Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!oliveb!sun!plaid!chuq
From: chuq@plaid.Sun.COM (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Computer for the rest of us?
Message-ID: <70045@sun.uucp>
Date: 24 Sep 88 16:54:44 GMT
References: <430043@hpcea.CE.HP.COM> <3600031@iuvax> <69545@sun.uucp> <1282@cbnews.ATT.COM> <6295@ut-emx.UUCP>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Reply-To: chuq@sun.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach)
Organization: Fictional Reality
Lines: 46

>I do feel somewhat "used" at this time.

I'm not sure I understand this statement. Why? Does the fact that Apple has
shifted marketing emphasis mean they came and took your computer back? Or
that your computer suddenly stops working?

What has this done to remove value from your machine that makes your
perceive yourself as being used? 

I'm an old 128K'er myself. We have two of them, plus a laserwriter, at home.
The amount of money I have invested in MacDuff (early 128K+early
512K+ROM+2Meg Dove+SCSI+Fan+two power boards+etc+etc+etc) would probably
BUYT a Mac2 if I'd saved it all and waited until now. But then, I would have
lost all those years of work and production and fun (especially fun) by not
having the Mac.

I don't really understand how shifts in future marketing directions suddenly
invalidate the past, or cause existing hardware to suddenly become
worthless. I don't understand how you can be 'used' in this context. 

Besides, I really think you're looking at one thing and ignoring the entire
marketing picture. Apple has not tossed out the University program. Students
can still get major discounts on Macs and equipment. Apple is still donating
hardware to schools. Apple hasn't, by any means, tossed out the University
market. Concentrating on one item in the entire marketing structure isn't 
realistic. And think about it: what other manufacturers have ANY program
like the Apple University program? Or their developer discount program? Has
IBM ever Fed-Ex'ed a new release of the operating system to their entire
developer base?

Maybe Apple succeeded too well, if you think about it. They've won the
University market and the small business market and the home market -- as
well as they're going to win them. If they want to continue to gain market
share and sales growth, they have to find new markets. That means Business,
which is the only area where sales haven't kept pace.

They have to shift marketing orientations. It's a grow or die world out
there. If Apple wants to grow, they can't decide to simply be satisfied with
what they have. They have to go out and take more. And if you really look at
it, they haven't abandoned their old territories -- if they had, all those
student discounts would be going away.



Chuq Von Rospach			chuq@sun.COM		Delphi: CHUQ
Editor/Publisher, OtherRealms