Re: The Apple ][ was cool!

["william strutts" <wrstrutts1@nospam.home.com>]

"Jon-paul" <pockets@cix.co.uk> wrote in message
news:9j1t45$21q$1@plutonium.compulink.co.uk...
>
> "william strutts" <wrstrutts1@nospam.home.com> wrote in message
> news:g0_47.21703$JN6.4270507@news1.rdc1.mi.home.com...
> >
> >
> > "Rubywand" <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote in message
> > 3B5469A6.959A272F@swbell.net">news:3B5469A6.959A272F@swbell.net...
> > >
>
> > Even Radio Shack, with the direct competition of the Color Computer
> > series, picked a REAL controller for its machines instead of that
> > clunky slow drive that Commodore had.  Its machine was closer
> > in price to the C64 but had I/O as fast as Apple II's.  However, RS
> > didn't market the machine as well as Commodore.  It made the
> > same mistake Apple did with the IIgs.  It ignored the machine
> > in favor of its higher profit margin computers.  Hence, it did not
> > fight the image that the Coco was a toy when it could have been
> > a C64 fighter if they put the effort into it.
> >
>
> Their marketing in the Uk was ultra bad. The TSR-80/CoCo always seemed one
> step behind the rivals, and more expensive. Proberlbly supply priority was
> to the US market and we got the hand me downs. When Dragon licenced the
kit
> they competed quiet well. But Dragon was only one small part of a larger
> company that was struggling and then went under in 82, a management buy
out
> reserected it for a year then one of its investors pulled out. Tandy (as
> they are over here) failed completley to capitalise on that good start.

Sounds typical of Tandy.  They would rather sell one unit at 50%
profit then sell 10 units at 5% profit like their competitors.  Even
if you bought volume, you didn't get much of a price break. I used
to work for the Computer Centers over here and we had to send
all large bids to Tandy HQ in Texas.  We rarely won any bids
because of their price structure.  I don't think Tandy really cared
out market share.  Commodore on the other hand sold at near
cost to get market share. Hence, they garnered more support in
the areas of software and hardware product availability.

In regards to Dragon, there is a company in California still sitting
on a pile of them for thirty US dollars a piece.  It didn't make much
of a dent over here.  It had some neat features that the real Tandy
Coco didn't have but I never have seen one.
--
--
William R. Strutts - wrstrutts1@nospam.home.com - Whatever!

C'est moi!  http://www.facelink.com/wrstrutts

Just hacking away...

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