From: fiddler@concertina.Eng.Sun.COM (steve hix)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Farewell to the Mac? (not flame)
Date: 19 Nov 1992 02:33:18 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
NNTP-Posting-Host: concertina

In article <trimble.722112979@ph-meter.beckman.uiuc.edu> trimble@ph-meter.beckman.uiuc.edu (Chris Trimble) writes:
>model03@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (John Deke) writes:
>
>>	Do you think the Mac will be phased out?

Of course.  Only question is when, effectively two years after the new
RISC machines' production ramps up, obviously-to-all-but-a-few-maniacs
within another two years.

>  If Apple wants to win over its customers, they should offer an upgrade
>  path from the CISCs, which, unlike the IIcx/i -> Quadra upgrade would be
>  REASONABLY PRICED. 

From Apple's perspective, those upgrades *were* reasonably priced: if you
can't save a few bucks by getting a used IIci and upgrading, you don't
hit Quadra sales, and someone who already has a IIci gives Apple as much
cash upgrading as if they'd bought a new Quadra (or more).

Upgrades are a pain in the neck for a manufacturer, they'd much rather
sell new machines (simpler, cheaper for them).  The upgrades aren't dear
enough, though, to kill all interest by current owners for the new
machines.  Close, though.

>  Furthermore, Apple does to the Mac owners what they've done to
>  Apple // owners about 5 times as often. 

What, leave them with an orphaned machine for, what, six or seven years
now?

The Apple //e came on the market much further down the development curve
of it technology than did the Mac.  There just wasn't as *much* development
potential in the Apple // by the time the //e appeared.  The //e was little
more than a repackaged Apple][ with a few minor tweaks.  (They *tried* to
develop it more, but the Apple/// was crippled by marketing before it ever
saw the light of day.)

>  Every 6 months Apple outdates the models of 6 months ago. 

Terrible how those machines just quit working as soon as a new model is
announced.  They slow down, their displays dim, ...  ;}

>  Just look at the line right now! Why should
>  anyone buy a Quadra 700 with the 800 coming out in January? Why should
>  anyone buy a IIvx with the Centris (whatever) coming out in January?
>  This kind of anticipation game is what has kept me from buying a Mac for
>  so long.

You keep waiting for the ultimate machine and you'll never get *anything*
accomplished.

Face it, this rate change will go on for a *long* time (from the buyers
point of view).

If a current machine can handle your needs, then get it.  You'll get more
work done.

>>	Is this good or not?
>
>  No. It isn't. I think Apple should try to build a line that can stand
>  the test of time as well as your //e (and mine :) did. The //e was 
>  completely useable up until about 2 or 3 years ago, which is still 8 or
>  maybe 9 years after it came on the market! 

A Mac Plus is still exactly as usable as it was the day the first one
shipped (more so, there's more software and so on that will run on it
that was developed and shipped since then!).

The //e will still be usable 20 years from now...it just won't be usable
for much, in comparison with the expectations of consumers.

>  Apple : build computers that are AHEAD of their time, like the ol' days.

Listen carefully: Apple never (purposefully) marketed a computer that was
leading edge in terms of hardware.  The joke around engineering was that
people on the leading edge tended to get cut.  And you can't afford to have
customers getting cut by beta testing ragged edge hardware.  (Took me a
long time to figure out why this approach was not a Bad Thing, too.)

They needed to make and sell computers that had adequate performance, and
which could be built and sold at adequate margins of profit for the company.

This isn't all bad: it means that Apple could afford to develop things like
the desktop metaphor of the Mac, or HyperCard, or some of the other nifty
software things that make the Mac what it is.

The current Mac is no more ahead (or behind) the times than it ever was, but
the user interface, which *is* the "family jewels" has been refined and tweaked
about as far as it's going to go.

The PowerPC/RISC machines will come out, and likely will outperform the current
high-end Macs about as much as the Mac did the Apple//e.  The Macs will still
work as well as ever, but interest in them will fade over time.  Fine.

And they (the PowerPC/RISC thingies) still won't be anymore "leading edge" then
the Mac is now.  But they'll probably sell just fine.  And people will still
complain about their RISC boxes being obsoleted every six months...


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