Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ssc-bee.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!ssc-bee!eve 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