🚀 go-pugleaf

In Germany at the Hannover Fair J. Tramiel announced that ATARI
will do some seperate exihibition in parallel to the CES. Don't know
whether this is true or only a rumor.


			 Uwe Hoch
			 Computer Science Department
			 University of Dortmund
			 4600 Dortmund 50
			 P.O. Box 500500
			 West Germany

I just got the May issue of Computer Entertainer, a newsletter the reviews
software (mainly games) and hardware.  They keep pretty close tabs on the
happenings in the industry.  Their feeling clearly parallels my own.  No
company can afford to miss the Summer CES if they want to sell big orders
to retailers for the comming Christmas season.  Although they didn't 
mention that ATARI would have a private showing at some hotel room, they 
did mention that this is getting more popular.  For instance, the list
of software manufacturers NOT at the summer CES is as long as those that
will be there.  CBS Software has just cancelled their booth and others 
are contemplating doing the same.  They estimate is costs anywhere from
$250,000 to $750,000 to have a booth at summer CES if you have a decent
size booth, including transportation, staffing, set-up, hotels, etc.

The bottom line is money and ATARI can ill afford to throw away a half
a million bucks.  They just had another lay-off according to Computer
Entertainer and reportedly employees are grumbling because the latest
paycheck has a pay cut of anywhere from 5 to 20 %, without any fore-
warning!  ATARI has had trouble getting distributors to commit to big
orders for the ST line and software vendors are not exactly jumping on
the slow moving bandwagon.  In fact, SIERRA is one of the only ones to
be actively developing some software at the present time.
 
					Kit Kimes
					AT&T Consumer Products
					Montgomery Works
					Montgomery, Il. 60538-0305
					..!ihnp4!mgweed!kek

x
As you've probably heard by now, Atari made a last-minute decision to
attend the COMDEX in Atlanta. And as several people on the net have
speculated, Atari will work out of a hotel suite in Chicago while the
Consumer Electronics Show is in progress. They now say they will sell the 
520ST through computer dealers ONLY, and not through mass market outlets.
This is a reversal of a position they stated less than two weeks ago.
The 520ST ships in the U.S. on July 8. It will sell in a package
with hi-res monochrome monitor and single-sided 3 1/2 inch disk drive
(500K unformatted, 360K formatted) for $799. Computer alone will be
$499 later on.
The Wall Street Journal reported today (May 9) that the machine is about
to ship in Europe, and Atari Canada still says they will ship it by the 
end of the month. In the U.S., selected users groups will get a
chance to buy it before July.


-- 

James  Calloway
The News and Observer
Box 191
Raleigh, N.C. 27602
(919) 829-4570
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