Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!stl!stc!hardware
From: hardware@tcom.stc.co.uk (Group login for Hard)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Trying to reach Christopher Brand, wizard@sosaria
Keywords: Desperately seeking for Chris Brand
Message-ID: <1794@bute.tcom.stc.co.uk>
Date: 26 Sep 89 11:11:09 GMT
References: <25493@santra.UUCP>
Reply-To: hardware@tcom.stc.co.uk (Group login for Hard)
Organization: STC Telecoms, London N11 1HB.
Lines: 66

In article <25493@santra.UUCP> t35033u@saha.hut.fi (Jarkko Hietaniemi) writes:
>
>Awfully sorry to send this here, but my mail keeps bouncing back.
>
>So if you are not today in the mood of being Christopher Brand, Berne,
>	And why is this so interesting you may ask ?

stuff about prices deleted..

>
>	Errr...promise not laugh...in Finland, the market of Commodore
>
>	products is monopolised by a single company. The result is
>
>	obvious: prices are horrifying.
>
>	Same examples : Amy 500 WITH ONLY 512 kB RAM WITHOUT RGB-monitor
>
>	costs 900 US$. Yes, you read correctly. Nine hundred dollars.
>
>	Oh yes, one can buy the 512 kB additional RAM with battery-backuped
>
>	clock (for 225 US$) and some RGB-CRT (e. g. Philips) (for 350 US$)
>
>	Simple additions and presto -- the same combination you claim
>
>	to cost 950 US$ costs us in here 1475 US$. You see know why we
>
>	are more than curious about your article. The ratio gets even
>
>	worse when going to more advanced gadgetry ---
>
>	Amy 2000 here about 2250 US$ (cf. your 1250), not to mention that
>
>	as in the lil' Amy case -- RGB monitor not included
>

These prices are ridiculous, let me quote you some UK prices - these are the
cheapest that I know of and I am qouting from memory. I have assumed an
exchange rate of US$1.6 == 1 Pound Sterling.

Amiga A500 standard 0.5 Mb + Modulator - US$528.

Amiga B2000 standard 1 Mb - US$1344 (not much demand so price is higher).

A590 Hard Drive Plus - US$544.

1/2 Mb expansion with clock for A500 (not Commodore) - US$132

Monitor 1084S / Phillips 8842 ? - $320.

External Drive (not Commodore) - US$126.

These prices are the result of extreme competition so shopping around can get
you even better deals. I bought my A500 / 1084 from a shop in Tottenham Court
RD in London which has about 30 electical shops in close proximity all trying
to sell the same products so by going from shop to shop I got a very good deal,
of course buying on the cheap could result in a lack of user support but you
don't get much of that from shops in this country anyway as far as I have
managed to find!

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Peter Mitchell

Design Engineer - STC Telecoms , London , England.
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