& LIGHT-YEARS! - TRS-80 Color Computer Archive

Apple vs. Amiga
Recently, while looking through some
old issues, I came across the item "Ap
ple Loves the Plus" in the November
1988 "News and Notes" section. It's a
wonder to me that anybody pays that
kind of money for that kind of system
when computers like the Amiga are
available for less.
Let's do a quick comparison of the
Apple lie Plus and the Amiga 500
(which is what I own). The Apple He
Plus comes with 128Kof RAM; the
Amiga 500 comes with 512K of RAM.
The Apple has a very low screen resolu
tion. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I
think it has 320 X 200, the same as the
C64. The Amiga has a maximum reso
lution of 640 X 400. The Apple lie Plus
has bleeps and tones for sound. The
Amiga has four-channel stereo sound.
The Apple has 16 colors; the Amiga has
4096 colors. The Apple runs at a maxi
mum speed of 4 MHz; the Amiga runs
at a speed of 7.2 MHz. The Apple has a
6502 microprocessor; the Amiga has a
Motorola 68000 microprocessor. And
the list goes on.
The final thing I would like to
point out is that an Amiga 500,
equipped with an RGB analog monitor,
costs around $900. The Apple He Plus,
equipped with a composite monitor,
costs $ 1,099. As you can see from the
above list and the prices, there really is
no comparison. How can Apple justify
this? It should price this computer
down nearer to the price of a compara
ble Commodore 64 system. Why any
one would pay so much money for so
little computer is beyond me.
XTs for Less
Layne Adams
Rockwall, TX
I just read your column on the cost of
computers ("Editorial License." Febru
ary 1989). You said it was possible to
buy a color TV, CD player, and so on,
for under $300, but "good luck" trying
to find a computer system for that
amount. I agree that there probably
aren't any serious computer systems
around for $300. but it is possible to put
together an IBM PC XT-compatible
system (less printer) for about $365, in
cluding monochrome monitor, disk
drive, and 128 K of RAM.
I don't think you will see an EGAcapable
system for $400-$500 (with
printer) in the near future. The lowest
priced EGA monitor I could find costs
$320 all by itself. A more realistic figure
is $900-$ 1,000.1 do not believe the
$400-$ 500 figure will result even from
high volume, direct sales, or mass mer
chandisers, as the figures I found are
the lowest direct-sales prices I could
find.
I, too, would like to see lower sys
tem prices, but I think we have hit near
bottom on PC compatibles based on
the 8088 and 80286 microprocessors.
Phil Imber
Glendale, AZ
Mr. Imber included a price list for XTcompatible
components that hefound in
Computer Shopper—a 4.77-flO-MHz
motherboardfor $69, a computer case
for $24, a power supply for $30, and so
on. Ifyou 're willing to tinker and search
for good prices, you can probably build a
cheaper system than you can buy.
Diet Search
I'd like to ask for your assistance in lo
cating a program. Several years ago, I
purchased a program called the Scarsdale
Medical Diet for my Apple He. I've
since sold the Apple and replaced it
with an MS-DOS system. I would now
like to locate the MS-DOS version of
the program, having sold the Apple ver
sion with that computer.
Garry G. Stiegman
New York, NY
Bantam Books has discontinued The
Complete Scarsdale Diet, but there are
other options. Try, for example, Your
Personal Weight Loss and Nutrition
Center ($49.95) from Instructional
Systems, 14 East Fourth Street, Suite
602, New York, New York 10012; (212)
477-8800.
Neat Niche
I think COMPUTE! magazine has defi
nitely created a niche for itself. Several
of your columnists are unique in their
personal approach; I especially like
Orson Scott Card.
Furthermore, few magazines
would have the ambition and courage
to cover both very inexpensive and
very expensive software in the same ar
ticle as Caroline Hanlon did with word
processors in May. Her list may not
have been complete, but its diversity is
a credit to your multidimensional ap
proach to home computing.
Arleigh Hartkope
East Brunswick, NJ B
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JUNE 1989 15