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

[rubywand@aol.com (RUBYWAND)]

In article <4m3u9g$ae0@news3.cts.com>, jamess@cts.com (Jim Stafford)
writes:

>
>:      What prices are quoted for a 2GB hard disk (IDE and SCSI)?
>
>:      What prices are quoted for an x8 CD-ROM (IDE and SCSI)? 
>
>I personally don't care about x8 CD-ROM drives. I'm waiting for DVD to 
>come out and I think that my x4 CD is fine until then. I do admit that 
>IDE is about 10% cheaper. You seem to miss the point. I already have a 
>CD-ROM and harddrives that are scsi. If someone came out with an upgrade 
>to the GS and it didn't come with scsi it wouldn't do me any good. I do 
>know that in our magazine that they have 1.06 gig hard drive scsi and ide

>that are the same price. ....
>

     One notices that the above response is bereft of specific price
quotations for x8 CD-ROM and 2GB hard disk. One is also well aware of the
explanation.

     If you really want to, we can analyze the magazine's advertised price
for 1.06GB IDE/SCSI hard disks. In Houston, 1.08GB IDE hard disks sell for
$182.95. 2.1GB IDE hard disks are at $288.95. Buyers who don't care about
the 'best deal' can go to any of several shops and get 1GB for less than
$200 and 2GB for less than $300.

     As you might guess, 1GB units are pretty much considered "distressed"
merchandise. A buyer would have to be pretty dopey to settle for anything
less than 2GB. In a few months, 1GB IDE units will drop below $150 and out
of many listings-- too small and too cheap to mess with.  (Hmmm, 16MB RAM
is down below $180; maybe we should just plan on shipping GS-X with 32MB.)



     Look, it's all very well to be pro-SCSI, pro-Firefly, or whatever.
The hard truth is that GS-X has to come in at a sane price against some
very tough PC competition.

     In order for GS-X to impact the home market and force support by
major software vendors it must _sell_. It must attract Apple II users who
are thinking about jumping ship for a cheapo Pentium PC. It must attract
non-II newbies; and, it must win over some current PC home users.

     All of which means that GS-X must be delivered as a complete system
including hard disk and CD-ROM.

     Dose anyone seriously believe that even 5% of potential buyers care
that SCSI may be a bit nicer than IDE?

     With E-IDE, the _total cost_  of including x8 - x12 CD-ROM and 2-4GB
hard disk will come to less than $450. How many II and IIgs users have
SCSI peripherals worth adding to GS-X?


 
>How much you want to bet that the first DVD drives that come out are 
>scsi?(remeber that I'm poor) ;)
>

     Good try! The first DVD's may come in SCSI, possibly because they
will be grossly expensive and aimed at slurping high profits from SCSI
users. Like write-able CD's and similar wonders, there will be no
penetration of the home market and no significant vendor support until
price cracks the $400 barrier. By that time, DVD will be tied to either a
brand new, high-performance plug-in interface or E-IDE.

     Either way, DVD will be available to GS-X owners.


Rubywand