From: greg@afs.com (Gregory H. Anderson)
Subject: NeXT Beats Sun/HP/IBM/SG in VARBUSINESS
Keywords: reviews
Reply-To: greg@afs.com
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 13:59:38 GMT

Gleefully excerpted from VARBUSINESS Magazine (Sept 1992) without  
permission. See if you recognize any of these points from c.s.n.advocacy  
threads. My comments follow.

=========================== CLIP 'N' SAVE =============================

NO NEXT-BEST FOR NEXT: A first-place finish for the workstation  
manufacturer amid close competition

	... VARs rated entry-level models from five workstation  
manufacturers. When the dust settled, little more than half a point  
separated the five, and all five posted overall average scores of better  
than 8.
	But NeXT Computer Inc., Redwood City, Calif., came out on top. The  
Motorola 68040-powered NeXTstation and NeXTstation Turbo workstations won  
three first-place finishes out of the eight individual categories en route  
to an 8.66 overall average....
	Although by far the smallest company in the survey, NeXT has  
distinguished itself through the showmanship of founder Steven Jobs	 
and its innovative features and success in commercial markets. In the  
survey, NeXT stood out on the strengths of its operating system and its  
flexibility in end-user applications.
	VARs gave NeXT's object oriented Unix operating system, NeXTstep,  
a 9.49, the highest score among all companies in all categories. In its  
three years on the market, NeXTstep has attracted developers with its  
labor-saving abilities to build applications.
	[Three glowing quotes from NeXT VARs about NeXTSTEP, two of whom  
also sneak in comments about the need for a speedier processor.]
	Recognizing the array of potential customer uses of NEXTstations,  
VARs gave the machines a 9.2 in the flexibility of end-user applications  
category.
	[Another glowing quote about GUI user-friendliness, comparing the  
delay in user acceptance of NeXT with the early days of Macintosh.]
	Still, VARs say NeXT could do more to stimulate healthier demand  
for its computers. NeXT's lowest score in the survey, 8.11, came in  
service and support.
	Although NeXT has gained a footing in some commercial markets,  
VARs comment that the company needs to promote its products more to  
business users. "It's a good product overall. But there is hardly a demand  
for NeXT," explains Ted Stux, controller of reseller Microage River North  
in Chicago. "The demand is low because NeXT is not well known among  
clients."
	Ondro Mihal, director of information technology for VAR Muse Corp.  
in Toronto, agrees. "It is the best out there overall," he says of NeXT's  
products. "But NeXT definitely has to work on directing its marketing  
strategies to the business community because clients are not buying."
	
                REPORT CARD - WORKSTATIONS

Product Features          Sun    NeXT   IBM    H-P    SG
----------------------    ----   ----   ----   ----   ----
Price/Performance         8.35   8.67   7.47   8.70   9.07
Upgrade Capability        8.64   8.24   8.39   8.43   9.20
Operating System          8.19   9.49   8.33   8.14   8.15
Ease of Porting           8.26   8.12   8.06   8.00   6.53
Application Flexibility   8.77   9.20   7.77   8.59   8.38
Overall Value             7.83   8.84   8.78   7.86   8.55
Availability              8.31   8.62   7.94   7.73   8.68
Service & Support         7.19   8.11   8.17   8.53   8.40
----------------------    ----   ----   ----   ----   ----
OVERALL                   8.19   8.66   8.11   8.25   8.37

Methodology: Results are based on a telephone survey of 250 VARs. A  
minimum of 50 VARs for each product were used in the database for the  
survey. Scores are mean ratings, ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. Conducted  
July 13 - 22, 1992, by The Product Line, Englewood, Colo.

=======================================================================

My flame-proof conclusions:  8^)

1. The converts still believe.

2. After a while, it gets lonely crying in the wilderness.

What we have here is a failure to communicate. As one of my employees  
commented in this group the other day, NeXT hasn't even announced shipment  
of 3.0 in c.s.n.announce, let alone general publications. Why??????????? I  
thought 3.0 was going to be The Operating System That Saved The Company.  
Wouldn't it be nice to let people know it's available now? If those of us  
in a position to influence buyers can't get timely information, how bad  
must it be for potential customers to find these machines? 

I would gladly pay higher Federal income taxes if I knew each additional  
dollar was going to reduce the budget deficit. By the same token, I would  
gladly relinquish my Registered Developer discount if I knew each  
additional dollar was going to marketing. I just hope NeXT is holding back  
now so that NS486 can have the biggest, splashiest launch the computer  
industry has ever seen.

--
Gregory H. Anderson          | "We're very tolerant around here,
Benevolent Dictator-for-Life |  being only amateurs ourselves."
Anderson Financial Systems   | - Tortoise (Godel, Escher, Bach)
greg@afs.com  (Nextmail OK)  |