Apple II-- doing just fine

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Mike Westerfield writes ...
>
> ----------
> In article <H7Er3.80$9n6.20889@newsgate.direct.ca>, mystix@direct.ca
> (Herbert Fung) wrote:
> 
> >...but for those who wrote because of their passion and love
> >for the platform were driven away by piracy.
> 
> Sorry, but that's just not true. People were not driven away by the number
> of pirates, but by the lack of customers. I can even look at the sales
> figures and identify clearly the month when the Apple II died as a
> commercial platform for me--there was a huge drop in sales in November 1992.
> This was preceded and followed by slow declines, but the drop that month was
> dramatic. I seriously doubt this is because everyone on the Apple II became
> a pirate in that month.
> 
> Piracy was and is a problem, but it did not kill the Apple II. Piracy takes
> a percentage of sales, not all of them. For a weak company or a weak
> platform, piracy may be the straw that breaks the camel's back, but it is
> rarely the major factor, and definitely was not the major factor on the
> Apple II.
 ....

     Actually, software piracy has never been a serious problem on the II series.
Those who would be inclined to buy a game or language system generally did/do so.
Those who could not or would not spend the money either did without the software or
got it from some friend or "pirate BBS". In most cases, this "pirate" distribution
probably served to increase sales.

     For any software culture to flourish, you need users. If no one else is
playing a game, the game automatically becomes much (_much_) less interesting.
People do not like to use software in a vacuum. It is the same principle which
keeps FM music broadcasters in business despite the fact that most listeners have
CD and tape collections.

     Today, virtually every entertainment software release _depends_ upon "piracy"
for success. The prices are purposefully set to guarantee 'unauthorized'
distribution. (And, if you skip the warez sites, the software maker may call you
and offer to send the game for a free 1-month tryout.)  This promotes interest and
boosts sales to those who do shop and buy gaming software.

     Why does anyone buy software? A popular myth is that an unauthorized copy is
as good as 'the real thing'. Almost always, this is not true; and, really, everyone
knows it. It is always best to have 'the box', the maps, (the cards, coins,
"miniature space fleet", etc.) and the original docs. If the product is a language
system, just a copy of the software leaves you without the manuals.

     Software piracy becomes a serious problem in an institutional setting- for
example, in schools and businesses. This is why the real hit of the current
anti-piracy commercials is on the guy who says it's okay to borrow some
spreadsheet, etc. from someone at work. The people doing the commercials could not
care less about game software-- most likely, they realize that their ads _increase_
unauthorized distribution of entertainment wares.


     At present, despite rising user numbers, there is not a great deal of Apple II
commercial software activity. This is not due to rampant software piracy. All of
the major software archives from ACN Florida through Uni-kl.de respect the rights
of copyright owners and avoid offering software currently being sold by the
copyright owner. A software creator could not wish for a more 'pirate-free zone'
than II computing.

     The chief reasons for the relatively low level of Apple II commercial activity
are not so difficult to identify. One factor is pricing. Most current commercial
software is priced for a few big hits, not for general distribution. Hardly anyone
pirates this stuff; they just don't use it.

     While Byte Works does a decent job of marketing its products; most commercial
producers are virtually invisible. We can show them in the FAQs Vendors List; but,
it is up to them to take care of advertising.

     Those who create something worthwhile need to be willing to sell it. Too much
stuff which should be sold is given away. Even if the price is $5-$10, it's
something; and, it encourages others to develop products to sell.

     Finally, there is talk of "dead platforms" and "who killed the Apple II". This
does not encourage product development. Besides, it misrepresents the facts.

     Apple, Inc. surely blew an opportunity to make the II series today's major
platform; but, if eliminating the Apple II was an objective, they blew that, too.
No one killed the Apple II. The Apple II is here and running software every day for
many thousands of users around the world.



Rubywand