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From: eve@ssc-bee.UUCP (Michael Eve)
Newsgroups: net.micro.apple
Subject: A proposal for Mac upgrades
Message-ID: <227@ssc-bee.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Sep-84 17:18:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: ssc-bee.227
Posted: Thu Sep 27 17:18:41 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 4-Oct-84 02:12:07 EDT
Organization: Boeing Aerospace, Seattle
Lines: 56


   It appears that the most important issues, and reasonable solutions, have
   been obscured by the mass of vague accusations and spleen-venting flames
   (including by own).  I will summarize what I feel are critical:

	1) Apple Computer misrepresented the 128k machine as being a
	   reasonable memory configuration for which there would soon
       be large quantities of software.

	2) Apple Computer knew that the 128k machines would be made
	   obsolete by the 512k machines without an expensive upgrade.

	3) Owners gripes about depreciation of their machines are
	   unreasonable.  The drop in price was anticipated by many.
	   However, owners complaints about obsolence are well founded.
	   To have a machine only 6 months old be shunted away from the
	   main stream of new software is unreasonable.

	4) Apple has announced plans to continue producing 128k Macs (at
	   least until they can get enough 256k rams to keep production
	   going).


   Items 1 and 2 are particularly damning, and sufficient grounds to expect
   Apple to lose a few bucks retrofitting 128k Macs.

   Retrofit with what?  

   Not with 512k boards, at least not for free (maybe for the cost of the
   chips alone).

   I propose Apple redesign the memory board the way they should have
   designed it in the beginning.  A simple board with 16 sockets and a
   personality module (or jumpers) to allow the use of 64k or 256k rams (or
   even 1 meg rams, if compatible).  

   Former Apple ][ owners will recognize the design approach.  Apple did
   just this on the early mother boards.  Three rows of 8 sockets each were
   controlled by three personality modules.  Each row could accept either 4k
   or 16k chips.  Talk about expandibility! From the early 4k machines to
   the 64k ][+ is a factor of 16 -- this without a costly trip to the dealer
   or replacing a board. If the Mac were similary expandable, original
   owners could go from 128k to 2 Meg.

   This new board should be given to all 128k owners, gratis, and, screw the
   stockholders (I myself am one, and I do not own a Mac-- I'm not that
   naive).  All new 128k machines should be supplied with this new board as
   standard equipment.  This will allow those on limited budgets to
   experience the Mac environment and upgrade when chip prices fall.

   Such a simple thing, such a reasonable thing, but who ever heard of an
   upgradeable bar of soap?
-- 
	Mike Eve     Boeing Aerospace, Seattle
	...uw-beaver!ssc-vax!ssc-bee!eve