[comp.sys.amiga.advocacy] NeXT Hype: No thanx

roger_earl@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Roger Earl) (04/04/91)

Well I got interested in the NeXT about a year ago and presently waited for the
chance to see one in the stores.  I waited and waited and waited.  Since then
most of what I have heard about the NeXT seems to be nothing but hype. Yes
the NeXT appears to be an impressive computer, but how many have been sold ? 
In the meantime, Amiga has released the 68030 A3000 which is getting pretty
darn close to the NeXT's supposed power.  The 68040 A3000UX will be out
before the end of the year and I bet I still won't have even seen a NeXT by
then.  Yes both the NeXT and the A3000 are more expensive than I can afford
right now, but I can appreciate a good computer's existence and set my hopes
high (this is all that most of us can do).  But how can I appreciate a
computer if all I have heard is hype ?  I've found hundreds of people that
adore the NeXT and found very few who can explain why.
Sorry, but I think that everyone will feel the same way I do unless the NeXT
starts high volume appearances in a tangible market.  This won't happen
'cause the NeXT won't release a cheaper model.  Any company, no matter how
large their resourses are, will abandon a project that doesn't support a
profit.  The NeXT is doomed, it just doesn't know it yet.  Meanwhile, the
Amiga is already a success.

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* "The personal computer market is about the same size as the total potato *
* chip market.  Next year it will be about half the size of the pet food   *
* market and is fast approaching the total worldwide sales of pantyhose"   *
*  -James Finke, Pres., Commodore Int'l Ltd.(1982)-                        *
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Roger Earl = Usenet: roger_earl@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca = GEnie: R.Earl4

patrick_meloy@outbound.wimsey.bc.ca (Patrick Meloy) (04/04/91)

>Well I got interested in the NeXT about a year ago and presently waited for
>the
>chance to see one in the stores.  I waited and waited and waited.  Since then
>most of what I have heard about the NeXT seems to be nothing but hype. Yes
>the NeXT appears to be an impressive computer, but how many have been sold ? 

I'm not saying the Amiga ain't great here, but, the same things were said of
the Amiga when it first came out too. Your just looking in the wrong places
for the NeXT, there is a Dealer here in Vancouver that carries them. You have
to call the Vancouver office, set up a time for the salesman to go from the
other office (Richmond I think) and you both drive over to the Burnaby office
where the machines are for a looksee.

>Sorry, but I think that everyone will feel the same way I do unless the NeXT
>starts high volume appearances in a tangible market.  This won't happen
>'cause the NeXT won't release a cheaper model.  Any company, no matter how
>large their resourses are, will abandon a project that doesn't support a
>profit.  The NeXT is doomed, it just doesn't know it yet.  Meanwhile, the
>Amiga is already a success.

You seem a tad confused about the market for the NeXT. Sure the Amiga's will
kill the NeXT in home computer sales! The NeXT isn't intended for the home
user. Its a lower priced workstation. That means educational and research
style market. You don't see too many people running DEC or SUN stations at
home either, yet they are very successful in the computer market.

I personally don't see much to compare between NeXT and Amiga myself. They are
two divergent platforms intended for different purposes. The only places the
NeXT and Amiga overlap is in the A3000 or 2500/040 UNIX machines. Even then
there are differences. The Amiga Unix machines are also lower-end
workstations, but they have the added niceties of running AmigaDOS and all
those programs (yes, including games) that make it a good 'Home workstation'
(Hey! A new type of computer catagory :)

Please lets compare apples to apples here (oops, sorry, didn't mean that)

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