Re: Action needed or Apple becomes a looser!

[dastar@crl.com (Sam Ismail)]

RUBYWAND (rubywand@aol.com) wrote:
: In article <3204db36.18869701@news.earthlink.net>, markvan@earthlink.net
: (Mark Van Nordstrand) writes:

: >Any general purpose computer they built would have to be completely
: >open, to be hackable for hobbiests. It would use common PC slots,
: >connectors, pinouts. Also USB. It would use flash-rom, which would
: >have both the operating system and common apps available all the time,
: >upgradable without expense. It would be easily openable, include
: >schematics, and include sockets for chips likely to fail, like I/O
: >chips and CPU. It would use regular DIMMs or SIMMs, maybe the 30-pin
: >type that's abundant. It wouldn't need 16mb, four would be plenty.
: >It could use PCMCIA cards instead of slots. It would be PlugNPlay. It
: >would include the best improvements of late, without the development
: >expense.
: >

:      This won't fly. There is no substantial market for individuals
: interested in messing with low-performance machines. If you want to
: attract hobby types and experimenters, come out with something FAST and
: expandable.

Not true in the least.  You should have recently read about the "under
$500.00" Oracle "internet computer" which has hardly any computer
power at will, but will instead rely on the server which one logs into
over the internet for its computing power.  The above-described system
would be an EXCELLENT internet computer, and that is the first thing I
thought of when I read the description (although it would probably
need some more RAM for web-pages, but RAM is cheap these days anyway).


: >Specialty devices might include:
: >
: >	A home appliance controller, graphically programmable, using IR
: >to control TV, stereo's, other computers, and X10 for appliances.
: >Using TV or LCD for display, with a trackball / screen buttons to
: >program. 
: >
: >	A dedicated net machine. TV or LCD (color) display. Good
: >keyboard. Netscape in flash ROM, hard drive storage of pages / news /
: >email. First year's net access free with purchase. IR connection to
: >other APPLE II computers. Could include quickcam and Cuseeme for vid-
: >conf. and a VERY cheap ISDN adapter. Would also have one-chip ethernet
: >port for cable modems out soon. And cost <$600. 
: >....

:      It's fine to come up with applications. Unfortunately for Apple, it
: is easy to handle needs as they arise via low cost dedicated controllers.
: Any 'do everything' controller is certain to quickly become obsolete.

I don't think so...I think it would simply keep evolving into more
powerful models with strict and clean backward compatibility to older
models.

: >
: >The idea is, if you can't sell one big computer well, sell lots of
: >small specialized ones that can interconnect. These are niche markets,
: >some will fizzle, but one might take off.
: >....

:      You are talking about a situation where a company can, to some
: extent, dictate standards. For example, if Apple had supported continued
: development of the II series and expansion of the user base, then it would
: be in a position to talk about associated controllers and interfaces for
: all sorts of applications.

:      Since Apple went for the quick bucks and gave up any attempt to
: establish control of the home market, it is in a pretty poor position to
: talk about controllers for anything.

:      If Apple expects to stick around, it had best find some way to
: attract significant numbers of home users to a machine it controls.

I think that is already a lost cause, and I can't see apple staying
firmly in the hardware business unless they turn their philosophy
about computers around in a real big hurry.  The constant churn in
Apple's product line (the way I used to describe it is every computer
that comes off of apple's assembly lines obsoletes the one that came
before it) simply makes keeping up with Apple an exercise in frustration
and futility, especially since apple seems to leave the users of
older systems behind.

I think creating an all-purpose micro-contoller built into all home
appliances would be a great way to get back at microsoft.  I see this
as an extremely sound idea, and it is not the first time it has come
up.  There will be a time when you will be able to control all the
appliances in your home (or have them monitored by a central computer)
via some super-universal controller chip.  If apple rounded-up a
bunch of their early engineers (namely Woz, although he may not be
available) they could pull this off with a style you ain't seen since
the Apple ][.


Although they're not totally original, I think Mark has some good ideas.
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