From: barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N Barrett)
Subject: Re: C=: offer A500 motherboard upgrades!
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 08:17:17 GMT

In article <1992Aug18.063209.3930@sbcs.sunysb.edu> dtiberio@libws2.ic.sunysb.edu (David Tiberio) writes:
>In article <1992Aug16.224503.23853@news.iastate.edu> barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N Barrett) writes:
>>In article <1992Aug16.190328.11659@athena.cs.uga.edu> wells@castor.cs.uga.edu (MIKE WELLS) writes:
>>>Suggestion to Commodore reguarding the next generation of Amigas:
>>>Please offer motherboard upgrades for the 500!
>>
>>   Unfortunately, this would require that Commodore spent about $120,000 to
>>layout and fabricate a PC board custom designed to fit into an A500 case, and
>
>	Unfortuantely your $120,000 figure is way off base. CBM doesn't have
>to rebuild the Earth; they just have to patch something together that works.
>I know the number was thrown around before, but in refernce to an INDEPENDANT
>GROUNDS-UP project. I bet a proptotype would only cost a few thousand at MOST
>because of the new technology involved. CBM already has the machines,
>talent, and knowledge to do such a project.

   I am just using an off-the-cuff figure.  An acquaintance EE student here
put the cost of developing a whole new motherboard at $100,000 or so, which
includes the costs of developing the schematics and costs of having the
design sent outside the company for routing.  It also includes the occasional
goof in designing anything as complicated as a PC motherboard, which can push 
costs up.

>
>>I do not think Commodore would be willing to spent such an amount just to
>>please 2 million or so people.  They never developed a similar custom A500 
>>board to fit into an A1000 case, so I doubt they will do the same with any
>>new technology boards for A500 and A2000 systems.
>>
>	By your own estimates, let's say an upgrade costs $400 for new chips
>and 32bit bus. 120,000 / 400 = 300. Is it that hard to sell 300 units to 
>a minute 2 million customers, which is enough to warrant a port of 
>Microsoft Excel but not new hardware upgrades? 

   I was being very sarcastic and cynical when I posted this message.  I still
do not understand why Commodore never developed an A500 motherboard designed
for an A1000 case, as it would have satisfied the A1000 owners far more than
all of the trade-up programs, and they would have been able to keep their
keyboard garages!  :-)  From a public relations standpoint, the costs would
have been very much worth it.

>      //   David Tiberio  SUNY Stony Brook 516-473-5156 AMIGA  DDD-MEN   
>     //  bounce-resistant:    dtiberio%libserv1.ic.sunysb.edu@sunysb.edu
>   \X/	    Perot for President 1-516-399-2259 Long Island, New York
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---
| Marc Barrett -MB-  |  email: barrett@iastate.edu
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    "Oh the yeller Ross of Texas..."
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy