Re: What happened to the Zip chip?!?!

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector) wrote:

>The installed base of
>C64 machines was in the tens of millions, probably even more!
(snip...)
>As it stands today, I would say there
>are probably only several dozen people making up the Apple
>IIgs market. For proof of that, look at the number of sales
>a program like Spectrum or SuperConvert makes worldwide. Or
>look at the total number of subscribers to the two remaining
>printed publications available.

While the C64 is unit and of course has more users, I think you
are underestimating the A2 market a bit.  Gareth Jones has
already said he knows the number (several dozen) of SuperConvert
users you mention just in British Columbia and that's not the focal
point of the GS market.  Alltech has a triple digit waiting list on
the Zip GS accelerator.  I just don't buy it...the A2 market is here.
It may be smaller than it used to be, but it still exists.

In email, you said you ceased buying new things for the GS. It
may be that you are projecting your own actions on what you
think others are doing.  ;-)

By the way, I read that the total number of A2s sold, excluding
clones, is about 11 million.  This is counting the II and II+ units.
C64 and C128 together sold at least three times that!

I wonder if Apple saw things differently what would have happened.
We could use a 90s version of the Commodore 64.  How much
do you think it costs to build an Apple IIGS?  I bet Apple can turn
in a profit even at $80 a unit.  This will make $150 for an Apple
IIGS system.  If Apple bundles software and enough memory,
we could have a winner...