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From: melling@cs.psu.edu (Michael D Mellinger)
Subject: Re: NeXT Press Release
In-Reply-To: ckp@grebyn.com's message of 8 Apr 91 14:23:26 GMT
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	<-o2G3=mj1@cs.psu.edu> <1991Apr8.142326.28930@grebyn.com>
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Date: Mon, 8 Apr 91 15:18:42 GMT
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In article <1991Apr8.142326.28930@grebyn.com> ckp@grebyn.com (Checkpoint Technologies) writes:


   He did this to illustrate the problems with the NeXT press release,
   which named it the #2 selling professional workstation.  The release
   itself defines what a professional workstation is, and they proceeds to
   give the NeXT high rankings.  Such a definition is worthless.

Yeah, I agree with this.  I can understand what NeXT is trying to do:
define their own place in the market.  They seem to be stuck b/w the
workstation world and the PC world in both price and performance.
Part of the marketing game has to do with how other people perceive
your machine.  If the computer gets branded a "game machine", it will
take a long time for that to wear off, if ever, even if it don't
deserve the title.  You can't explain to Fortune 500 companies that
games demonstrate the real power of a computer.  So, what NeXT is
trying to do is proclaim themselves a success so that people who don't
understand computers will also perceive them as a success.  NeXT is
fighting the "nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" disease.  It's all
a marketing game, and YOU MUST PLAY TO WIN!  That is the major reason
that I respect Apple.  They took on IBM and won.  They are the only
other PC alternative in the business world.  Commdore is selling
millions of machines and they still haven't won, as demonstated by the
Computer Shopper dropping their coverage.

-Mike
