🚀 go-pugleaf

Yan Fang writes:
> 
> I don't think NeXT wants to become a clone manufacturer; they just want to
> sell integrated hardware for their killer environment. Many customers are
> willing to pay a premium price for integrated hardware for a specific
> environment; those customers are generally corporations purchashing
> hundreds of tubes and want the least headache and grief money can buy. On
> the other hand, the horizontal market--home users, small business,
> etc.--wants to minimize cost and is more willing to deal with the
> frustration (joy) of putting together a clone system. Either way, NeXT
> would have it covered by manufacturing Intel-based NeXT hardware.
> 
> -- 
> Yan Fang-Magnusson

I think they're Motorola hardware will start feeling the competition with the  
Intel hardware.  I personally think that they should have a RISC machine.  If  
they go with Intel it's like NeXT comming out with a server.  NeXT is  
promoting their machines as a great client machine.  They're not going in the  
server business, instead they're forming alliances so that NeXT machines work  
with all the servers out there (Auspex, Data General, etc).  Now, here's the  
catch, if their hardware goes Intel then what's gonna happen with Compaq,  
Dell, Epson and other PC makers.  Are they going to support NS?  Will they  
bundle NS with their machines?

It's a tough choice, therefore I think that they are better off with some RISC  
machine.  It'll attract users looking for something much faster than a 486 at  
a good price.

It's going to be very interesting to see what NeXT decides.  To me it smells  
like the Power chip.  I don't know the Power chip very well but being chosen  
by so many companies it smells to me like the Power chip might become some  
kind of Intel 486 chip but faster.  The Power chip will not be single-sourced,  
IBM, Apple, Ford, etc will use it.  We'll see PCs and portables from IBM and  
Motorola using the Power chip.  IBM and Apple will have their OS (OS/2, AIX,  
Pink?, etc) running on these PowerPCs.  That's why I said that the Power chip  
might become some kind of Intel 486.

Boy, hardware is a tough business!

I think Steve would want to come out with some insanely great hardware.  But  
which chip they choose is very important and not an easy decision!  That's why  
it's taking them so long, I guess!

--
Ricardo J. Parada
Pencom Software