Article 18295 of comp.sys.apple2: Path: winternet.com!uunet!news.delphi.com!usenet From: Rocket Press...a Litmag Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Apple II suicide--a sermon... Date: Sat, 8 Apr 95 19:54:20 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) Lines: 90 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: bos1b.delphi.com Why did Apple abandon the II anyway? I know that this is a question that could require a whole book as a response, so I don't expect anyone to answer it. I was leafing through some propaganda from the mid-80s that came with a IIc that I bought used recently. The brochure claimed that the IIe was the most widely used computer in the world and that it had the most software titles, about 10,000. It also said that with a device called the Rana 8086/2 the IIe could run 5,000 more PC programs. The Rana must be similar to the PC Transporter I've heard so much about. Anyway, this brochure must've been written around the time of the "Big Lie," a.k.a. "Apple II Forever." It made it seem like the IIe and IIc were machines for the future, with promises of hardrives, mice, and other equipment few IIe's and c's are equipped with today, in the few homes where they still are used. I know much hardware was made for these machines, but mostly by outside companies. It was around this time in Apple history that the Mac 128 was in the works. I wonder why Apple went in the direction of the Mac when the propaganda said that Apple II was winning the war over IBM? The headline stated: "Why you should buy an Apple II-something instead of an IBM PC-anything." I work as a journalist, where the machine of choice is the Mac. I am newer so I get stuck with the older machines (the editor-in-chief gets the latest Power Mac), made around the time of the last IIgses, like the Mac Plus. I own a IIgs, as well as others. Anyway, I work on these Macs and say: My IIgs (no speed enhancement) can run as fast as this! In fact, in many ways, the IIgs is better than these early-90s Macs. The monitor is not part of the unit. And that black and white little Mac screen sucks. I would assume sound and graphics on the IIgs are as good, thus the "g" and "s". Also, the Mac was conceived to be a higher-brow, more boring machine than the Apple II. I think Apple lost the war with IBM because they forgot who their customers were. People do like games. And I don't know of 10,000 programs for the Mac. It's hard finding an Apple II joystick sold in stores (I've seen some in Radio Shack), but a Mac joystick is practically non-existent. The Mac belief is that a computer is only for higher-brow activities. Apple Comp must've been ashamed of the Apple II and its Woz arcade history. But, working with both types of 16 bit Apples, I cannot see why, if properly supported, the Apple II (Apple II LS?) couldn't have progressed as far, if not further because of a larger audience, than the present Mac. Perhaps I don't understand the technical reason--which is??? It seems the II series had the right mix of work-and-play. And the story of Apple (as opposed to IBM, which was a corporate monster before the integrated circuit) was a true underdog story, with a wiz named Woz making these beauties out of his garage. I'd hate to think the Apple II's run is gone. And the Mac will soon be a glorified PC. The Apple II series might have competed better. According to this propaganda I found, only suicide could stop Apple's rule of the PC. I guess suicide happened. It was best said when I was looking to buy a computer a few years back, and the choices were a Mac-something and a 386. The salesman said: Nobody likes to admit it, but what you're really buying the machine for, as much as anything, is it's games. And the Apple II was a good gaming machine, still can give NES and Sega a peck or two in this electronic cockfight. The Mac is not. What's the use of a joystick for it? Were those fool at Apple Comp really so pretentious that they had to believe that the only way to compete with IBM was to build a boring machine that was "serious" and "too good" to play Robotron on? DARREN (This sermon was brought to you by one who hopes somehow, by magic maybe, Apple Comp will reconsider and come out with a low-cost modern Apple II to regain a high percentage of the marketshare.) )