sloan@pnet02.CTS.COM (Steve Smythe) (07/30/87)
A friend of mine purchased a Mac II about 5 weeks ago at Infomax in Antioch,
CA (I believe), and is having a ball with it!
I'm still on my rickety Apple ][ plus, 3 floppies, and too many hardware
modifications worth mentioning... I was very dissapointed when Apple decided
not to allow ][ plus owners the opportunity to upgrade to the A W E S O M E
(back in Feb '83) Apple //e.
The classified columns in the newspapers were plagued with ][ plus owners
selling there machines for a //e... not only are //e owners selling for IIgs's
but Mac owners are selling out (even a few Lisa's here and there) for SE's and
II's!
The // is a great hobbyist machine, and so long as there are those who
believe..................
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