An Open Letter to Steve Jobs
by Earl Britt

Brought to you by

Copyright 1997 by Bill Fox

Last Updated: October 20, 1997

Subject: IDE vs SCSI
From: promo@wcnet.org
To: bill@macsonly.com

I don't want to make this one of those silly drawn out debates that show up on the web so often, but I feel that I should respond to one paragraph in John's letter:

>If one reads the news about what the new Gossamer Macs will be there are
>only one or two models confirmed with IDE drives. SCSI
>drives are available if folks want to pay for that model.

I have three responses: A: I've heard differently, that Apple is seriously planning to use only IDE drives on the first gossamer series machines and put SCSI in the 9700 type machines. I hope that you're right. B. One of my larger points was that when Apple killed (most) of the clones, Steve Jobs and other executives promised that Apple would start shipping machines with the same or better price/performance ratio as the (former) clones. So why the need for a cheaper drive?.

>it's not true that you can get new SCSI drives of the same size as IDE for
the same cost

c. You're right, of course. What I said was that Apple's only savings in using IDE machines was in the (narrow) cost difference between an IDE the same size as a comparable SCSI, MINUS the cost of building a "two bus" machine, because (until now at least) even with IDE "boot" drives Apple has included a SCSI bus. For instance, today I went to APS online catalog and this is from the first drive that I checked:

" APS Q 2000 Internal SCSI

PRICE: $249.95
SKU: 2210-002

APS Q 2000 Internal IDE

PRICE: $229.95
SKU: 2225-002 "

Twenty bucks difference! (Retail) Now, I admit, in years gone by, the gap was MUCH larger. (So was the performance gap, by the way) The narrow differential of today is mostly (I think) because SCSI drive prices have dropped like a rock and all drive production technology has gotten better. (So why has Apple had so many problems? Dunno.) So why bother going to IDE?

I guess it's because of my past career, but I always liked Gil Amelio's saying that Macs should be built like Maglites [indestructible flashlights]. Maglite does NOT make a "cheapened" line to sell through discount stores. They enjoy the success (and market domination) that they do, because if it says "Maglite" on it, well...that's what you get!

It's a great idea for Apple to adopt more "industry standard" components, but NOT if it hurts performance.

I would also like to mention that Henry Norr (editor emeritus at MacWeek) wrote me a very gracious letter, pointing out that some PC's now use EIDE (Enhanced IDE) which is pretty fast and that the specifications for the Gossamer machines have not yet been officially announced, and implied (as John said) that SCSI equipped machines might yet be offered.

Let's hope so.

Sincerely,

Earl M. Britt

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Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 10:08:27 -0400
To: bill@macsonly.com
From: John Christie
Subject: Open Letter to Jobs

While I agree with many of the sentiments in the letter you published on your site there are a few points that, while representing the current state of the Mac market, fail to take into consideration changes that have already begun.

If one reads the news about what the new Gossamer Macs will be there are only one or two models confirmed with IDE drives. SCSI drives are available if folks want to pay for that model. It is not true that you can get new SCSI drives of the same size as IDE for the same price. Unless, of course, you want to compare company A's price of an IDE with a 20% mark up to company B's price of a SCSI with a 10% mark up. Apple will be giving us choice on this if the rumors about Gossamer are true.

While it is true that Apple has stuck stores with the lower end and crippled machines in the past they have recently opened up all machines to all vendors. If you want to sell 8600s order 8600s. The remarks of the author may well reflect the current state; however, this change has already been implemented and reported in main stream press.

The author was upset that rumored machines may not be what he wants and that Apple isn't distributing the right machines anyway. It isn't fair to complain about rumored machines (incorrectly I might add) and the changes in distribution have already been implemented.

Subject: An Open Letter to Steve Jobs
From: promo@wcnet.org
To: bill@macsonly.com

Dear Apple,

I have been hearing some exciting rumors about forthcoming machines passed on the "gossamer" board designs. This is good news indeed.

Except for two HUGE problems:

One is that the new machines are rumored to have IDE (ATA) hard drives and the other problem is the fact that Apple never seems to be able to deliver what people need (or want) when they need it.

IDE hard drives suck. Because:

1. They're slower than equally priced SCSI drives both in sustained transfers and seek times.
2. They do NOT last as long as SCSI drives.Such a deal: a drive that has lower performance AND less reliability! (Sounds like typical PC clone thinking to me!)
3. We have a lot of cash tied up in various SCSI drives that we are NOT going to give up.

On the other hand, the current 8600 and 9600 are still over priced (especially the 9600) and hard to find. If the G3 or PC750 based replacements cost as much as I expect that they will, (and since they probably won't ship in a reasonable time frame) it seems to me that it would be smarter to buy some Power clones and later add processor upgrade cards.

THAT IS, UNLESS, SOMEBODY AT APPLE COMES TO THEIR SENSES AND CREATES A SCSI EQUIPPED VERSION OF THE "GOSSAMER" SERIES AND DARN SOON!

I'm one of those content creators who (to quote Steve Jobs) "has stuck through thick and thin and deserves some 'thick.'"

You're durn tootin!

It is time for Apple to ship some machines with the kind of price/performance ratio that we NEED. If Apple expects us to pay workstation prices to get competitive performance, then that's what we're gonna do: buy a Sun workstation!

Give me Scott McNealy's stance over "partnership" with Bill Gates any day. We don't use ANY Microsloth programs, because there are better products in EVERY category, coming from companies like Claris, Adobe, and Netscape. Why "partner" with inferiority? Why not deal with companies who are REALLY committed to excellence, instead of mediocrity and "market share"?!? I care one HELL of a lot more about Apple's relationship with Adobe than with Microsoft.

You know how Apple could return to profitability? Start shipping the already designed and engineered products in their current product line, that people want to buy. How tough is that? But what does Apple do? Ship the obsolete crap (like the 15 inch monitors that die, 63XX and 53xx series "Performas" with defective logic boards and/or serial ports,etc) that they then have to dump at a loss. Steve Jobs response? Lay off personal assigned to improving quality and reliability.

Am I missing something here?

By the way, Apple STILL won't admit that there are thousands of defective 15" monitors out there and that some consumers are still getting screwed on replacing them, while others get the free replacements that everyone deserves.

One of my partners works in the Apple sales unit of a large Midwestern state University. They have unfilled backorders piled up like cordwood. It's so bad, that they have reestablished their sales of IBM products. Or consider this: It is less that 90 days to Christmas and the local "Best Buy" [the nation's second largest retailer of computers] ran a color insert ad in the local paper: a 6500, printer, modem and monitor for $1995. Good deal, eh? I thought so and "sold" my doctor on buying one. By the day the ad came out, they had none, zip, zero, zilch, nada. An expected shipment never arrived.

Oh, by the way, they aren't running any more Apple ads.

I know a salesman there (a windoze user, of course) and he gets really hot when he hears from Apple that the big retailers don't promote Apple products. "Well," he says, "we don't." Why? Because Apple expects him to "push" junk like 630's,53xx's,63xx's or so on, when "the good stuff" (like anything with a fast 604e processor that is upgradeable, for instance) isn't available to him. I showed him a MacConnection catalog and he was livid! Basically, he said, how can Apple accuse one of the largest computer store front retailers of not promoting Apple when they get second rate, out-of-date product?

I have been a diehard mac fanatic for a very long time. But for the cost of an 8600 or 9600 (IF we could find them!) I would rather "bite the bullet" and go with the performance and reliability of a *real* workstation. Hey,there are some excellent versions of UNIX, aren't there?

So, in response to Steven Jobs' admonition that the way to help Apple is to "Upgrade that Mac!" I say: When are YOU gonna start SHIPPING enough RELIABLE products to meet our needs, at a price that we can AFFORD?!?!?

You have asked for trust. You want our trust?

Put out a world class product at a decent price. It's time for Apple to:

SHIP OR SHUT UP!

Sincerely,

Earl M. Britt

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Copyright © 1997 by Bill Fox.
All rights reserved--no commercial use permitted without my expressed permission.

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