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

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

buchner@freenet.msp.mn.us (Greg Buchner) wrote:

wsmith@NOSPAM.ctron.com (Will Smith) wrote:

>supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer) wrote:
>
>|>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...
>>
>>the beauty of this is that Apple could corner the "low-end" market,
>>especially at home.  at prices like this (and when comparing the
>>capabilities of the respective machines), there's no way that Apple
>>could consider the GS to be "competing" against the Mac!
>
>Well, I've done some work at a place that was selling (or more
>accurately, trying to sell) IIGS system's for $99.  Schools were
>interested, but individuals...for the most part they look for
>something that can run the latest in games.  Games are a driving
>force for most people and for the ones that it isn't, they 
>generally tend to look for compatibility.
>
>The IIGS would have to be heavily modified to make it in today's
>market and that would drive up the cost.

Ever seen a GeoBook?  Sells for $300, incompatible with a PC
or Mac, runs GeoWorks and an MS-DOS like shell, is as slow
as an IBM XT, and looks like a notebook computer.  It is a big
hit...

I seen the software.  It is not impressive.  The word processor
has no search and replace and not even a FIND function!  AW
and AWGS is better.  Even an unaccelerated GS running AWGS
is faster and better.

Why is GeoBook doing well?  It fills the Commodore 64 niche.

Your experience does not reflect the general market trends
because you are selling used Apple IIGS units from 1986 to
consumers as such.  Repackage the GS units as "new" 90s
units (like the GeoBook people repackaged XT type software)
and sell it new with enough software and memory for $150 and
you've got your Commodore 64 for the 90s!  It'll kill the GeoBook.
They could even build AppleWorks GS into word processor units
and GeoBook type devices instead of GeoWorks...it'll be an
improvement in capabilities!

O-and GeoBook advertises "Internet Capability"...?  What it
really is in actuality is a shell account provider with an SIS type
interface...but not even as powerful as Spectrum.