14.002 13. The Computer Wars Chronicles: ISSUE 75/ One More Time?!
Description
This article is from the Apple II Csa2 FAQ, by Jeff Hurlburt with numerous contributions by others.
14.002 13. The Computer Wars Chronicles: ISSUE 75/ One More Time?!
After four years of minimal 'gs support, Apple's Consummate Enlightened
One has issued an inCider encyclical assuring II users of the company's
continued commitment. The letter mentioned such worthwhile achievements as an
improved operating system and the imminent II Hypercard (but neglected to
specify where the company had been committed or how long the treatment is
expected to last). Fine; but, why now?
If letters, BB postings, etc. are any indication, many II partisans
believe the explanation is to be found in continued 'unstoppable' PC market
share advances. Supposedly, The Computer Company MUST play its 'II card' yet
one more time or face extermination.
In the best of all possible worlds, Big Green's new Macs would
sell like hotcakes; AND a portion of the capital generated would
go into a serious II- based assault on the home/school
market. (As even PC devotees will admit, the smugly confident PC
universe could stand a good scare.) In the Real World, our
experience has been that the level of attention to II user
concerns is inversely related to Mac success. Small wonder, then,
that The C.E.O.'s latest proclamation resembles less an assurance
of support than a trial balloon. (Basically: "Just in case things
really get bad; what will it take to jump-start your interest in
Apple products?") Fair enough; and, it goes without saying, any
trial balloon from the First Apple Lord merits a response.
Dear C.E.O.:
First comes THE upgrade; then, we can talk about hypercards,
frame grabbers, CD interfaces, Mac links, and other such
embellishments. Our needs are modest enough; say an 8 MHz '816
motherboard with 2 megs of main RAM, 256K or so of sound RAM, and
capabilities for 640 x 400 256-color graphics. By way of
compensation, you are encouraged to rip out the network of
expensive, glitch-prone kluges designed to promote IIe
compatibility. (This should help with costs; and, you can always
market a IIe plug-in for old-II diehards.) An in-ROM '816 BASIC
would be nice; but, for now, an empty socket and a promise will
suffice.
Price is very important. Not only must the individual IIgs owner
be convinced that the upgrade represents a good buy; he/she must
also believe that other IIgs owners will feel the same. So far, my
polling indicates a number somewhere around $300. Naturally, when
we bring in our machines to buy the new board, we shall wish to
keep our old boards. They're no good to you anyway, and will
supply many experimenters with endless hours of fun (to say
nothing of generating countless interesting articles for Apple
user publications).
A tad costly? No doubt. Stll, a few hundred mil to reinvigorate your IIgs
base and attract new buyers is a bargain. (Like, it sure beats losing the whole
ball of wax!) In return, we'll buy your products, enlist recruits, kick stock
prices up ten or twenty points, and save dear old Apple-- one more time.
Your pal, Jeff
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