#68060 vs. Accelerator
16 messages in this thread
Wayne,
In the "news-you-can-use" department:
CBM is NOT going bancrupt. They were withdrawn from the NYSE pending a "change
of corporate name" according to NYSE sources. This is usually the kind of
statement made just prior to a merger or "White Knight" rescue by another firm.
Rumors have been flying that it is probably Phillips or their subsid co
Magnavox. IF so, then logicly they would continue to supply the overwhelming
demand of the Toaster market here stateside, as well as the new European market
now developing for the PAL conversion co-venture with NEwtek and Prime Image.
The demand for NTSC Amigas for both the Toaster and forthcoming Flyer will
surely bring interest in motorola based Amigas in production at least in the
short term, and pergaps the possibility of RISC based machines in the future.
Frank
But if it is Phillips, kiss CD32 good bye. Probably any further Amiga
development too. I don't see either of them being interested in the PC
field with the state of that industry and the fact that they are getting
in on a loss leader. It only makes sense to me if they are in a chess
game trying to get control of NewTek or over NewTek to get the wonderful
Toaster goodies to serve the ailing CD-I and perhpas to incorporate in
some consumer version of like a Panasonic WJMX xx for under about $800
to go with your home 8mm cam-corder…
Any buyout can't be good. Who would be an ailing product in an ailing
market unless there were alterior motives…
wmc – via Autopilot!
Wayne,
Let's say for example that it is Phillips, and your assumption about CD-I's
marketing failure is correct. Aquiring rights or even partial rights (under
minority participation) in a product that is doing so well in Europe (such as
the CD-32) would mean a healthy return of cash over time as opposed to a
competing product that would drain market share. CD-32 is NOT a competing
product to CD-I despite CD-I's similarities. I would speculate that given the
oppourtunity to compete on a level playing field against Atari, Sega, etc, the
CD-32 would wipe the floor. Lack of confidence by developers for software
development is the crippling factor (such is the case with 3-D-O) Let's not
forget US anti-trust regs concerning majority ownership of US based
technologies by foreign companies. I would think that a minority participation
by Phillips would allow proper restructuring of debt and clean sweep of
management by stockholders. Manipulation of Newtek is an interesting concept,
but I think if anything, it's the other way around. Without the Toaster/Flyer
market, there is little use in future development for the Amiga platform, so
the tail will continue to wag the dog for the present.
Frank
Frank-
Isn't CIL the highest parent company? And since it's based in the
Bahamas, would Phillips have any problem buying -it- out even if there is
a US subsidiary? After all, isn't CBU, or CBM USA, or whatever, just a
sales and marketing company?
Paul
Paul,
I'm not dead certain, but I am pretty sure that any corp that is traded on the
NYSE must be an entity in and of itself. Perhaps CIL is an international corp
with minority holdings in CBM US.
Frank
Frank-
Well regardless of CBM, wouldn't CIL be the one to own the technology?
Paul
PAul,
You are probably correct about the rights of ownership. If so, then the
technology ban fom US gov regs would not apply.
Frank
>>I'm not dead certain, but I am pretty sure that any corp that is traded on
the >>NYSE must be an entity in and of itself. Perhaps CIL is an international
corp >>with minority holdings in CBM US.
mmh, I think not. Note that there both ADR (american depository receipts) like
BP and HANSON etc.. traded on the NYSE as well as cross-listed canadian stocks.
An issuing of stock can call on all of a corporations assets, or just some of
them…or sometimes simply shadows a lump of shares set aside in the companies
home market. i.e. If you buy BP Shares you are essentially buying a shadow
stock that tracks the underlying UK stock but does NOT give you voting rights.
Phillips could buy Commodore if they buy all of the assets or stock of the
company. This is true wherever the company is legally located.
SUresh,
Thanks for the insight on stocks. Does this mean that if Phillips attempts a
buyout, they have to get 100% of the stockholders shares?
Frank
No all they need is 51% to gain control of Commode, or a Majority
whichever is less. They wouldn't OWN the company but would control it.
Commodore International Limited is listed on the NYSE as CBU.
-sja
Wayne:
>> Any buyout can't be good. Who would buy an ailing product in an ailing
market unless
>> there were [u]lterior motives…
That's not true, especially if you know anything about the two corporate
carpetbaggers at the top of CBM. Two "gentlemen" who seem intent on nothing
more than sucking huge personal salaries (the CEO of CBM was one of the
top…10, I believe…paid executives in the US last year) and every bit of
cash that they can out of Commodore before they run it into the ground — and
Amiga and CD32 users be damned!
Personally, I'd think that, at this point, >>nearly<< any buyout would be good,
particularly if it entails the ouster of those two guys.
My two cents….
=Chris
But Chris, thats not the way the analysts work. The technology is only as
good as its marketability. For SOny/HP etc, they see a company that has
had Copperman, other IBMers and some hot shots from Apple at various times
in key managment positions and still have not been ableto break down
market resistance to the Amiga. They won't look at the strategy, but at
the players. These ar people who made ames for themselves in the hey-day
of IBM and Apple. If they couldn't do it at C=, it can't be done.
Therefore, the analyst logic would go, unless there were more marketable
technology on the bench, the risk to talk over C= is notr worth any
possible gain.
(Notice that market analysis has no place for evelutation of technical
merit. Tehcnical superiority is often the death of a product since, if it
is more then an incremental departure from the norm, it is too difficult
to bring along a large market following. Thats why video telephones evne
over ethernet between desktop computers have been available in prototype
and proof of concept for 10 years, all the major comm companies didn't
even attempt until recently to sell the idea. What changed all that?
Quicktime movies! People are now used to [in fact craving more] crummy
quality video playing across some portion of thier video screens.)
wmc – via Autopilot!
It's not Copperman's fault. He tried to do the right thing, but he was
given little money and little freedom.
Paul – Minus Pins!
I'm not suggesting anything was his fault. I am suggesting that the old
boy network would look at his inability to pull any rabbits out of the hat
as an indication that the machine/technology/company just could not be
marketted, period. Ya know, these top managment guys never think any of
their number are to blame for anything – unless they are after a
particular guys job – then he is to blame for everything. Management
logic – an oxymoron.
wmc – via Autopilot!