From: aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Len Stys)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: A question & a comment
Date: 14 Oct 1992 17:54:09 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Len Stys)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc5.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, solo-p@cyberden.uucp () says:

>
>Comment:
>    Why hasn't anybody mentioned what seems to me to be the most likely
>reason for the Falcon using the STe style case:  Wasn't that the last case
>that Atari managed to get FCC type B certification for?  I don't recall ever
>hearing that the TT or the MSTe had gotten type B approval (a pity, really.
>I do prefer the detached keyboard).
>



This is what I believe is going on and I bet I'm right.

The most sales that Atari has ever had since the 2600 was the 520 and 1040 ST.
The casing used was the one piece.

At this time, Atari figured it was because they got to the European market
first.

What they didn't realize was that the majority of people weren't buying it
for applications, they were buying it because it had FANTASTIC games.
It was also less expensive than the A1000.

Commodore then released their A500 and their sales soared.  The Amiga was
originally built as a game system so programmers found that they could make
some very good games for it.

--Better than what they could on the ST.

More and more people saw that there were better games on the Amiga and more
and more people bought the Amiga--especially in the UK and then in Germany.

Atari realized that Commodore's come back wasn't due to applications for
Atari had better application software.  Commodore's come back was a result
of the great games available for it.

They decided to build the ultimate low-cost gaming computer that could also
be used for other things such as VIDEO and MUSIC.  They also put a DSP port
on it to give hackers something to have fun with.

Many hackers are game players and many game players are hackers.

The Falcon 030 has a perfect combination of everything that an average Atari
user wants.

1) It will play great games
2) It is hackable--boy is it!
3) It will allow musicians to make great music.
4) And it will allow great art and pictures to be produced on it.


Atari wanted to create a machine that could be mass produced fairly easy
and give the AVERAGE Atari user what they want.

A detachable keyboard is GREAT, but does the AVERAGE Atari user really need it?

How often do you need they keyboard to play games?

How often do musicians need the keyboard to play music?

Or artists to draw art?


Atari can eventually sell the FALCON 030 to stores such as WALDENSOFT
to be sold as a home computer.

If computer gaming is still around, the FALCON 030 case will be perfect.


As soon as the Falcon 040 is released (probably next year sometime),
the Falcon 030 will probably be lowered in price to around $500-$600.

The Jaguar video game system will probably be very similar for around $300.


For us serious users, Atari will give us the Falcon 040.

And I bet you that it will make the Falcon 030 look like a toy.

It will probably be in a PC-style case with higher graphics resolutions,
and a higher-end DSP chip.  It will probably give us enough expansion slots
to calm us for another 5-6 years.



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