ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) (06/17/91)
What follows is a series of messages from the Atari UseNet SIG. They represent the down hill trend at Atari right now. While thumbing through the Atari messages I was taken by the number of "For Sale" messages being posted. Read into this what you will. Also, if any of you Mac users think Atari and Commodore activity has always been about the same level, I would suggest you go to the few Atari SIGs for a quick look, then go to the Amiga SIG (# 5) and take a quick look around all those special interest SIGs within it. Things are hopping at Commodore these days. Things at Atari are...Well, let's let the Atari message traffic speak for it's self. I'd also like to mention to my fellow Amiga users out there what this could mean to Commodore. With Atari out of the picture Commodore would be by it's self in the < $1000 market. With the recent rush of Atari users switching to the Amiga, this "rush" could soon turn into a flood. Article #28178 (28194 is last): From: grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham S Thomas) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: How is Atari doing in Europe? Date: Sat Jun 15 12:16:14 1991 From article <1991Jun14.010821.9903@noose.ecn.purdue.edu>, by yegerleh@vivaldi.ecn.purdue.edu (James D Yegerlehner): > I don't think Atari is making much of a splash over here (yet?) > with the new STEs and TTs, but can any of you guys over in Europe > say how the new machines are being received there? Is Atari > maintaining the significant market share that it once had? I'm fairly sure Atari's market share in the UK is declining. Most STs here have been sold as games machines, and judging from the relative amounts of software in the shops and the number and thickness of magazines on the newsstands, the Amiga's winning hands down in that arena. Anything else has been niche marketing. The TT is more expensive here than in some other countries, partly because Atari don't expect to sell many. The Mega STE hasn't even been released here yet - it's just been delayed even further until the beginning of July. Atari are still selling a fair number of STFMs (still!) and STEs, and the existing number of installed machines means that games and music software will continue to be produced here, along with the occasional non-games product. Also, Atari UK have started to advertise the ST as a 'serious' computer again. But, in my opinion, it's too little, too late. The best is not yet to come. Graham -- Graham Thomas, SPRU, Mantell Building, U of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK Email: grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk Phone: +44 273 678165 Fax: .. 685865 [END] Tom Article #28059 (28194 is last): Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st From: cmm1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Christopher M Mauritz) Subject: Re: Atari selling Taiwan plant Reply-To: cmm1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Christopher M Mauritz) Date: Tue Jun 11 09:15:03 1991 In article <A336533195@thelake.mn.org> steve@thelake.mn.org (Steve Yelvington) writes: >The Wall Street Journal reports that Atari Corp. is selling its assembly >plant in Taiwan for $60 million (and collecting an unspecified profit on >the transaction) and will shift the work to subcontractors in Taiwan and >Hong Kong. The article quotes an unnamed Atari spokesman as saying that >the company lost $2 million in the first quarter because of problems in >assembling ``a newer product line'' at the Taiwan facility. Just to play devils advocate for a moment <grin>, do you think they really sold the plant because of these "assembly problems" or do you think it was because they needed the cash to buy back some of their debt? Cheers, Chris --------------+---------------------------------------------------------- Chris Mauritz | Cuba's *superior* human rights record is only part of the | answer; it's superior social conditions are another. [END] Tom Article #28193 (28194 is last): From: Scott the Great <SML108@psuvm.psu.edu> Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: Erie PA show cancelled Date: Sun Jun 16 14:38:11 1991 In article <1991Jun15.163340.8733@kodak.kodak.com>, nelson@cygnus.Kodak.COM (Bruce D. Nelson) says: > >The Spectrum Group of Erie just informed me that their Atari show >scheduled for June 29-30 in Erie, PA has been cancelled due to lack >of interest on the part of vendors, developers, and Atari. > >-- >Bruce Nelson | Phone: (716) 726-7890 >Rochester Distributed Computer Services | Internet: nelson@kodak.com >Eastman Kodak Company | >Rochester, NY 14653-5221 | I was planning on attending, oh well. I think it's time to throw in the towel here. It's been a fun but frustrating 10 years since I bought my 800, and 5 since I bought my ST, but I give up on the TT. Only God knows what I'll buy next though... Scott Le Grand aka sml108@psuvm.psu.edu [END] Tom Article #27950 (28194 is last): Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st From: ritz@msb.com (Chris Mauritz) Subject: Re: Atari's position in the U.S. Market Date: Fri Jun 7 12:40:06 1991 In article <42834@cup.portal.com> Metalist@cup.portal.com (Bryan Jones Woodworth) writes: >Atari's image in America has never been great, has it? Now I hear that STart >is going bi-monthly?! Ok. But let me ask you out there: Will the Atari >situation ever IMPROVE? Or will it continue to decline? (You can assume >this is a rhetorical question.) Aw, what the hell, my account is expiring soon anyway... :-) Well, I view Atari from a pessimists' viewpoint so keep that in mind. Atari's earnings are horrid. The company is in deep debt. Their products are not selling very well (just read an article that stated that Portfolio purchases are falling off dramatically too) compared to the past. With the exception of Portfolio advertising, there basically is NO ad campaign. Their products are late to market compared to comparable products from other companies. What do I think is going to happen? Take a wild guess. Enjoy all, Chris p.s. Putting on my asbestos undies now. :-) -- ------------------------------------+--------------------------------------- Chris Mauritz |People are strange ritz@msb.com |when you're a stranger. Copyright (C) 1991 |The Doors- [END] Tom Why purchase a MAC when an Amiga with the same CPU will run 99% of all __ MAC software..and FASTER at that?! The same can be said of the IBM and __/// Atari computers, and I can run those in a window. IBM's greatest sales \XX/ tool is ignorance on the consumer's part. IBM=(I)'ve (B)een (M)islead. A If you want to be popular then buy a MAC....If you want to be powerful M then buy an Amiga..and use all that money you save to buy friends. :') I Classic=B&W, no blitter, no DMA, almost no sound, almost no expansion, G price tag of $1000. Amiga 500=4096 colors, DMA galore, great sound, an A 86 pin expansion port, price tag of $500. Confused? Only the Amiga!!!!
taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu (Marc Barrett) (06/17/91)
In article <30128@know.pws.bull.com>, ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) writes: > > What follows is a series of messages from the Atari UseNet SIG. [messages deleted] I have said this before, and I will say it again: I wish Amiga users would forget that Atari users even exist. Atari has become some sort of security blanket to Amiga people, allowing them to say 'well, things are certainly better than they are over at Atari...' This is certainly true, but it should be of absolutely no comfort to Amiga people, because the Amiga has not been doing spectacualrly well either, especially in the U.S. How many messages about Atari do you ever see on comp.sys.mac? I would like to see just as many here. It is because Amiga people have some undying infatuation with Atari that the Amiga is lumped together with the Atari ST by most computer industry professionals. > Tom > > Why purchase a MAC when an Amiga with the same CPU will run 99% of all > __ MAC software..and FASTER at that?! The same can be said of the IBM and > __/// Atari computers, and I can run those in a window. IBM's greatest sales > \XX/ tool is ignorance on the consumer's part. IBM=(I)'ve (B)een (M)islead. >A If you want to be popular then buy a MAC....If you want to be powerful > M then buy an Amiga..and use all that money you save to buy friends. :') > I Classic=B&W, no blitter, no DMA, almost no sound, almost no expansion, > G price tag of $1000. Amiga 500=4096 colors, DMA galore, great sound, an > A 86 pin expansion port, price tag of $500. Confused? Only the Amiga!!!! ------------------------------------------------------------- / Marc Barrett -MB- | BITNET: XGR39@ISUVAX.BITNET / / ISU COM S Student | Internet: XGR39@CCVAX.IASTATE.EDU / ------------------------------------------------------------ \ The great thing about standards is that / \ there are so many of them to choose from. / -------------------------------------------------------
lmbailey@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Laurana Bailey) (06/18/91)
In article <1991Jun17.145739.4217@news.iastate.edu> taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu writes: | In article <30128@know.pws.bull.com>, ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) writes: | > | > What follows is a series of messages from the Atari UseNet SIG. | [messages deleted] | | I have said this before, and I will say it again: I wish Amiga users | would forget that Atari users even exist. Atari has become some sort of | security blanket to Amiga people, allowing them to say 'well, things are | certainly better than they are over at Atari...' This is certainly true, | but it should be of absolutely no comfort to Amiga people, because the | Amiga has not been doing spectacualrly well either, especially in the | U.S. | | How many messages about Atari do you ever see on comp.sys.mac? I would | like to see just as many here. It is because Amiga people have some | undying infatuation with Atari that the Amiga is lumped together with the | Atari ST by most computer industry professionals. What a totally stupid assumption on your part. That has nothing to do with it. Amiga people are interested in whats happening at Atari because at one time they were our only competition. They used to brag quite a bit on how the ST was selling 4 to 1 over the Amiga back in the early days when things were just starting out for the Amiga. It was a real race to see who would hang on with the big boys trying to close in on the low-end market. True as it is that Atari is no longer a real threat to the Amiga, let alone anyone else, it is still interesting to hear what is going on in their market. It could be signs of what the Amiga is headed for if things don't turn around soon. But your assumption that our fascination with the ST market is why everyone else lumps us in the same catagory is an amazingly stupid comment. -- /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ |Just another lemming... | Yet another Amiga maniac set loose | | | on the world...and you thought things| |lmbailey@vela.acs.oakland.edu | couldn't get any worse. |
mmoore@ux.acs.umn.edu (Malcolm Diallo Moore) (06/18/91)
In article <1991Jun17.145739.4217@news.iastate.edu taab5@isuvax.iastate.edu writes: In article <30128@know.pws.bull.com>, ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) writes: > > What follows is a series of messages from the Atari UseNet SIG. [messages deleted] I have said this before, and I will say it again: I wish Amiga users would forget that Atari users even exist. Atari has become some sort of security blanket to Amiga people, allowing them to say 'well, things are certainly better than they are over at Atari...' This is certainly true, but it should be of absolutely no comfort to Amiga people, because the Amiga has not been doing spectacualrly well either, especially in the U.S. How many messages about Atari do you ever see on comp.sys.mac? I would like to see just as many here. It is because Amiga people have some undying infatuation with Atari that the Amiga is lumped together with the Atari ST by most computer industry professionals. Hey party people. We all know that Marc Barrett is a rathead. BUT... This time I have to agree with him. You see, we're all sitting here, watching Atari fall by the wayside, breathing a sigh of relief because we're still coolin'...Which is fine and dandy, but I'll tell you this. We MUST act, and we must act NOW, before it's US that falls by the wayside. I happen to be a former Atari user, I had an old crusty ass 800XL and I watched as the software dwindled slowly down until there was nothing. Damn, damn, damn, that's at least $1 500 down the tubes. And I was almost dumb enough to run up and _BUY_ an ST....before I considered the Amiga. I looked at Amiga, and I was like "Hey, this is kinda suave!" Because I couldn't (and still can't) afford a Mac and there is _NO_ _CHANCE_ _IN_ _HELL_ I would by an IBM, and what? I can _emulate_ a mac with this thing? And an IBM too?? Hell yes I'll jump on it!! Let me tell you, it's cool to be able to WALK to the nearest computer store and find Amiga stuff there. But if we don't quit messing around and sitting on our asses, then we will find ourselves in the same situation Atarians are in. I'm talking about writing, thinking, all kinds of good shit. Everybody had better really sit down and think about this, and yeah, that in- cludes you Dave Haynie from Commodore, I know you read this net a lot, and I'm serious, everybody here had better start waking up and get wit the program, before there's no program to get _with_. Seeyaz, I'm outtie like some old crusty sardines... **********************Malcolm "The Capital MD" Moore************************** * CHICAGO BULLS * Microcomputer & Workstation * * * -- * Networks Center * ***AMIGA*** * * NBA * would have to PAY me * "I wouldn't have * * CHAMPZ! * to express any kind of an * it no other way." * * * opinion in their behalf. * * * Yall DESERVED IT! * * * ***************************mmoore@ux.acs.umn.edu******************************