Re: Apple IIx

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote:

>Forrest <bctimes@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Supertimer wrote:
>> 
>> > The Apple IIGS early sales figures were phenomenal.
>> > The IIGS itself (not even including the other members of the
>> > Apple II family) outsold the ENTIRE Macintosh line of computers
>> > in its first year.
>> 
>> The entire Mac line sold 480,000 units in 1986, so this wasn't too
>> hard.
>
>If that figure is correct, then Supertimer's statment seems to be
>exaggerated.  As far as I know, the total number of IIgs systems sold
>over its entire lifetime was just over a million.  I can't believe that

A million and a half about, was the figure I have from the
magazines of the day (Compute!, etc.)

>half of those were sold in the first year, and the other half were
>spread out over five or six years.

More like the other 2/3 (if the Mac number is for that year
only).

However, I think Mac number is for absolute Mac sales
including 1986 rather than a "that year only" number.

The IIGS sold incredibly well in its first year, when Apple was
actively marketing it.  After that, Apple cut advertising and
R&D, so the IIGS stagnated and many people did not know
about it.  That's why the first year represented a sizable portion
of the IIGS' sales.

Apple just let sales dwindle and the IIGS fall into obscurity.
It never bothered to upgrade it regularly or adjust its price and
let it languish without advertising or R&D.  The money it
made was used to push the Macintosh rather than invested
back on itself.  The IIGS was a product that was full of promise
and off to a good start, cut down in its prime.  Apple
assassinated its own product.