Re: Apple ///?

[Smarter%than%Spam@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (Tilghman Lesher)]

In article <bjbear-ya023680002903970823460001@news-s01.ca.us.ibm.net>, 
B.J. Major & Dennis J. Gorin (bjbear@ibm.net) wrote:
: In reply to:

: >      As things turned out, the Apple III was a miserable failure and
: > so was the Apple Lisa. Despite that, the Apple II not only kept the
: > company afloat, but highly profitable too (which came as a surprise
: > to management at the Apple Computer). Oddly enough, Apple once again
: > decided to try and replace the Apple II, this time with the Macintosh,
: > but yet again their new computer didn't do to well and _again_ it was
: > the Apple II that kept the company afloat and profitable. By the late
: > 80's the Mac was strong enough to stand on it's own though, so this
: > 3rd replacement had worked out. Ironically though, now that Apple has
: > finally killed off the Apple II, it doesn't look like the company will
: > have any future. :)

: That last sentence "now that Apple has finally killed off the Apple //"; I
: think you need to revisit history.  The decision to no longer support
: production of future Apple // models was made some years ago, although
: there is some software support for Apple // still on Apple's FTP sites. 

The software includes the "current" system software, 6.0.1, HyperCard IIGS,
and a few things for allowing II's to boot off a Mac Appleshare fileserver,
NONE of which have been revised in several years.  "Some software support"
is stretching the definition of "software support" quite a bit.

: And the decision to "kill off the Apple //" has nothing to do with the
: present state of affairs at Apple Computer.  Their present problems are
: caused by these things:

: 1.  Insufficient and weak advertising--especially television.

During the Apple ][ years, Apple showed exactly ONE (1) television ad
per year.  This is likely not the problem.

: 2.  Waiting much too long to license the Mac OS & hardware to
: Mac clone makers.

This wasn't a problem for the Apple II; in fact, Apple sued clone makers.

: 3.  Until recently, expensively high prices for anything with the Apple
: name on it.

This wasn't a problem for the Apple II, despite the fact that the Apple
II's were also expensive.

: 4.  Bad management and bad CEOs (present one excluded) for the last several
: years--enough to do it permanent damage from which it may not recover.

Apple ALWAYS has had bad management.  Apple ///.  Lisa.  Mac part 1.

: I don't happen to agree with Apple's decision to axe the // line
: (especially the //gs), but the Macintosh was gaining strong momentum and
: much more visible and in use as a standard platform than what we see now. 
: To blame Apple's present problems on the decision to axe the // line is
: shortsighted at the least.

No, accurate.  And it would be LONGsighted, anyway.

Tell me, precisely, what is the current vision of Apple?  I think it's
to remain alive for the next three years, which, imho, is NOT a vision
likely to buoy the company for any long-term sense of time.

And a stockholder (like me) is supposed to be bullish.  If I'm bullish,
I'd hate to know what a bear thinks.

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