Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Amiga Update (1996-05-06)
-=========================================================================-
_ __ _ <>_ __ _ ||
/\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || Amiga Update -News and Rumors
/__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ ||(A Very Occasional Newsletter)
/ \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_ ||
BACK FOR THE FUTURE ||
-=========================================================================-
AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga Technolgies, GmbH
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
960506
I M P O R T A N T A M I G A M E E T I N G I N E U R O P E
M O R E O N T H E S M G N O T I C E
About this issue:
We are considering changing our masthead. We've actually been trying very
hard to get back to our customary "occasional" publishing status, but with
little success. It's going to be difficult until things settle down.
We think you should know about the meeting coming up in France on the
19th. It could be the most important Amiga event since Commodore won out
over Atari for the rights to Amiga.
While we're at it, we finally found some responses to the most interesting
recent announcement from Software Management Group. We've included that
information as well.
The words of the ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting
times" seem appropriate.
We hope you enjoy this issue.
Brad
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
V I S C O R P H O S T S K E Y M E E T I N G I N E U R O P E
{The following is from the VIScorp home page. Brad}
VIScorp - Amiga Meeting in Europe
The new American buyer, VIScorp, knows and uses the Amiga technology.
Bill Buck, the CEO, wants to meet the Amiga community and get to know them
better.In order to quickly know the direction it is taking, VIScorp invites
all the users, vendors, retailers, developers of software and hardware, and
the press to a meeting.
May 19, 1996 in Toulouse, France
The role of this meeting is to create a dialogue and consider all
proposals. We must be conscious that the future of Amiga computer will be
decided by the results of this meeting.
To make this meeting a success, we ask that you send your proposals,
suggestions, discussions ideas, etc. by fax or Email by May 12, 1996. On
that date we will open all mail and prepare a summary of all ideas to
present to VIScorp.
At the meeting on the 19th, Bill Buck, Don Gilbreath, Carl Sassenrath,
David Rosen and Raquel Velasco will be in attendance to speak to the Amiga
community and introduce the set-top box. This will be the first time in
Amiga's history that the Amiga community will be consulted. Please be here
and participate in the last chance for Amiga.
For more information about the meeting, and/or for your suggestions,
advice and comments, VIScorp invites you to contact Mr. Eric Laffont by:
* Phone / fax: 33 + 61.53.86.56
* Email: elaffont@pratique.fr
* Web: www.vistv.com
Don't forget to visit VIScorp on Internet (www.vistv.com) to meet the
team.
We look forward to seeing you in Toulouse.
www.vistv.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
W I T H R E G A R D T O S M G . . .
Anti Gravity Products Counters SMG's Claims About Amiga Technologies
From: antigrav@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Amiga Tech
Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 18:27:51 GMT
Organization: Anti Gravity Products
Anti Gravity Products would like to discount SMG comments about AT. AT has
always been very professional to Anti Gravity Products and has fulfilled
any request we made to them regarding products, slicks, product information
etc. SMG's claims about AT are based on the fact that they did not
proform, thus they were removed from Amiga distrubution because they do not
know how to sell the product. SMG did not know how to sell Amigas and did
not put much effort in learning.
Bill Panagouleas
Anti Gravity Products
Sales Manager
Robert Van Buren
Communications system administrator
Anti Gravity Products
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
S M G I N F O F R O M T H E A M I G A W E B D I R E C T O R Y
The Amiga Web Directory page on the WWW is the premier site for Amigans on
the net, and the starting point for many of our searches for information.
They recently ran an article discussing the SMG annoumcment which we ran in
issue 960503. We won't run their entire article, but we'd like to note
that their interpretation of the SMG situation is much like our own.
In addition, SMG did respond to them with some quotes. In fairness to SMG,
we though we'd repeat some of their comments here.
In an interview with the Champaign - Urbana (Illinois) Commodore User
Group, which maintains the Amiga Web Directory page, SMG's president, Paul
Bielski maintained that the decision to separate from the relationship with
AT was not exactly one-sided on AT's part. Bielski is quoted as saying:
"During many phone calls in the final weeks, Gilles, Petro Tyschtschenko,
and others asked us to stay. There were 'many ways' acceptable to AT
Germany, we could continue to participate in the Amiga marketplace. We
chose not to continue. The termination of the SMG contract was simply not
a factor in our decision. The role the SMG would play in the North
American market was agreed to by the SMG, Amiga Technologies and QuikPak
more than a month earlier. The SMG continued to purchase systems from
QuikPak and directly from Amiga Technologies, Germany, well into
mid-April."
This is an interesting quote. Reference to the faxes we ran a few issues
ago (960415) indicates that SMG was not then purchasing enough units to
qualify as an Amiga distributor. The fax states that this had been the
situation for some time. What we don't know is if the rules had changed.
We have also reported seeing arguments on the Net between purported SMG
personnel and others about whether the A1200 could/should be sold in the
US. SMG seemed to be saying in these arguments that there was no point in
trying. The following quote from Mr. Bielski is certainly in direct
contradiction to what we thought we were observing. It deserves to be
noted here for that reason.
"This is simply not true. We polled every dealer asking if they wanted
them [A1200s]. Amiga Tech told us their minimum order quantity was 5,000
units. Despite repeated dealer queries, we never could amass a a six month
forecast larger that 500-700 units. Despite all of this, the SMG formally
presented Amiga Technologies with a purchase order for 5,000 A1200 units in
January '96 and again in March'96. For reasons Petro Tyschtschenko may
want to provide, Amiga Technologies could not deliver the systems. When
those efforts failed, we asked AT to sell us the pieces of the A1200. The
SMG would do the PAL to NTSC conversion and repackage the systems with more
memory, bigger disk and faster modem, all at our own expense. Again, AT
would not sell us the units. Finally, we asked AT to simply license the
technology to us. The SMG would build the units itself, paying AT a
license fee, and assuming all of the risk on our own. Still, no sale."
"The SMG made every effort, and fully accepted the financial risk, of
bring the A1200 to North America. The reason the A1200 is not in North
America does not rest with the SMG."
Whatever the merits of the two sides in this depressing situation, we hope
it is now over and done with and the Amiga community can move on to the
future, as the new slogan says.
All the above quotes are from the articles posted on the CUCUG Amiga Web
Directory page. (If you're an actual Amiga user with a browser, this site
is well worth your time. There is none better in the Amiga community.
Brad)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A S A M P L E O F N E T C O R R E S P O N D E N C E O N S M G
{The following note was publicly posted to the Net this weekend. It was
accompanied by copies of the faxes we ran earlier. We include it here as an
unconfirmed sample of the sort of information Amiga users are exchanging on
this issue. Our experience with this poster in the past indicates he knows
what he's talking about. Brad}
A Usually Reliable Source informed me some months ago that the true reason SMG
claimed there was insufficient demand for the A1200 in North America was that
they did not have sufficient funds to pay for an NTSC production run. Also,
that they used funds sent with dealer orders for A4000T's for each order they
sent QuikPak, rather than having them built in reasonable quantity in
advance.
Seen against this background, SMG's recent open letter seems even more
bizarrely mendacious. Those who read it and wept, weep no more!.
--
Samuel S. Johnson unclesam@cyberhighway.net Meridian, Idaho, USA
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1996 by Brad Webb. Freely distributable, if not modified.
-=========================================================================-
_ __ _ <>_ __ _ || Brad Webb/AmigaUpdate
/\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || webb@malamute.med.ge.com
/__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || bandr@globaldialog.com
/ \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_ || Portal -- XJumpdisk
-=========================================================================-
