Re: How will the Apple II survive?

[Chris M <chris@sorry.no.spam.com>]

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 00:14:37 +1200, Jeff Thomas <a2forever@usa.net>
wrote:

>What does the future hold for the Apple II community at large? How many
>youngsters are keeping the tradition alive?

As time moves forward, only the "die hards" will be using Apple II's.
The so-called public school dumping of yester-years apple II's will
dwindle and make the finding of Apple II's harder and harder.  As
machines die, they won't be replaced.

After the current generation of kids, that maybe grew up with Apple
II's in their classroom, interest in the Apple II will only be held by
those old enough to remember it, or those that were introduced to the
Apple II by those still using it.  My son, now 5 months old, has
already been introduced to my //e (he slaps the keyboard a little..
heh) - wether or not it will be something of interest to him in years
to come remains to be seen.  Eventually only a handful of people will
hang on to the Apple.  (This may be decades away, though.)

>Whatever form, emulated or not, I am forever loyal, it's part of my
>life, generation and part of me. :-)

Same here.. In my own ponderings, I would think that someone,
somewhere, somehow, would re-create the Apple //.  Much like the Apple
I project, an Apple IIe machine could be reproduced - perhaps for a
reasonable amount.  The trick will be using the Apple ROM images.  But
I think Apple, Inc. would let that happen if the creator(s) paid
royalties.  It's not as though it would be competing with their Mac
line in any way... so, why not?

// CHRIS