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

[rubywand@aol.com (RUBYWAND)]

In article <4lnpla$3vs$1@mhafn.production.compuserve.com>, Tom Zuchowski
<71214.1670@CompuServe.COM> writes:

>.... But I don't see a lot of difference between your GS-X and a 
>PPC Mac.  Certainly not enough to buy a brand-new platform that 
>has no apps whatsoever and can't even run my old Apple II stuff.
>
>If the difference is the people (which I strongly agree), then the 
>question to be asked is, why haven't these people already moved on 
>from their Apple II's?  Would they quit using their IIe's and GS's 
>simply because they bought a GS-X? I don't think so.


     Neither do I. What is being questioned is that GS-X users will insist
upon running software tailored for a 320 x 200 16-color machine with 64K
Ensoniq Sound on GS-X. Given that users of IIgs software do, after all,
have a IIgs and that non-IIgs users do not have any IIgs software, what is
the need?

     Still, we cannot very well expect to have GS-X users without first
finding GS-X buyers. For sure: 'The customer is always right'!

    IF Apple supports GS-X, it should be possible to design-in downward
compatibility with both II+/IIe and IIgs without a major performance
penalty. However, we can anticipate an increase in cost as a result:
expect a price closer to $1700.

    Another form of compatibility may be acceptable. GS-X could include
X-Convert firmware and associated hardware aimed specifically at loading
and Converting II+/IIe and IIgs wares to GS-X format. Once converted,
wares could be saved in GS-X runnable form.

    Unlike software emulation, wares would run at full speed-- an
X-Convert option would allow selecting sane speeds for games like
Bounce-It and Elite. This approach incurs no run-time performance penalty,
a smaller added cost, and does not require using firmware or software
belonging to Apple.


Rubywand