2286 Bridge $1595???
9 messages in this thread
When I first saw the list price for the 2286 Bridgeboard ($1595) I thought
it was a mistake. Upon finding it to be true, I thought maybe Commodore was
going to get something right for a change and include a lot of extras with
the card. Things such as VGA, ports, extra memory, etc. It now looks as
though the 2286 will be little more than a slow AT version of the original
Bridgeboard. As such, I feel the price is totally out of line and so do
most of the others in my user group. I'm sure there are a lot of others who
feel this way and now is the time to let Commodore know that their
arbitrary and asinine pricing structure of the 2286 is unacceptable! If you
agree and want to do something about it, send a letter to CBM and let them
know how you feel. If you are in a user group have your members sign a
group letter for the club president to mail to CBM. Remember, the product
is not out yet so there's still time for Commodore to get a grip on
reality.
On the other hand, just don't buy it.
Welllll, yeah that's one answer. And easy for you since you neither want nor
have a use for any messy dos stuff. Remember though, the price of the
bridgeboard will have an impact on sales of new 2000's. So it is not only those
who want a bridgeboard that should be concerned with the price.
Like yourself, I was shocked too. In my user group Long Island
Commodore Amigians, we had 50 members who had planned to join in on a group
purchase of the 80286 AT Bridgeboard. When the group heard the price was
$1599 instead of the original estimation of about $1000, not one still
wanted the board, and refunds were given. During our last meeting, members
of our group spoke out during our open forum stating that an IBM PS/2 Model
30 with a 10 mhz 80286 processor, VGA graphics, a 1.44 mb floppy drive and
a keyboard was available in local stores for $1300. How can commodore just
sell the board and an out of date 5 1/4 1.2 mb drive with CGA graphics for
$1599. That's insane! Obviously they don't intend to have any volume
sales of this product.
In conclusion if anyone from commodore is reading this, either
lower the price or give me more for my money! (i.e. VGA graphics, a 1.44 3
1/2 floppy drive, a 12 mhz 80286 chip or at least 2 mb of ram on the
board).
P.S. I was one of those people who had planned to buy an 80286
bridgeboard, but at that price I'm not dumb, I'll buy the ps/2 model
30. (Note: I'll still wait like everyone else untill Commodore
releases the board, with the hope that they read this message and
correct this situation.)
Considering that you can get an Intel "Inboard 386" with a meg of memory
for your PC for about $900 (discount), $1600 for a 286 Bridgeboard seems
awfully steep to me, too.
As i've said let's hope that Commodore comes to to their senses and
lowers the price. $1000.00 list price might be acceptable but $1599.00 is
insane. My dealer confirmed the $1599.00 price for me yesterday, but said
the boards would not ship until January 1989. I hope Commodore uses this
time to re-evaluate their pricing decision and revises the price downward
for my sake as well as theirs.
Maybe for a moment CBM thought they were Apple. Possibly Max thought he was
back at Compaq. Coulda been a bad mushroom. Whatever the reason, hopefully they
will regain their sanity before release.
Our group also has quite a few memebers waiting for the AT Bridgeboard.
Like you, we had also estimated the price at around $1000 (list). I think there
will be very few takers at anything much higher.
Hey, if Commodore continues to take the position of the ostrich, maybe we
should check into a group purchase of <shudder> Model 30's?
I agree… I've felt that the BridgeBoard, PC or AT, had some fatal flaws.
In an upcoming Robo City news column, I detail *my* ideas for a
wellimplemented hybrid AT / Amiga system. My idea was simple, would reduce
the parts count, make the system more flexible, increase its power, ability
and AT compatibility. So, of course, it could never be implemented. – John
Foust