Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Fortune) 6/7/84; site dmsd.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxle!harpo!decvax!decwrl!amd!fortune!hpda!dmsd!bass From: bass@dmsd.UUCP (John Bass) Newsgroups: net.micro,net.micro.apple,net.flame Subject: Re: Apple Shafts America; or, The Computer For the Rich of Us Message-ID: <145@dmsd.UUCP> Date: Fri, 28-Sep-84 07:53:13 EDT Article-I.D.: dmsd.145 Posted: Fri Sep 28 07:53:13 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 30-Sep-84 03:26:35 EDT References: <1267@unm-cvax.UUCP> <142@dmsd.UUCP> <2280@tekig.UUCP> Lines: 53 OK ... OK ... so I forgot the Mac didn't have parity ... but it doesn't change the numbers much ... since I omited the tally of costs associated with taking in the return, issuing credits, testing, stocking, repair ... which certainly over $60. For those who think that Apple can just name a price they want to pay for rams ... think again ... the semi producers will sell them for the highest bid. The fact is that the semi producers are coming online faster than the customers RIGHT NOW (and just like 1981 and 64k parts) ... but who has been shipping 256k parts in real volume (not just ramp up volumes) ... NOBODY! Who wants to be shipping product with 256k parts ... ALMOST EVERYONE. Anyone who can predict short run prices for 256k parts is a very valuable person ... their are both those betting on fast fall and those betting on a rise followed by a 12-18 month slow fall. Given pricing on other hot semi products released in the last 4-6 years I lean toward shortages 3-6 months out on 256k parts ... and the resulting flatness or rise in prices as most major system houses come on line using the parts. Sure the price will drop to around $3.50 a part within a few years ... but that is not today. Apple is in this market to make money ... for them to decide on shipping product at zero markup (net loss) is VERY KIND ... for those who continue to fume at this assertion please go back and look at Apples quarterly earnings for the last year ... they have missed taking big losses by a hair or less. Last Oct-Dec ... the big christmas sales ... they cleared a profit by accident ... many of us expected them to follow the rest of the market and declare sizable losses ... not yet but turning down profits on 100,000 mac upgrades could do it. As for the fella's from Fortune and Tektronics ... it's nice of you to collect pay checks from companys that still price their 64k drams with the 1981 market, and always ship product above a 2.5x multiplier ... it's truly nice to throw rocks at apples profits when your own pay check comes from someone taking what the market will bare ... STOP BAD MOUTHING APPLE ... atleast it is still giving people jobs in AMERICA ... and not over seas like Atari and a growing number of other small computer makers. If you want to set an example for charity ... start with your own pay check ... give 75% of it to a good cause ... sell your home, computer, car, stero, and color tv and donate the procedes to charity. Then you might have a cause for asserting that others (like APPLE and its employees) should also be revenue source for charity. John Bass The fair price for the upgrade today is $1500-$2000 ... enjoy the kindness of Apple in pricing that IBM, DEC, Tandy, TEKTRONICS, and everyone else aren't likely to give.