July 16, 1998 - In a copyrighted interview which appeared in the June 30, 1998 edition of The Investor's Business Daily, Amiga Inc.'s General Manager Jeff Schindler gave his views on the future of the Amiga.
Mr. Schindler talked about the generation 4.0 developer platform and indicated that while the machine will be, "pretty much a PC," it will only be used to develop software for the generation 5.0 platform Amiga. According to Schindler, "The end products that users will see will not be a PC."
When asked about the links between parent company Gateway, Schindler confirmed that Gateway's original intention was to buy the Amiga patents solely on the basis of the value of the patents. "But we've found more opportunity here," Schindler said.
About compatibility with legacy Amiga software and hardware, Schindler mentioned something called the "Amiga Classic Card" which will include the original Amiga chipset that plugs into the new Amiga models. This hardware device will make the new generation Amigas backward compatible with older Amiga programs.
In terms of who will actually build the machines, Schindler told Investor's Business Daily that they have contacted several PC makers including current Amiga developers. Schindler confirmed that Amiga Inc. is in the software licensing business, not the computer making field. When asked if Gateway will make new generation Amigas, Schindler's response was, "I hope so."
Schindler was asked which kinds of users Amiga Inc. is targeting with the 5.0 Amiga. In what could be interpreted as a controversial statement (to the thousands of hard-core Amiga enthusiasts like those who read the Amiga Web Directory) Schindler said, "We're looking for the percentage of the market that says, 'I'm intimidated by computers and I don't want to spend that much.' These are people who say, 'I'm mainly using my PC in home for entertainment and for general tasks.' The new Amiga will offer Internet access for people who don't need a full computer and don't want to spend much."
When asked what about the high-end graphics-arts users who have made up the bulk of the Amiga's following Schindler indicated, "We'll always have the high end. The Amiga design is scalable. But this market is not the bulk of our target."
The 4.0 developers machine is slated to ship in November of 1998 and will have a target price of $1,200 according to the article.
Copyright 1998, CUCUG. No reposting.
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