#VillageTronic and 3.1
35 messages in this thread
Jeff
On the subject of inflated pricing for OS3.1…..
>What pushes the price right up is the shipping cost from Germany.<
You might be interested to know that even in Germany OS3.1 is advertised at
DM199 for an A40000 which works out at about #90 UK. Posting the packet from
the Germany to the UK is another #5 tops so ca #95.
Seems like someone's margins are pretty high to me !
Muir
Yes, I know OS3.1 is advertised at DM199 in Germany. Germany is a totally
different market to the UK. More Amigas were sold into offices, more Amigas
were sold for serious pursuits. DM199 is probably a reasonable price for
Germany.
But the UK Amiga market is nowhere near as sophisticated as the German Amiga
market. The average UK Amiga owner is much younger, much (dare I say it) less
intelligent, and much poorer. 100 GBP is too much for the UK.
But as the pack is made in Germany by a German company, they first set the
price for Germany and that sets the price for outside Germany.
A couple of interested parties tried to get the rights to manufacture an OS3.1
pack in the UK to sell at ~50 GBP. Commodore UK was fairly enthusiastic about
it, but there was so much confusion about who had the right to give who the
rights to do what….
Jeff Walker, JAM magazine
jwalker@cix.compulink.co.uk
Jeff,
>>there was so much confusion about who had the right to give who the rights
>>to do what….
No one has the right to do that! <g>
Jim
Jaywal Productions, Inc.
Right.
Jeff Walker, JAM magazine
jwalker@cix.compulink.co.uk
Jeff,
Agree on the market deomgraphics.
On price, exactly my point….. either someone is making a lot of money on this
or the cost of production of the manuals/ROMs etc is very high. Given that
someone in the UK thought they could sell the stuff for 50 pounds it seems that
high Margins are the culprit. To your other point on relative pricing between
Germany and the UK – it also may interest folks that Amiga Hardware and serious
software is usually CHEAPER here in Germany than in the UK. Mail order game
software is the opposite.
Bye the way DM199 is a rip off here as well. At the last Cologne show
competition brought the price down to ca DM130.
Muir
If the price came down to DM130 at Cologne, that shows how enormous the margins
on that pack are, and that DM199 was as wrong for Germany as 100 GBP was for
the UK.
Very little margin is offered by Villagetronic to UK dealers/distributors, so
the price here has to remain high.
Jeff Walker, JAM magazine
jwalker@cix.compulink.co.uk
Jeff,
How is JAM coming along …. it's been a long time since I had a good read at
the last issue !
Muir
JAM #56 went in the mail on Monday. Sorry for the delay, the reasons for which
are explained in the mag.
Jeff Walker, JAM magazine
jwalker@cix.compulink.co.uk
In a market with volume as low as it is, the margins have to be fairly high.
Though you'd think that someone selling 3.1 could bet on being able to make
good money putting together tens of thousands at a time and selling them
cheaper…
Dale L. Larson, dale@iam.com
el Presidente, IAM
http://www.iam.com
> tens of thousands at a time…
That was the plan, I believe, and the margins all round were still fairly high
at 50 GBP retail. But Commodore UK Ltd had no cash and were not able to give
the necessary clearances, or help get the necessary clearances, for a third
party to go ahead with it.
The new A1200s, of course, will come with 3.1.
Oh, BTW, just heard that the new A1200s will come with no manual, just a small
comicbook type magazine to get people up and running, including a list of "10
things not to do" 🙂
Jeff Walker, JAM magazine
jwalker@cix.compulink.co.uk
Manuals cost money and waste trees. In general, the less paper you ship with
each box, the heathier the planet and your wallet.
Dale L. Larson, dale@iam.com
el Presidente, IAM
http://www.iam.com
And the more ondisk documentation you have, the easier it is to pirate. If we
all had cdrom drives, we wouldn't get manuals anymore.
Phill
I don't think paper documentation is a serious deterent to piracy, for a number
of reasons. Not least of which is that online help is an important feature in
most programs anyway.
Dale L. Larson, dale@iam.com
el Presidente, IAM
http://www.iam.com
I don't know, someone here was having trouble with microsoft word today. The
online help didn't help him at all, I guessed how to sort him out but then I am
a programmer. It's a lot easier to use other software if you are a programmer
yourself 🙂
Phill
>I don't think paper documentation is a serious deterent to piracy
I agree.
But I like paper documentation, and do not like online. But I don't mind been
distributed digitally cause I don't need three manuals if I have three systems
running. I just do what I did with OS/2 I printed the whole thing. (Do I hear
chainsaws going in a forest somewhere?)
Hey I did printed double sided though. 😀
Eduard Joseph
Was I complaining? I spend some of my time dealing with lots of people who
don't understand the current Workbench manual. The simpler the better, IMO.
Jeff Walker, JAM magazine
jwalker@cix.compulink.co.uk
You really think that there are tens of thousands of people who would upgrade
to 3.1?
I don't know any other amiga owners that have, one has his amiga packed away (
he has a pentium now ) :-(, the other probably wouldn't if it cost a quarter
that it does.
Phill
I don't doubt at all that there are tens of thousands of very active Amiga
owners who'd quickly upgrade to 3.1 for something like $75. Anyone who'd spend
any money on their Amiga at all is a good upgrade candidate. That there are
some/lots of people who's Amigas are gathering dust or not spending money isn't
a factor.
Dale L. Larson, dale@iam.com
el Presidente, IAM
http://www.iam.com
>>tens of thousands of very active Amiga owners who'd quickly upgrade to 3.1
>>for something like $75
Just paid $80.00
Jim
Jaywal Productions, Inc.
Yeah? Where? I want to upgrade two machines….
Bernard Cawley
on Amiga AutoPilot from the Pacific Northwest
Sorry, I got the 3.1 from the classifieds here. Used.
Jim
Jaywal Productions, Inc.
Bernard,
If you're looking for an OS3.1 upgrade, I think Software Hut has them,
Expert Services should also have them ( Voice: 606-371-9690, FAX: 606-282-5942,
BBS: 606-282-5943, Internet: scottbe@iac.net). They may be available through
other mail order sources also.
Asha
@}–`–,-
Thanks Asha!
I will try Zipperware and Nybbles and Bytes – the two remaining Amiga
dealer/supporters I know of in the Seattle/Tacoma area, too.
Bernard Cawley
on Amiga AutoPilot from the Pacific Northwest
PMFJI….There's also Computer Concepts up near Lynnwood.
Seattle Bob…Now a six meg maniac
I bought my first Amiga 500 at Family Computer in Lynnwood (I'm an Everett
dude). I had no clue there was an Amiga store left in Snohomish County. They
still sell Amiga stuff? How much, is their selection good or are they mainly a
PC store. My friend always goes to Nybbles and Bytes, since he was stationed
at Fort Lewis. I'd like to give any Everett-area Amiga store my business if I
can.
I've been selling OS3.1 ROM's for A2000/500 for $75.00 for the last month. I
went through a pile of them too. Full packages with manuals and disks are
scarce right now.
Ray Tronix Micro Systems
Thanks Ray. I will try to find one full package, then see you about a ROM for
the other machine (don't need two sets of documentation and disks….. but do
need one!)
Bernard Cawley
on Amiga AutoPilot from the Pacific Northwest
Bernard,
The Lively Computer here in San Diego has the full package for OS 3.1.
619 589-9455.
\|/
@-@ Robert Griffith — San Diego —
—oOo-(o)-oOo——————————————————
Surfing the threads with AutoPilot and Amiga.
Ray:
HOw well does 3.1 work with a Toaster system? I thought people complained
about problems. What's the word?
thanks, dave fisher
Do you have any 3.1 ROM's left at that $75.00 price?
David (75714,2776)
Waiting just "two more weeks" <G> for my 060/A4000T
Phillip,
<You really think that there are tens of thousands of people who would upgrade
to 3.1?>
I know dozens who already have and more who are searching for the upgrade
kits! I upgraded as soon as I possibly could!
Asha
@}–`–,-
<I upgraded as soon as I possibly could!>
Me too. I wasnt't sure if 3.1 ROMS and workbench would make a difference for my
A1200 with M1230XA. However, 3.1 not only increased the graphic speed of my
CPU, but it also recognized the memory on my M1230XA.
Gene,
<Me too. I wasnt't sure if 3.1 ROMS and workbench would make a difference for
my A1200 with M1230XA. However, 3.1 not only increased the graphic speed of my
CPU, but it also recognized the memory on my M1230XA.>
One of the main reasons I upgraded at first was that I was buying a Picassso
board and I'd heard that it worked a lot better under 3.1 than under 2.1. I
was pleasantly surprised at the speed increase, love the new pens (for colors)
and multiview/datatypes! Nice little upgrade, even though it's a bit
over-priced! <g>
Asha
@}–`–,-
>One of the main reasons I upgraded at first was that I was buying a >Picassso
board and I'd heard that it worked a lot better under 3.1 than >under 2.1. I
was pleasantly surprised at the speed increase, love the >new pens (for colors)
and multiview/datatypes! Nice little upgrade, even though it's a bit
over-priced! <g>
Asha..anybody with a graphics board should consider OS 3.1 a "MUST HAVE" It
makes a Picasso II, Retina, Cybervision64 much more stable and functional.
Ray Tronix Micro Systems
Ray,
What do you consider to be the best graphics board for the 2000? I've just
gotten 3.1 and have a 68030 @ 50MHz.
Jim
Jaywal Productions, Inc.