Message-ID: <1346@sdcc7.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Jan-85 01:31:26 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcc7.1346
Posted: Fri Jan 18 01:31:26 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 04:40:39 EST
Reply-To: ee65xdh@sdcc7.UUCP (JAMES HAYES)
Distribution: net
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
Lines: 114
Keywords: MacTari MacIntosh Apple Atari GEM TOS Digital-Research
Summary: Technical description 

While is Las Vegas, I had the experience of seeing what I think will
be a problem to Apple. A big problem.

They are billed as the ATARI 130ST (128K) 
		 -and- ATARI 150ST (512K).. {Sound familiar so far?}

Here's the poop:

Disk-Drives:
  3.5 inch with 250K or 500K(REALLY!)
  3.5 inch HARD-DISK. (OPTIONAL)

Printer:
  Color Dot Matrix, Non Impact, 50CPS  (Thermal Transfer)
  Daisy Wheel Letter Quality, 12CPS (Impact, what else?)
  Dot Matrix, 80CPS (Impact)

Monitors:
  12" High Resolution, Monochrome
  12" RGB Color (High resolution, needless to say..)

Memory:
  128K
  512K  (No specs. on speed given.)

  196k OF    ROM!!! (Expandable to 523k of ROM!!) {No more loading!}

Display:
  Individually addressable 32K bit-mapped screen
  3 graphics modes
    329 x 200 in 16 colors   \
			      -512 Colors (8 levels of Red, Blue, Green)
    640 x 200 in 4 colors    /
    640 x 400 in monochrome

Architecture:
  16/32 bit Motorola 68000 microprocessor
    8  32 bit data regs.
    8  32 bit address regs.
   16  bit data bus
   24  bit address bus
    7  levels of interupts
   56  instructions
   14  addressing modes
    5  data types

Data Storage:
  High-speed hard-disk interface
  DMA at 1.33 Megs a second!
  Cartridge access
  Integrated Floppy Disk controller (IFD=IWM from Apple)

Sound and Music:
  30 Hz to above audible range
   3 voices (channels for tri-phonic sound)
     Separate frequency and volume controls
     Dynamic envelope controls, ADSR, and noise.

     "MIDI" (?) interface to hook up synthesizers

Keyboard:
  Ergonomic height and angle
  18 key-numeric keypad
  Separate CPU to run keyboard
  10 function keys
  Undo, Help, Backspace, Insert, Clear/Home, CTRL, ESC, Caps-lock

Video Ports:
  Standard Television (RF)
  Low-res composite video (NTSC)
  Medium-res (RGB)
  High-res (ATARIchrome monitor)

Communications:
  Centronics
  RS-232C
  High-speed hard disk interface
  Joystick ports (2) one for mouse (TWO BUTTONS.)

Languages:
  BASIC
  LOGO
  (more to be announced.)

BASIC SYSTEM:

			**************
			* < 1,000 $$ *
			**************

Overall impressions?

Favorable. When I walked by the Atari booth, I mistook the display
for a MacIntosh. My curiosity was piqued. (at least!)

The Atari Finder was up and running while an Atari rep. was
demonstrating. I wanted to play, but go caught. "DON'T TOUCH
PLEASE!"

Anyway, Apple has something to worry about.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like anymore information on new products anounced at
C.E.S. I will be happy to reply.

Me:                  James Hayes
US Snail:            P.O. Box 7378, La Jolla CA 92037
Ma-Bell:             (619) 455-1195
Net:                 {ucbvax,sdchema,inhp4,ucivax,
		      bmcg,sdcrdcf,akgua}!sdcsvax!sdcc7!ee65xdh

~Speed isn't everything. You have to be right sometime... :-) ~
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Message-ID: <479@uw-beaver>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 03:38:05 EST
Article-I.D.: uw-beave.479
Posted: Mon Jan 21 03:38:05 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Jan-85 06:42:56 EST
References: <1346@sdcc7.UUCP>
Reply-To: furuta@uw-beaver.UUCP (Richard furuta)
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
Lines: 66
Summary: 

In article <1346@sdcc7.UUCP> ee65xdh@sdcc7.UUCP (JAMES HAYES) writes:
 > While is Las Vegas, I had the experience of seeing what I think will
 > be a problem to Apple. A big problem.
 > 
 > They are billed as the ATARI 130ST (128K) 
 > 		 -and- ATARI 150ST (512K).. {Sound familiar so far?}
...
 > Overall impressions?
 > 
 > Favorable. When I walked by the Atari booth, I mistook the display
 > for a MacIntosh. My curiosity was piqued. (at least!)
 > 
 > The Atari Finder was up and running while an Atari rep. was
 > demonstrating. I wanted to play, but go caught. "DON'T TOUCH
 > PLEASE!"
 > 
 > Anyway, Apple has something to worry about.
 > 
 > 

There have been a number of articles posted to this group and to fa.info-mac
recently describing this machine.  A number of the authors have also
indicated that they think that "Apple is in trouble."

I tend to doubt it.  For one, if I remember correctly, the Atari machine is
promising to deliver in the last quarter of this year.  That's quite a time
away and given the history of this past year, I'd expect that there are
going to be many new interesting price adjustments (that will probably annoy
those of us who've already purchased Macs) as Apple announces new versions
in the line.  Second, this is capitalism we have here and Apple is talking
about spending something like $100 million on advertising this year.  I
doubt that Atari is going to even come close to matching it.

I tend to hold my judgement on a machine that exists in prototype form with
a configuration that isn't stable enough that passers-by aren't allowed to
touch.

There's a couple of pretty subtle factors that play in here, in addition to
the sledgehammer of $100 million advertising.  One is that the packaging of
the Atari system sounds like it is going to be far more traditional one with
many little pieces as opposed to the Macintosh's bundled design.  This might
not seem important to us, but I suspect that the more pieces you break the
computer into, the more potential customers you alienate.  I don't know if
Apple really understood what they were doing with the Mac's packaging, but
they seem to have wound up with a unit with an appearance that is
surprisingly non-threatening to the computer novice.  The early reports
sound like Atari's system isn't as strong in this respect.

My belief is that Consumers' Reports is right this time.  The power of the
Macintosh is that it has managed to provide an easily accessible entry for
the many people who want to use computers but who are put off by the
complexity of other systems' hardware and software.  I've heard too many
stories about people who had previously refused to use computers who
subsequently enjoyed using the Macintosh to doubt Consumers' Reports this
time.  The things that bug us, like the slowness in starting up an
application, are quite irrelevant.

The indication seems to be that Apple plans to go for the high end market
(read "business") this year (witness the fact that they actually ran that
heavy handed ad with the lemming-like business people walking off of a
cliff).  I suspect the effect of this on the low-end market is going to be
that the 128K Mac is still going to be viewed as a high quality computer by
the general public and one that one should aspire to own.  I doubt that
Atari is going to be able to get a similar kind of image for their system.

					--Rick

Message-ID: <1030003@acf4.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 16:32:00 EST
Article-I.D.: acf4.1030003
Posted: Mon Jan 21 16:32:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Jan-85 04:38:14 EST
References: <1346@sdcc7.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
Lines: 15



One problem.  Its not compatible with the Macintosh.  That alone will
ring its death knell.  Remember, by the time Tramiel's machines make the
marketplace (IF they make it there), it will be late spring.  There will
be many hundreds, of not thousands of packages for the Macintosh.  There are
already hundreds of commercial packages, and thousands of public domain 
programs out there.  

Another important point.  Lotus is not going to re-write Jazz for Atari.

			   - David HM Spector
			     NYU/acf Systems Group
			     Arpa: Spector@nyu-cmcl1.ARPA
			     UUCP: ...!allegra!cmcl2!cmcl1!spector