From: Aric.Caley@ofa123.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: Reasons for Amiga CD
X-Sender: newtout 0.06 Jan  3 1993
Date: 04 Jan 93  01:53:06

> Organization: ProLine [pro-freedom] AppleVan (Apple UG of Vancouver, WA)
> From: eeb@pro-freedom.cts.com (Ed Brown)
> Message-ID: <1993Jan3.003230.7248@pro-freedom.cts.com>
> Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
>
> > It wouldn't cost much more to make a CD-ROM interface than it would to
> make
> > a  Floppy  disk  interface.
>
> Isn't this the same interface that CBM decided not to make available on the
> A4000, preferring instead to offer the cheap IDE system?  Personally, I
> can't wait to see which is offered with the A4000T.  ;-)

You've  got  me.   It  would  be nice to see both SCSI-II *and* CDTV/CD-ROM
support on the A4000T (and the SCSI-II card).

> > The *drives* may cost more for CD-ROM than for
> > Floppy  disk;  although  when buying them in large quantities the price
> may
> > come very close.
>
> I can see where this might be the case someday but it seems a ways off yet.
> Yes, audio CDROM can be made and sold pretty cheap but so far, computer
> CDROM seems considerably more expensive.  At their cheapest, I've seen the
> slow Mitsumi CDROM drives selling for $189 and the 1.44 meg floppy drives
> going for $50.  Floppy interfaces for a PC cost $9.  Can't say what the
> Amiga floppy interface sells for as it is not a separately available part
> but I suspect that it costs more than this.  We still have almost a 4:1
> cost ratio between the cheapest available drives, CDROM:floppy.  While this
> is better than 6 or 8:1, it is still nowhere near a point that CBM would
> find attractive.  Remember that CBM tends not to think of single units but
> in multiples of 1,000,000 units... save $1/unit and you've got an extra
> million dollars you didn't have before.  This is the mentality that gave us
> IDE instead of SCSI, even though most of us recognize the inherent
> superiority of SCSI when compared to IDE.  IDE has basically *1* primary
> benefit... it's CHEAP.  Now, looking at this situation, do you still
> contend that CDROM drives and floppy drives are similar in cost?  Sorry. I
> just can't see it... at least at this time.  In 5 years, who knows.

First  of  all,  I didnt say it - Commodore did (apparently).  I was simply
commenting  on the meaning of the statement they made, attempting to make a
"speculative clarification".

Secondly,  nobody  said  CDROMs  and  Floppy drives are similar in cost (at
least,  I did not and I dont think Commodore did, which is why I was trying
to  clarify  their  statement).  I said:  "I think Commodore is saying that
the  *INTERFACE*  for  a CD-ROM wouldnt cost more than an *INTERFACE* for a
floppy drive".

Finaly,  its possible that they were not talking about normal floppy drives
in  the  comparison  -  they might have meant the Chinon HD floppy that the
Amiga  uses, which is indeed expensive.  Or perhaps they meant the 2.88 meg
floppies, or 20Meg flopticals.

At  any  rate,  you  are  arguing  to  the wrong person - I dont know.  Ask
Commodore what they meant.

> Regards,
>
> * Edward E. Brown II             * Internet: eeb@pro-freedom.cts.com *
> * Chemist On A Mission From GOD! * FidoNet: 1:105/135                *
> *--------------------------------------------------------------------*
>               Annoy the media...Think for yourself!
> ==============================================================

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Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc