DAVEB@UMass.BITNET (01/10/87)
I may be a little late in the argument but the following thought occurred to me. If the future of the //c and IIe computers looks dim due to the appearance of the IIgs I think it unlikely that the IIe will be the survivor. If anything, it will be the //c that will emerge when the smoke clears. My reasoning for this is simple: The //c is a complete unit, will be cheaper to produce, using the VSLI Apple emulation chip from the IIgs, and comes with a plethora of standard hardware already in the case. The IIe on the other hand is a unit that needs upgrading almost as soon as you buy it, it needs drives, 80 col boards, special roms, etc. And it can be upgraded into a IIgs. Why not just buy a IIgs in the first place? Why go to all the trouble of trying Of course I could be wrong, but I'm interested to see what other people think about my idea. Sincerely, Dave Bayendor Hampshire College, Amherst MA
SJONES@UMass.BITNET (01/22/87)
Regarding Dave Bayendor's article in a previous posting to the net (Ours are caught by a server, digested, then disbursed, so I can't give an article #) about the future of the //e & //c: >If the future of the //c and IIe (sic) computers looks dim due to the >appearance of the IIgs I think it unlikely that the IIe will be the survivor. >... The IIe on the other hand is a unit that needs upgrading almost as soon >as you buy it, it needs drives, 80 col boards, special ROMs, etc. ... > >Why not just buy a IIgs in the first place? Personally, I feel that Apple will continue to market both models as long as their market analysts predict a profit, however slight. There is a tremendous base of II series machines installed in schools across the nation, reflecting both a big investment and a big commitment, plus countless home sites (myself included; in fact, I'm writing this on my //e running Apple- writer, and I'll upload it to the school's VAX via Ascii Express). The //e has the advantage of being infinately more expandable than the //c - not in memory (any more), but insofaras networking, A/D interfacing & appliance control/monitoring, E/PROM burning, whatever you want, that I don't think they'll stop production, though they'll certainly reduce it as the gs matures, i.e. gains software & hardware support, debugging, etc. What they should really be doing, however, is slightly modifying the design of the //c. If they were to consolidate the e & c and make a Compaq/Kaypro type portable w/CRT and slots, or make the c a true laptop like the Tandy 100 (which shouldn't be any problem with the Mega II chip) only with a 3.5 drive & maybe a better display. With savings in production due to chip reduction, maybe they could even incorporate a gas plasma display and perhaps even drop the price slightly (there's probably some reason they can't, but it's a nice thought). The cost reduction is the biggest selling point. With a new motherboard designed around the Mega II chip, they'll be able to maintain a very healthy profit with greatly reduced prices, and since the IIgs is still downwardly compatable, I think the II series market will only lose the top end consumers to the gs. Most people will be perfectly happy & satisfied with cheap II's. I'm curious as to how many people plan to or think they will want to upgrade to the gs. I'm very happy with my //e, tho VT100 emulation such as Softerm 2 could (should!) be _much_ cheaper - I can't afford it - and from the reviews I've heard, I don't feel I need to upgrade. If I wanted to go one better, I'd look for a Mac with color, preferably with an XTAR type graphics coprocessor, and running a good Unix/C combination. And it wouldn't be so derned user-friendly either! If it was difficult to make it should dern well be difficult to use! let the software take care of interfaces if it wants to. I look forward to many interesting replies. Later, -Steve. ****************************************************************************** Steve Jones, Alternatives Student Disclaimer: I don't represent any entities, sentient or corporate, BITNET: sjones@umass other than myself; any one who CSNET: sjones%hamp@umass-cs disagrees may respond, and I will UUCP: ...seismo!UMASS.BITNET!sjones promptly store it in the circular INTERNET:sjones%umass.bitnet@wiscvm.wisc.edufile. ~~/\~~ USSnail: box 753; Hampshire College; Amherst, MA 01002 :-> __ ==============================================================================