Re: New Apple II (was Apple's next move ...)

[rubywand@aol.com (RUBYWAND)]

In article <RPNMSsp.rocketusa@delphi.com>, Rocket Press...a Litmag
<rocketusa@delphi.com> writes:

> 
>I doubt I'd spend $1500 for a 32-bit IIgs. I don't know if a lot of us
would.
>Ever get nickel and dimed to death in comp.sys.apple2.marketplace?
>The one remaining thing that links us II users - we is cheap.
>

     True enough. Still, when you start to total up the cost of a 90's
IIgs:

4MB RAM + Zip-GS or TWGS + Hard Disk + CD-ROM + SCSI Card + Stereo Card +
... 

The additions to the base machine are not all that cheap.


     There is no question that any new II from Apple will have to be more
than just a "32-bit IIgs" or "20 MHz IIgs". One reason for this discussion
is to make it crystal clear to Apple (or anyone else)  that a moderately
enhanced GS-- a kind of IIGSe-- will not win broad II user support.

     A new II will need to represent a _significant_ performance upgrade
because we must be satisfied and because it will be Apple's entry in the
home market competition with PC. Non-II-user shoppers will need to feel
that the Apple IIGSX delivers performance comperable to a PC _plus_ non-PC
user-friendliness at a competitive price.


     A rough outline of IIGSX specs hashed out so far includes ...

 1. Speed (via fast 65C1632 or RISC)  equivalent to 10 times current
accelerated GS

 2. 16MB main RAM expandable to at least 64MB

 3. On-motherboard 1024 x 1024 32-bit color Video

 4. On-motherboard 1MB Ensoniq or equiv. wave-table Audio

 5. 2GB EIDE Hard Disk

 6. x8-x10 EIDE CD-ROM

 7. in-FLASH GS-BASIC

 8. Slots for expansion

 9. II/IIgs compatibility


     If you're Apple and you want to do things right, you arrange with
Interplay, Origin, SSI, Netscape, ... to develop some great for-IIGSX
wares before announcing the machine. So, when the Apple IIGSX appears on
TV, home computer shoppers see a neat, new, powerful machine that gets
them out of the PC rat race and into fun, user-friendly computing.

     Some of us might be pinched a bit by an all-at-once $1500 outlay;
but, the idea of being able to move away from our PC's and PC-Macs and get
back into mainstream Apple II computing would be too attractive to resist.


Rubywand