theobaby@well.UUCP (Paul Theodoropoulos) (01/21/90)
Commodore stock continues to wallow about in the neighborhood of 8-9 bucks a share. Advertising is but a faded memory since xmas. Apple continues to garner huge amounts of newsprint over this or that breakthrough technology (such as the new GTV multimedia thingie, that runs on a stinking AppleIIGS of all machines!) I've owned my Amiga 1000 since early 1986. It has grown into a computing powerhouse, running with an 030 and 881 at 14 and 20 Mc. In the coming weeks, it will be modified to run at 40 Mc. Outside of a Sun Sparcstation (at twice the investment in hardware), Nothing comes close! Yet here it is, 1990, and the Amiga, the computer that broke new ground five years ago with a multitasking O.S., a multiprocessing CPU, an astonishing (at that time) complement of graphic and sound capabilities, this extraordinary machine is now sold primarily to pimply teenagers as an alternative to Nintendo. I'm sick of it! If slime bags like Ivan Boesky and T. Boone Pickens can buy out massive corporations with little more than a slick come on and plenty of chutzpah, then an alliance of Amiga users can come together and BUY AMIGA from the schmucks who own it now. Who needs cash? Junk bonds seem to be all that are needed these days. It seems to me that there must be Amiga users out there who agree with me, and who would know the whats and wheres to make something like this come about. Otherwise? Plan on seeing your machine become as obsolete as a Bowmar Brain by the end of 1990. (for the benefit of the aforementioned pimply faced teens out there, the Bowmar Brain was the first pocket calculator to hit it big time, and it turned into a dinosaur within about a year and a half. It could: add subtract multiply divide. All for about $175.) Paul Theodoropoulos theobaby@well.UUCP
cmcmanis@stpeter.Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (01/23/90)
In article <15609@well.UUCP> theobaby@well.UUCP (Paul Theodoropoulos) writes: >Commodore stock continues to wallow about in the neighborhood of 8-9 bucks >a share. Advertising is but a faded memory since xmas. Apple continues to >garner huge amounts of newsprint over this or that breakthrough technology >(such as the new GTV multimedia thingie, that runs on a stinking AppleIIGS >of all machines!) You are entirely to short sighted. Sure, Apple makes a good story, but you will notice a couple of things : 1) *All* of Apple's vaunted desktop video stuff only runs on the Mac II. This is not what you would call "affordable" to the average consumer. 2) Apple's stock is taking a nosedive and their earnings suck because they don't have anything to replace the Macintosh SE (which is no more than a Mac 128K with some minor enhancements) and it is *6* years old. 3) At least after the Christmas advertising the general population is asking "So what is this Amiga thing?" And when they make it into a competent dealer they can and often do buy one. 4) The "business blitz" which is supposed to run this quarter isn't out yet. But it should help as well. Basically, Apple has stumbled and Commodore has a chance to fill that gap that they left in the Macintosh line. Copperman is ex-Apple so he should be able to recognize the signs. Don't be so anxious that you write off the company after a couple of months of advertising, they are battling years of entrenchment by IBM and Apple and that isn't easy. I don't think you will lose any money on your Commodore stock if you hold onto it. --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@Eng.Sun.COM These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you. "If it didn't have bones in it, it wouldn't be crunchy now would it?!"
sk2x+@andrew.cmu.edu (Sun Kun Kim) (01/23/90)
Me too! However, I resent your statement about pimpy teenagers. I am a
nine-TEEN ager with an Amiga and never ONCE did I think about getting a
Nintendo over an Amiga! On the more serious side of the spectrum, I
think Commodore marketing really stinks. They use all the big names and
spend all that hard-earned dollars into a mediocre Ad campaign. I don't
think they used their funds wisely. First of all, they spent a BIG
chunk of the dough(was it 20 million?) to sign 'big shots' at Hollywood
as well as Washington. This is was a mistake in the fact that the
commercials really did not show the capabilities of the machine. In
another words, the commercials' focus was not on the Amiga but on the
people. Audiences were probably busy putting on glasses to see all
these big names in the commercial. The second problem was that the ad
placements were at all the wrong places and at wrong times. TV ads were
running mostly during odd times and print ads were only focused on a few
publications.(such as newsweek, times, etc.) Why in the world would
they do this? They spend megabucks to print and ad that is 7 pages long
when all you need is a 1(at most 2)page ad telling people about the
Amiga and its capabilities. If they did this sorta ad, they probably
could've published it in many more publications than those listed above.
Sure, it is nice to see some people using their Amigas creatively, but
don't we all? The ad just sounds like another PC-clone ad with some
glitzy colors when what we are looking for is a separation from the
PC(or the MAC) world. What Commodore needs to do is to create a DEMAND
for Amigas by poiting out the advantages of getting an Amiga. They need
to make the computer look like it is special(which it is) by pointing
out the difference facts about the Amiga.(such as its remarkable choices
of boards that will either make it an IBM or a MAC emulator. - People
always tell me that 'Amiga? But they have NO software.') Commodore has
to market it as a solution to every personal or a professional need.
People want facts and not famous faces. If Commodore doesn't change
their marketing techniques, I think Amiga market will lose out although
Amiga sales are UP as of now. Commodore needs to know that the future
is in their hands and I think we should start to write them about this
problem because if Commodore loses out, we all do. We need to let them
know that we DO care about Amiga sales and its foothold in the Computing
world. ARE YOU LISTENING COMMODORE??????
Sun....sjm@sun.acs.udel.edu (Steve Morris) (01/24/90)
It's funny how everyone here has become a marketing expert. I know that someone has said it before here, but they are not trying to sell to people like you and me. If you are going to market to the masses then you have to speak to them on their level. The ads where intended to sell A500s to the general public for christmas and bring about an awareness of the machine. Marketing these days promotes an image more than the features of a product. And it doesn't take an expert to figure that out. Sun Kun Kim writes: >... print ads were only focused on a few >publications.(such as newsweek, times, etc.) Why in the world would >they do this? They spend megabucks to print and ad that is 7 pages long >when all you need is a 1(at most 2)page ad telling people about the >Amiga and its capabilities. If they did this sorta ad, they probably >could've published it in many more publications than those listed above. Since the end of last year I have seen Amiga print ads (single page) in: 1)AV Video- Keith Nealy AV Video is a trade magazine which has an amiga column, they ran an Amiga art contest last year and will be running an animation contest early 1990. 2)Millimeter- Keith Nealy Millimeter is a MAJOR film and video trade magazine 3)Video Systems- Keith Nealy Another trade mag. 4)Electronic Learning- Dr. Bergman, Howard Diamond (2 pgs) There is also a 16 page Special Supplement to EL that is sponsored by CBM and focuses on multimedia. There are 3 case study ads and two articles that describe how the Amiga is being used in the classroom. It is presented low key without any hype. "Just the facts, mam ..." >People want facts and not famous faces. ... See my first pararaph regarding the TV ads. I don't know about you but neither Keith Nealy, or Dr. Bergman are famous faces to me. And some of us may know who Howard Diamond is (Director of edcuation at CBM) but his face is not famous either. Looking at an apple ad and the Amiga ads in EL and there is a distinctive difference. If you can find copys of both look at them together. Then try to feel the difference between them. When going head to head against someone with the reputation that apple now has in the education market you can't just list resolution, speed, ease of use, the fact that it has "color, sound and graphics." The Amiga ads look different, they feel different. That is what is going to get the consumers attention. "Wow, here is a guy that has based his entire business on the Amiga (Keith Nealy). I've heard about that computer somewhere before." or "Gee, this man is teaching his son with it." It takes some slow moving to get out of quicksand, not a lot of flailing around. It appears to me that Commodore is moving as fast as it can given the fact that it has a limited budget. Building slow market awareness makes more sense to me than trying to do to much at once. If you can't support Commodore about what they are doing invest your energies elsewhere. The amiga doesn't need "bad vibes" it needs support. Steve Morris sjm@udel.edu
rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) (01/24/90)
In article <15609@well.UUCP> theobaby@well.UUCP (Paul Theodoropoulos) writes: >Commodore stock continues to wallow about in the neighborhood of 8-9 bucks >a share. Advertising is but a faded memory since xmas. Apple continues to >garner huge amounts of newsprint over this or that breakthrough technology >(such as the new GTV multimedia thingie, that runs on a stinking AppleIIGS >of all machines!) [ more stuff about users banding together and buying out Commodore ] Why so harsh on Commodore? They're a business, not a religion. From my point of view (i.e.: not an Amiga owner), they seem to be making a decent effort to evolve their products and stay within the reach of Joe Average consumer. Apple has established themselves in the market as a vendor of premium products; their prices support the ad hype that props up this image. What would you have Commodore do above what they've been doing? Double hardware prices and abandon the home market? Spend themselves into the ground trying to match Apple ad for ad? Drop the Amiga line and punch out cheap '386/VGA clones? Disclaimer: I don't own an Amiga. I do own an Atari ST. I don't care to argue the merits of either with anyone anymore. At least Commodore seems to have a better track record of bringing out Real Products, more/less when they say they will... The 2500/30 looks pretty nice at the price... Am waiting with some interest to see what the A3000 Really Is... -- >>"Aaiiyeeee! Death from above!"<< | Steve Rehrauer, rehrauer@apollo.hp.com "Flee, lest we be trod upon!" | The Apollo System Division of H.P.