🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <ccAl5B600Uzx83AuIs@andrew.cmu.edu>, mg20+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Paul Greelish) writes:
|> ...  Atari may not go bankrupt,
|> but it'll take a miracle for it to get back anything like the market
|> share it once had.
|> 
|> I remember the golden years. I was twelve years old when I got my 48K
|> Atari 800 and tape drive. I was seventeen when I got my 1040ST. 
|> Atari used to have good products at great prices. No more.
|> 
In the past dozen or so years, (yah, I know, it's not really the same
company), Atari seems to have had fits of brilliance followed by... nothing.

When the VCS came out, it was a great innovation. A CARTRIDGE based video
game, an unlimited number of games in the same machine.  The 400/800 was 
another bold stroke.  It had sound and graphics as good as it got in the 
home computer arena.  Then, Atari twiddled it's corporate thumbs and sat on
it's Warner-Owned corporate butt and coasted into the Great Video Crash of
the early eighties.  They relied on their older technology far too long, and
it nearly killed them.  (The 600XL and 800XL were cheaper versions of the 
tank-like 400/800.  I think the 1200XL had an extra function key. :-(
But I still cherish my full-colour spec sheet for the 1450XLD! )

Atari crashed, was bought out, and in an astonishingly short time, had
announced the Atari ST.  (In 130 and 520 flavours, I think)  This time, the
computer was positioned differently.  The ST was a lean, mean computing 
machine. (Tm)  The other upstart, Amiga, had more bells and whistles, but
cost a lot more.  IBMs had credibility, but cost a lot more.  The 
'Jackintosh' had virtually everything the Mac had, and lots more, for much
less money.  The 'game machine' company was playing in the big leagues again.

Then Atari followed the example of the pre-Tramiel Atari, and did diddly.
The Mega ST got an onboard clock, a blitter, and a detached keyboard.  Yay.

MacIntosh got bigger and faster.  Amiga got faster and lots of third party
add-ons.  Most importantly, IBMs and clones got MUCH faster, and MUCH cheaper.

As Apple introduced 68020/30 Macs at 16, then 20, then 25Mhz, where was Atari?
As 8088s gave way to 80286s, then 80386s. what were they doing?
When did the 68020 Amiga come out?  Where were the competing STs?

Atari was spending it's time and energy building clones and transputers.
The flagship machine was allowed to stagnate at 8Mhz and 4MB.  Capable, sure.
But not very glamourous, or inspirational.  Why should a third-party 
developer work on a machine that the manufacturer doesn't seem to want to 
support anymore?  Why would a neophyte user buy a computer with no real
upgrade path?  It's my feeling that even OFFERING a top-of-the-line machine
increases a companies ability to sell the LOW-end ones.  (As the car companies
say: Race on Sunday - Sell on Monday)  (But what about the transputer, you 
ask.  Surely that was a high end machine!  But how many people have actually
SEEN one?)

Now, perhaps, the situation is changing.  Atari seems to have dumped the
clones, and the lethargy of the past few years.  A TOS upgrade eventually made
it out the door.  They FINALLY produced a 16Mhz ST, and the semi-33Mhz TT.
The 1280x960 monochrome looks as good to me today as the 640x400 did in 1985.
(Which was fantastic for the time)   With Unix on the way, the TT may find 
itself back in the pack in terms of technology.  (Most certainly not ahead of
it, unfortunately.  Why a stupid 720k drive?)  The Lynx is an amazing little
beast, too.

It seems to me that PRICE is more of a problem now.  At the low end, I can 
get a 1040STE/mono/no HD (since the price cut) for just a little less than 
I can get a 286-12/mono/40MB HD clone.  (Alternately, the 1040 is about half
of what a Mac classic with no HD is.)

At the high end, a 386-33/SVGA/100MB HD clone is considerably less than what
Atari wants for a TT with 50MB HD and no monitor.  Products like Windows 
largely hide the brain-deadness of the DOS machines, too.  Games are even
playable.

Atari may find itself confined to dangerous niche markets, unless it can
produce another POWER WITHOUT THE PRICE trump card.  It has to offer benefits
that outweigh the risks people take buying an offstream machine.  

How about a TT040?  If NeXt can do it for $5K, Atari should be able to do
it for considerably less.  Even better, a cheaper TT030. (Which I want)

Some creative marketing would be nice.  Bundle in a bunch of first-rate 
programs, in packages like they've had in Europe for years.  Cuts piracy, 
helps the software companies, and gives the consumer a better deal.
Package a Lynx with the MegaSTE and TT.  (Isn't the most money made from 
the software?)  Go for the throat.  Give'm both barrels.

Atari has at least one more kick at the cat.  (Just remember, I won't buy
any Atari that doesn't have a cartridge port!)

Geez, what a tirade.  Hope nobody minded...
-- 
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