XPost: comp.sys.cbm, rec.games.video.classic   
   From: wildstar128@hotmail.com   
      
   "Joel Koltner"  wrote in message   
   news:13ja0acaotsa3de@corp.supernews.com...   
      
   > Not as much as you might expect.  Have you ever worked at an   
   > engineering-type job?  (Hardware or software...)  The specs usually just   
   > talk about *what* a widget has to do, i.e., the *interface*, and leave the   
   > particular *implementation* up to the engineer.  Hopefully it's   
   > self-evident that two different designs that meet the letter of a spec can   
   > end up being much better or worse than one another when it comes to user   
   > preferences, and this (the particulars of the implementation) is where   
   > engineers and not CEOs are the ones who help to make or break a company.   
      
   I didn't say whether or not the C64 would be a better device or not. Free   
   reign and the engineers would make a supercomputer. Jack set basic specs and   
   price level. How he did that was "I want a computer that has equal to or   
   better specs than the competitors computer for X price.".   
      
   If the C64 was twice its price at introduction, the sales of the C64 would   
   have been effected. Keeping in mind that the C64 was being marketed for a   
   specific market level. In the 80s, the industry of hardware engineering and   
   software engineering is different then it is today. Different culture and   
   different environment. Home Computer industry was in its infancy with   
   aggressive competition.   
      
   > This does vary from industry to industry, certainly, but I'm quite certain   
   > that Jack Tramiel wasn't the one specifying, e.g., the *exact*   
   > architecture of the VIC-II or SID chips -- just that they have to have,   
   > say, so many colors with such-and-such resolution, so many voices, etc.   
      
   at a price mark that was set by competition. C64 being priced at $300   
   instead of $600 was to compete with Atari. This was because of Commodore   
   stance for "computer for the masses not the classes". Price difference of   
   even $100 more can be a make or break. You see, in the 80s, people were   
   wanting to know what "computer platform" to buy and was weighing the options   
   on colors, sound, resolution, memory and price as it was the only way to   
   compare. The computer market was alot like the game console market. Remember   
   the aggressive Nintendo, Atari and Sega wars. That was how things were.   
   Since, it was a matter of trying to get as many customers as possible to buy   
   *YOUR* platform. Kind of simply put. The Computer industry was the same way.   
   Today, nobody cares what brand as they are all basically the same. It is   
   just a matter of warranty, specs and price where you are at. The platform   
   didn't matter. The brand didn't matter either.   
      
   > A true statement, but it's also true that "without Jack, the C-64 might   
   > have been even better." :-)  There's no way to know...   
      
   True, better computer in technical way but improving the specs would have   
   probably meant higher price and less unit sold. Look at Amiga. Amiga was a   
   great example of a kickass computer. Amiga didn't sell as well for two   
   factors, price and advertisement. It would have sold better if advertised   
   better but not sold as many units as the C64. However, the A500 & A1000   
   would have been a perfect C64 contender if they advertised significantly and   
   sold the unit for $450 and $550 in 1985 & 86. The A500 at $500 in 1986 would   
   have been awesome. Then you are contending to bring advance tech at the   
   price market for everyone. Remember, this would have followed Jack's model.   
   If Jack stayed at Commodore, he would have switched to Amiga full speed and   
   brought Amiga out into the market the C64 was marketed in.   
      
   Jack knew how to sell to the masses. Bringing computer prices at the price   
   the average working folks can afford without spending half the year's   
   income. Considering the average minimum wage income in 1982 was at   
   $5000-6000 a year. One month's wage would be $416/417 to $500 a month. A c64   
   was perfectly priced for even the minimum wage blue-collar worker. He market   
   so they can afford a computer. This challenged the engineers to be able to   
   produce a computer functionally comparable to that of the Apple II, Atari,   
   IBM PC and other computers. He started that with VIC-20 then did the same   
   with C64. It was a marketing success because of that.   
      
   Jack can be contributed that along with everyone at Commodore. So don't   
   dismiss that. Jack being any different would have meant that Jack wouldn't   
   be Jack. Any change in one element will impact the way things were.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)