🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <IWSapMy00WE58a00-l@andrew.cmu.edu> Terence David Murphy (tm2f) writes:
>		    I have yet to meet (or hear from) a "computer consumer" that
>agrees with these lawsuits.

	Well, you just have.  I support Apple taking whatever action is
	necessary to protect what they feel are their rights.

>Along the lines of this idea, I would like to just mention a number of things
>that I feel are damaging to Apple's future:
>1)  These lawsuits.  see above

	...or perhaps it will turn out to protect Apple's future.

>2)  a low end computer is needed for competition with IBM clones.  The other
>thing consumers look at besides the computer that exists today is the bottom
>line: price.

	Why?  Whenever I select ANY product, one of the last things I look at
	is price.  Quality and ease-of-use and how long it's going to last and
	whether it's going to be supported are far more important to me in
	shopping for VCRs, TVs, toasters, *and* computers.

	Take a look at HP calculators.  Certainly their "low end" isn't
	anywhere close to quite a few of their competetors, but I felt
	that their HP-45 was a excellent calculator when I bought it 
	15 years ago.  And it *still is* an excellent calculator.  When
	the HP-16C came out about 6 years back, the TI Programmer I had
	been using quickly became a doorstop.

	Apple has no duty to satisfy a low-end customer.  

>3)  how about printer drivers and cables for other serial printers?  Why force
>us into buying Apple products, I personally think they're good enough to have a
>market by themselves (the Imagewriter // is one of the best 9-pin printers I've
>ever used) and shouldn't have a prefabricated market from all the Macintosh
>owners.

	Why?  Apple makes computer and computer peripheral products.  It
	only makes sense for them to support their own products.  If a
	peripheral manufacturer wants people to hook their printer to a
	Macintosh, they are fully capable of marketing the necessary software
	and cables to do that.  And several people do just that!  You want
	to hook an HP LaserJet to a Mac?  The software exists.  You don't
	want to buy Apple's modem?  Great, go buy someone else's.  You don't
	like Apple's mechanical mouse?  Great, someone makes an optical mouse.

	Just because Apple doesn't do it is no reason to badmouth Apple.
	Apple is *NOT* forcing you to buy an Imagewriter.  Can you say "free
	enterprise?"

>4)  the current policy with charging for replacement fans for the SE.
>Hopefully, if I can get onto this board when I go home, you'll be seeing a
>proposal to Apple up here trying to explain how a policy like this can damage
>their future.

	You know, I bought a car a few years back.  Undoubtedly, there have
	been some changes made to that car model in the past couple years.
	What do you think the dealer is going to tell me if I take my car in
	and tell him I want the better radio put into my car at no cost?

>5)  dealer knowledge.  I've yet to find a knowledgable Apple dealer, and would
>love it if they started a dealer education program.  I know my roommate bought
>an Atari 800 over an Apple II about 7 years ago on this basis, and I'm sure it
>still affects sales today.

	Again, free enterprise.  You don't like your local Apple dealer because
	he doesn't know anything?  Vote with your feet and go find another.

	Oh, but the one that knows something is located in the next town and
	charges more for the same products?   Hmmm... did you think that
	support was free?  You get what you pay for.  Personally, I'm willing
	to drive about 50 miles (round trip) out of my way to deal with a 
	dealer that knows something about what they're talking about, and that
	I can trust.

	And it appears that Apple is working in this area; when I attended the
	dealer trade show last year when the Mac II was announced, Apple said
	something to the effect that not every dealer was going to be able to
	sell Mac II's.  Apple was (at least trying) to only let those dealers
	who could support the Mac II, sell the Mac II.

>The list goes on and on, so fill in the details and tell Apple.  They need to
>become a consumer-oriented company if they want to make "the computer for the
>rest of us" and they're ignoring us, which will hurt them in the long run.  So
>don't be shy.

Have you seen the latest Annual Report from Apple?  The one they shipped this
year with the HyperCard stack?  The one that shows just how badly they are
being hurt by the competition?  :-)
-- 
	Roger L. Long
	dhw68k!bytebug