From: mauritz_c@spcvxb.spc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Mac OS vs. TOS (was Re: Falcon Graphics
Date: 8 Sep 92 17:11:21 GMT
Organization: SPC Community Access System

In article <1992Sep8.031117.11123@actrix.gen.nz>, James.Hampton@bbs.actrix.gen.nz writes:
> In article <1992Sep7.005733.3791@spcvxb.spc.edu> mauritz_c@spcvxb.spc.edu writes:
>> 
>> In today's New York Times, there is an ad from J&R Music World
>> for a Mac Classic II for $1199.  For that you get:
>> 
>> 68030-16mhz mpu
>> 4mb RAM
>> 40mb hard disk
>> keyboard
>> (hi rez mono monitor built in)
>> 
>> That is $400 more than the indicated price of the Falcon and for
>> that extra money you get 3mb more RAM, monitor, hard disk, and
>> stable system software.  ...not to mention the thousands of software
>> titles available off the shelf (instead of hunting all over town for
>> a music store with a few game titles).
>> 
>> Regards,
>> 
>> Chris
> 
> The pick of the wizard of Wall street is a Mac Classic II?  Sounds
> like the wizard turned himself into a clown!

Hehe, that is always the first sign that a rebuttal has no substance...
when the person resorts to namecalling.  Nice try.

>  
> The 68030 in the Classic II is crippled with a 16-bit bus.  If you
> also think a tiny mono monitor is some kind of bonus then you must
> be into S&M.

No, it is not "my pick".  At work I use a MacIIfx and a Quadra 900
and at home I use a 486-33 (soon to be 66mhz).  However, I can tell
you (and any knowledgable salesperson will tell you) that the Mac
Classic II and the Mac LC (a lowly 68020 machine) probably sold more
units in the last 3 months than Atari sold in the last 2 years.
At computer stores in NYC, they cannot keep Mac Classic II's on
the shelves, while Atari products gather dust.
 
> An analyst such as you shouldn't have any problem adding up the 
> few extras included in the Falcon.  Try adding up what the following
> features would cost in a Mac: DSP with 16-bit stereo I/O, VGA _and_
> NTSC video, SCSI 2, IDE, video overlay/genlock, blitter, etc.
> Include an OS with pre-emptive multitasking and memory protection
> in your total.

Perhaps, you're average computer buyer doesn't want/need these
features or is unwilling to buy into a company with a shady
track record to get them?
 
Besides, you can buy a 486-box with all of the features you
describe except the DSP (I don't know much about DSP...sorry)
running OS/2 (pre-emptive multitasking) for less than US$2000.
And you won't have to worry about where you'll find software
for your machine, or video boards, or sound cards, or...you
get the picture.
 
What am I driving at?  The Falcon may or may not be a good
machine for the money, but you can buy comparable hardware
from other more reliable manufacturers with better support
track records, and a large installed base of software for
roughly the same amount of money.  Whether that other pc
is of the Intel flavor or Motorola flavor depends on the
whims of the buyer.
 
> Take a week and report back what the extras would cost us.  Thanks
> for helping us ignorant folks out.

I am not saying you are ignorant.  Why are you so defensive?
Perhaps, you have a vested interest in buying a Falcon if
you already have sunk a lot of money into Atari products
and/or software.  However, I don't think it makes sense for
a "greenhorn" to risk his cajones on a computer from a company
with Atari's historically bad support and poor market share.
In order for Atari to gain market share, they are going to
have to convince users of other systems and new users that
Atari has a good product with a lot of software available.
And that software should be available at a wide variety
of locations.  At present, finding Atari products (other
than the Lynx) is very difficult.
 
Two years ago, I predicted that Atari would not fare well
in the "pc war" and I also said that their stock price
would suffer as a result (above the howls of ridicule from
the Atari cheerleaders).  Well, I was right and I think
that the Falcon, though it seems to be an interesting
concept, will not fare well in the marketplace.
 
Regards,
 
Chris