Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 SMI; site sun.uucp Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxb!mhuxn!mhuxm!mhuxj!houxm!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!decwrl!sun!dgh From: dgh@sun.uucp (David Hough) Newsgroups: net.micro.apple Subject: Re: THE WOZ Message-ID: <1987@sun.uucp> Date: Mon, 11-Feb-85 16:31:19 EST Article-I.D.: sun.1987 Posted: Mon Feb 11 16:31:19 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 13-Feb-85 03:33:54 EST References: <526@decwrl.UUCP> Reply-To: dgh@sun.UUCP (David Hough) Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Lines: 25 Summary: The bottom line for this and similar comments that appear regularly here is the following: hackers are not a billion dollar market. Hackers are not important to a billion dollar company except when they create commercial software that helps sell hardware to non-hackers, i.e. ordinary consumers. As far as I know, none of the principal players in the personal business computer market, including Apple and IBM, have anything to brag about in the way of end-user support, particularly for technically demanding end-users. You can't call GM in Detroit and expect to be put through to the engineer who designed your Cadillac, much less your Chevy. If you want that kind of support you deal with a very small custom car builder and pay appropriately. GM will tell you to call the dealer, who will put the salesman back on the line to tell you what a great little car you bought. If you want a technical discussion you can probably talk to the service mechanics for $40 an hour. Steve Jobs has mentioned repeatedly that Apple is now in the toaster appliance business. Believe it. I guess Woz finally did. It just may be that improving the Apple ][ too much would adversely affect Macintosh sales. IBM has these kinds of conflicts all the time. The resolution is as much political as technical. Remember the last executive Sculley hired was a Pepsi guy. David Hough