From: davereed@wam.umd.edu (Michael Robert Bromery)
Subject: Re: Amiga 1200
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 05:26:45 GMT

   Actually, Commodore has big plans for releasing it in the states.
     One thing they really do know is that they are not doing as hot in
    the states as they are in other countries. I'm not against IBM at all
    but people have been seriously brainwashed in the United States as 
    to what is a computer and what is not. My good ol. A500 is still
     impressing quite a few 486 users here even at Maryland, but they still
      fear that the computer wouldn't have enough support to be stable.
      Bad mistake, cause so many IBMers say the same thing in which if
       they went on with their hunches of getting one, there would be a
        very stable USA base of Amigas. The problem is advertising
       and Commodore still states that there will be some commercializinhg
         on this one. Particularily on the AGA systems. 
       Now I maybe sorry to say, but most NEW to amiga comming owners will
      immediately buy AGA systems, low or high end, that means that if things
      worked out the way Commodore wanted it to. There would be almost no
       doubt that the amiga market in America  would shift dramatically.
                 This means that any american companies that come in
     afterwards will quickly be a mostly AGA developer. Not with just graphics
      but they would probably say, "Oh, we can get away with snappy
      C code?". Now I mentioned snappy C, not crappy C which means they would
        code with good routines, but just the fact that they are using C
       would be the thing to lure them in. This is of course theoretical
       according to a success of new advertising. The reason that C is delayed
      in actually releasing the systems in America is that they HAVE to
      be VERY impressive, Very good, and VERY ready. They can get away
       with a quick and hurried method in England and in Europe, but
      with this American crowd, WhooohoO!! They have to do MUCH MUCH better
      than that. Europe hasn't been severly brainwashed yet to cause so much
        narrow mindedness. When Commodore releases it, they will be ready as
      long as we stop pestering them about the release. They want
      to hit the market with a big bang and they want to be ready to muster
     what cash they got and what the technicians know so that they would
        give the american people the support and trust they need.
             If Commodore gives anuy more than a hint of sloppy customer 
       support, the people will just walk away, never to trust commodore
       again. They realise that they aren't beat with american people
      because the trust into IBM over anything has to do with ignorance
       and not experience in bad handling. Commodore doesn't want to lose
       their chance and lose all trust of the american people. If that 
       happens, they've truly lost america to the hype. 
             Don't get me  wrong. I'm very fine with what IBM  and Mac
       is doing, but what I hate is the blatant disregard to take anything
        Commodore makes and not count it as a computer. In fact, in the
      states, it wouldn't even appear in typical game machine magazines.
        Now true, amiga is not a console, so it doesn't even belong
        there, but I still see software that is to come on Sega or
       Super Nintendo so hyped up, when it has been in existance a long
      time on amiga. Sure, there are some magazines out there that still do,
       but it still hurts to lose publication no matter how many Nickelodeon
      stations and hollywood movie developers buy the thing. I'm still glad
      that the amiga is often taken seriously in the movie buisiness, but
      certainly they won't advertise it. You won't believe how many amiga
       animations and effects I've seen done here in the states, and you
       may see a few of those systems running behind them when they talk 
         about how it is made, but of course, the name is hidden from 
        camera view. 

         It makes me feel good, because commodore is still making dough,
    they've been long contented with the support they get from 
    video crews, but now  that it's become very possible to do stuff like
     that with higher end IBM systems, commodore sees the need to hunt for
     the personal computer market once again. 
         I'm satisfied with every choice I made in the amiga market, I know
     that no matter what happens, I could never lose support on my amiga
    and that, if I want to, I could have my amiga be compatible with 4
   other very highly known computers. IBM, MAC, unix. Hardly any system
     can be made into the multi-computer computer for the same price.
         What commodore must make known is that these systems will support
   data exchange with their precious IBMS and that they would see
    support for file conversion to work with the same package using the
    amiga binaries. Sort of like the exchange of Word perfect files.
      That's the main idea. I hear so much, is it IBM compatible???? And
     if I say no, not right out of the box, they turn away, I think I've 
      should've said, but there's a lot of Wordperfect files that can
     be shared between the two systems, for that's what most of the people
     I've seen worry about when it comes to compatibility. Would it run
     word perfect. Sorry for this unusually big file with lots of
     line noise spacing and stuff.
            The things is, be patient, don't worry, Commodore needs the time
    they need in order to make it work in the states. Remember it is not
     Amiga that they are mocking, it is anything but IBM or Mac that they
    are mocking and the people fear change(It may work for Clinton but he
    is the rarest case I've ever seen in human history). 
          Just watch Star Trek 6 and take notes, there's a message
     in there.

   ----- Hope this settles some release gripe.
   -----Mike
    Email:davereed@wam.umd.edu

    P.S. -- There's alot of excitement over the new systems comming about,
     and they EXPECT something big(With americans, it's an advertising
     campaign and good phone support). 
.