From: barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N. Barrett)
Subject: Re: Notebook Computers Dominate Comdex
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy 
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 03:44:58 GMT

In article <1992Nov17.205655.4121@memstvx1.memst.edu> langston@memstvx1.memst.edu (Mark C. Langston) writes:
>  Several reasons why C= is not in the notebook/pen market yet:
>
>a)  Does anyone actually want a portable Amiga with a monochrome LCD screen
>    not capable of the resolutions/scan rates that make the Amiga unique?

   Color active-matrix LCD displays have come down in price by quite a lot.
IBM has recently announced a color 486DX notebook that LISTS for $4500.

>b)  You think the screen flickers now...wait 'til you see the LCD jump because
>    it can't keep up with the video signal.

   This mindset is also out-of-date. The screen update rates on active-matrix
LCD displays are quite quick.

>c)  Where are the portable digitizers/genlocks/video processors/midi-capable
>    keyboards/stereo systems that we can hook up to the new portable Amigas,
>    and how are you gonna carry it all?

   Commodore could easily develop something similar to Apple's DuoDock.  The
DuoDock allows Powerbook Duo's to be expanded into full-blown desktop systems.
Plus the DuoDock is built so that the Powerbook can be very quickly and easily
unplugged.  A DuoDock for a notebook Amiga would be a simple collection of
Zorro III slots in a case, that could hold all of the video peripherals that
you'd want.  

>d)  Perhaps they're spending the money elsewhere (hmmm... a4000? 1200? 600?)

   You mean on yet more desktop computers?  Growth of desktop computer sales is
expected to be 13% this year, while growth of notebook computer sales is 
expected to be more than twice that.  If Commodore is investing in a slowing
market, it would be par for the course for them.

>e)  just how expandable do you think one of those notebooks is?  Besides
>    being able to add more memory, it wouldn't be exceptional until a
>    PCMCIA card is developed as a Mac or IBM emulator.

   Apple's PowerBook Duo's and the associated DuoDock gives a good balance
between the limited power but extreme mobility of a notebook and the power and
immobility of a desktop computer.

>f)  Maybe because they hear people rant and rave about how terrible the
>    company is, and how horrible the computers are, which drives sales down,
>    which takes money for R&D out of their pockets, and makes them feel
>    there's no market for such a beast.

   If one person with a text editor can tear the company down, then the 
company is not built very strongly.

>g)  Maybe they're working on one right now, and just don't feel it's really
>    necessary for Mr. Barrett to complain about it before it's even out the
>    door, because then his 'complain its not around, then complain about it
>    when it's finally released' streak would be broken...and we wouldn't want
>    that!  ;-)

   The day is already late.  If Commodore were to announce it tomorrow, it
would be too late to get into the notebook craze at Comdex, and by next year 
some other technology will be the hot item.  (Powerful pen-based computers,
perhaps)

>(...this kind of thing never fails to brighten my day, for some reason...)

   I will give you one other one:

h) The Amiga video chip has been redesigned into the wrong CMOS technology for
   a notebook Amiga.  For a notebook Amiga to be feasible, all of the Amiga
   chips would have to be redesigned in 3.3V CMOS technology.  Considering 
   that most of the Amiga chips haven't even been redesigned in standard 5V
   CMOS technology yet, and considering that it took Commodore's engineers
   ****SEVEN YEARS**** to redesign the one chip in standard 5V CMOS technology,
   a redesign of all of the custom chips in 3.3V CMOS technology in time to 
   jump on the notebook computer market before it slows is not likey.

---
| Marc Barrett -MB-  |  email: barrett@iastate.edu
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Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc