bsherman@MTHVAX.CS.MIAMI.EDU (Bob Sherman) (10/21/90)
Forwarded message: > From bsherman Sat Oct 20 17:12:47 1990 > From: Bob Sherman <bsherman@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> > Date: Sat, 20 Oct 90 17:12:35 EDT > Return-Receipt-To: bsherman@mthvax.cs.miami.edu > Reply-To: bsherman@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (Bob Sherman) Date: 18 Oct 90 11:07:49 EDT From: Jay Subject: more poop The following is from Jay Wilbur, Managing Editor at SoftDisk Magazine. He asked that I post it here on comp.sys.apple2 for him as a followup to his privious message that I posted here.. ------------------------------------------ I just got off the phone with John Santoro from Apple. We had a nice chat about the II line and what Apple plans to do with it. As I sit here I can think of one hundred different questions I wished I had asked in response to some of his observations. No doubt my quest to get to the bottom of things will drive me to call him back before the week is over. Here's what I asked, here's what he said, and here's what I'll ask next time I call. PLEASE NOTE THAT I DID NOT TAPE THE CONVERSATION AND THIS IS ALL FROM MEMORY AND MY SCRIBBLED NOTES. Q. At KC Fest Ralph Russo and Jane Lee both spoke of the good things we Apple II developers will be seeing from Apple in the way of promotions. Word on the streets is that Apple has pulled reserved ad space from InCider and there will be no TV ads. What Happened? A. Everything is up in the air right now. Jane is still working hard to get some solid II stuff in InCider. In early winter (that's the closet date I could get) Apple will sport a 32 page insert highlighting both lines of computers and Apple's educational message. There will be no TV ads for the II. Q. Has hardware development for the IIgs (IE, new CPUs) stopped with the new low end macs on the dealers shelves? A. Apple will support the II line well into the future. The II engineering groups will be around for a LONG, LONG time continuing to develop great new things for our machine. Apple is not pushing II technology in the form of new CPUs. The Mac is Apple's machine at this point. We [Apple] are letting the market make their own decisions as to what machine it wants. What I'll ask next time: With Apple dumping so much into the new Macs (direct mailing, TV ads...), isn't that steering the market a bit considering the lack of II ads? Q. Comment on the lack of II acknowledgement over the years. A. Back around 1985 Apple was going through some hard times. Things got tight and some things suffered. The Apple II was hit hard. Apple made some decisions and as result the Apple II was neglected. Apple pursued the road it thought best to make money and survive...the Mac. What I'll ask next time: Everyone at Apple seems to forget (or at least never mention in mixed company) that II sales made it possible for the Mac dream to be come alive. The machine sold millions for years without any ads...doesn't that register anything in the minds of the marketing gurus? Q. I read the text from one of the INTERNET msgs about Russo's group decisions. The one that stated Russo elected to go with the low cost Macs for a while and if that didn't work Apple would bring the II back. A. HOGWASH, BS, LOADS'O'CRAP -=- John was very cordial and answered all my questions as best he could. He informed me that he was an old II hack from way back. He taught school and had a lab full of II's and was as much in love with the II as the next old II hack. He also let me know that he thinks the Mac is one hell of a machine as well. I get the felling he cares about the machine as much as we do, but he is not the one who makes the high level decisions. He invited me to call back if I had more questions and as you already know I plan on taking him up on that offer. The overall message that I got was that Apple was banking on the Mac being the new cash cow. Those decisions have been made and that's the way it is. If I left anything out, forgive me. It's getting late and my mind is turning to jello. Jay --------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer, that claimer --------------------------------------------------- -- bsherman@mthvax.cs.miami.edu | bsherman@pro-exchange | MCI MAIL:BSHERMAN