Amiga 2200????!!!!

Pyromania · 14 May 2003, 09:12

http://www.thecryptmag.com/Online/29...ttenAmiga.html

I do remember the ads in Amiga World for the Amiga 2200 but I had thought they were fakes. Another company trying to take advantage of Amiga owners but maybe I am wrong. Anyone have any more info on the Canadian Amiga 2200?

Unknown_K · 14 May 2003, 13:27

Sounds like a load of crap to me, custom motherboards are not cheap, and generally dont get built in small quantities since that would cost a shitload of money (even now) back then. Plus the link mentioned some high res AGA setting, that sounds like a custom chip too.

Pyromania · 14 May 2003, 16:32

Thes could be Amiga 3000+ machines, a few of these were in fact developed. I wish someone had more info or a machine.

Unknown_K · 14 May 2003, 22:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Pyromania
Thes could be Amiga 3000+ machines, a few of these were in fact developed. I wish someone had more info or a machine.

All the hardware companies have equipment in R&D they decided not to mass produce for various reasons. I wouldnt mind breaking into apple and taking a few amd chipped macs that run osx for evaluation.

Pyromania · 15 May 2003, 08:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Unknown_K
All the hardware companies have equipment in R&D they decided not to mass produce for various reasons. I wouldnt mind breaking into apple and taking a few amd chipped macs that run osx for evaluation.

That might be interesting to try, MacOS X is FreeBSD after all @ its heart.

Unknown_K · 15 May 2003, 08:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Pyromania
That might be interesting to try, MacOS X is FreeBSD after all @ its heart.

Well thats like saying windows 9x is the same as dos 6.22. They might have parts of the same base, but the end product, its looks, and its abilities are completely different.

The R&D computers these comapnies made are by far the most interesting and radical since they are never meant to be everything for everybody. If a design is selected for production alot of the cool features get removed or dumbed down to meet a price point, production difficulties, or are too different to catch on. Unless of course the CEO demands those features then you end up with the original NEXT computer that costs $10,000 and doesnt sell.

cv643d · 16 May 2003, 21:25

Hmm I dont know what to believe, I thought I knew all there is to know about the different Amiga models there was

. How could they make an Amiga clone, when for example the Boxer project failed. Then again we know about the Phoenix replacement motherboard for the Amiga1000 which was not a joke but a real 3rd part manufactured motherbard.

These machines must be so rare that only a few people have one. Too bad they dont make them anymore I would have bought one then.

Unknown_K · 16 May 2003, 22:47

Well having an advertisement is one thing, having the real life hardware is a completely different thing.

ant512 · 17 May 2003, 12:13

As I read through this, I became more convinced, but there are some niggling things that make me think it's a hoax.

Firstly, the expansion slots.

"One 486 pc card compatible slot" - what on Earth is this supposed to be? Is it a slot for a 486 CPU? Does the motherboard contain a PC motherboard too? No, we later learn that this is a slot for an Emplant card. So why not advertise it as a Zorro-II slot, then?

"One 'CPU Slot'" - an A4000-style CPU slot on an A1200-style motherboard?

"Four IBM PC/AT slots" - ISA slots? Why would anyone want one ISA slot, let alone four? Is there a single 2000 owner who ever used one of their ISA slots? Are these supposed to support the aforementioned "486 pc card slot"? More Zorro slots, please.

CD-ROM port, mentioned in the same sentence as the serial and parallel port? Is it an external port? I'm pretty sure it couldn't have been an SATA interface... Why no mention of the standard used (SCSI or IDE)? Why no mention of the hard drive interface?

"AGA Chipset...including 800x600 @ 80Hz" - you what? AGA running a double-PAL screenmode at 80Hz? You're lucky to get that on a CV64.

Commodore guarded their IP as rabidly as Apple. They famously refused to allow DEC to use Workbench as the OS for the Alpha workstation; they very rarely allowed third-parties to make Amiga clones, and when they did they were invariably for multimedia business applications (information points, photo booths, etc). Would they really have allowed another company to manufacture a clone and sell it as an Amiga?

As for the full-page advert itself, doesn't that 2200 look just like an old Apple Mac, with an A4000 keyboard and mouse plonked by the side of it?

The photo looks out of place. The advert is a black and white page with only one other graphic on it. It is stuffed full of tiny text: it seems that the designer doesn't want to waste space. However, the photo itself is surrounded by white space. And a photo? On such a cheaply-produced page? Such a bad photo, too. Couldn't the photographer get the camera lined up properly?

The text underneath the photo: that isn't how you spell "inquiries".

The box in the middle of the top of the page: the box around "NEW!" is too large. Compare it with the same box around "Call!" in the 1200 box. This fits the text; the "NEW!" box doesn't.

Personally, I think this is a hoax. The technical details in general seem to be correct, but the layout of the page gives it away. It looks like someone has scanned an advert, removed the middle section, added a photo of an Apple Mac and some text. The top-middle box advertising the 2200 probably replaces an advert for the 600, which would still have been available at that point.

ant512 · 17 May 2003, 12:21

Ahh, now this seems more likely:

http://www.amiga-hardware.com/a2200.html

These guys think it was a pre-4000 prototype manufactured by Commodore, and never released to the public. Gives a better look at the advert, too.

This does raise some interesting questions, though. If it was a prototype, how did Computer Answers have access to it for long enough to slap their logo on the screen? Unless it is a photo of an Apple Mac...

ant512 · 17 May 2003, 12:29

And again:

http://amiga.emugaming.com/prototypes/a2200.html

This one appears to be confirmed by Dave Haynie (DiskSalv, A3000, etc). The 2200 was the cheapest model in a development of a computer called the "A1000Jr", a mid-range big-box machine. If we stick all of the information together:

- The 2200 is developed as an offshoot of the 1000Jr;
- It is scrapped;
- Technology invented during its development is incorporated into the 4000.

I'd guess that Computer Answers signed up as a distributor while the 2200 was in development (they went bust before Commodore pulled the plug).

I'd also wager that the guy on the original page was either making his story up or had managed to get hold of a prototype.

14 May 2003, 09:12	#1
Pyromania Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 3,375	Amiga 2200????!!!! http://www.thecryptmag.com/Online/29...ttenAmiga.html I do remember the ads in Amiga World for the Amiga 2200 but I had thought they were fakes. Another company trying to take advantage of Amiga owners but maybe I am wrong. Anyone have any more info on the Canadian Amiga 2200? Last edited by Pyromania; 14 May 2003 at 16:30.

14 May 2003, 13:27	#2
Unknown_K Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio/USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,380	Sounds like a load of crap to me, custom motherboards are not cheap, and generally dont get built in small quantities since that would cost a shitload of money (even now) back then. Plus the link mentioned some high res AGA setting, that sounds like a custom chip too.

14 May 2003, 16:32	#3
Pyromania Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 3,375	Thes could be Amiga 3000+ machines, a few of these were in fact developed. I wish someone had more info or a machine.

16 May 2003, 21:25	#7
cv643d Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 762	Hmm I dont know what to believe, I thought I knew all there is to know about the different Amiga models there was . How could they make an Amiga clone, when for example the Boxer project failed. Then again we know about the Phoenix replacement motherboard for the Amiga1000 which was not a joke but a real 3rd part manufactured motherbard. These machines must be so rare that only a few people have one. Too bad they dont make them anymore I would have bought one then.

16 May 2003, 22:47	#8
Unknown_K Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio/USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,380	Well having an advertisement is one thing, having the real life hardware is a completely different thing.

17 May 2003, 12:13	#9
ant512 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: California Posts: 964	As I read through this, I became more convinced, but there are some niggling things that make me think it's a hoax. Firstly, the expansion slots. "One 486 pc card compatible slot" - what on Earth is this supposed to be? Is it a slot for a 486 CPU? Does the motherboard contain a PC motherboard too? No, we later learn that this is a slot for an Emplant card. So why not advertise it as a Zorro-II slot, then? "One 'CPU Slot'" - an A4000-style CPU slot on an A1200-style motherboard? "Four IBM PC/AT slots" - ISA slots? Why would anyone want one ISA slot, let alone four? Is there a single 2000 owner who ever used one of their ISA slots? Are these supposed to support the aforementioned "486 pc card slot"? More Zorro slots, please. CD-ROM port, mentioned in the same sentence as the serial and parallel port? Is it an external port? I'm pretty sure it couldn't have been an SATA interface... Why no mention of the standard used (SCSI or IDE)? Why no mention of the hard drive interface? "AGA Chipset...including 800x600 @ 80Hz" - you what? AGA running a double-PAL screenmode at 80Hz? You're lucky to get that on a CV64. Commodore guarded their IP as rabidly as Apple. They famously refused to allow DEC to use Workbench as the OS for the Alpha workstation; they very rarely allowed third-parties to make Amiga clones, and when they did they were invariably for multimedia business applications (information points, photo booths, etc). Would they really have allowed another company to manufacture a clone and sell it as an Amiga? As for the full-page advert itself, doesn't that 2200 look just like an old Apple Mac, with an A4000 keyboard and mouse plonked by the side of it? The photo looks out of place. The advert is a black and white page with only one other graphic on it. It is stuffed full of tiny text: it seems that the designer doesn't want to waste space. However, the photo itself is surrounded by white space. And a photo? On such a cheaply-produced page? Such a bad photo, too. Couldn't the photographer get the camera lined up properly? The text underneath the photo: that isn't how you spell "inquiries". The box in the middle of the top of the page: the box around "NEW!" is too large. Compare it with the same box around "Call!" in the 1200 box. This fits the text; the "NEW!" box doesn't. Personally, I think this is a hoax. The technical details in general seem to be correct, but the layout of the page gives it away. It looks like someone has scanned an advert, removed the middle section, added a photo of an Apple Mac and some text. The top-middle box advertising the 2200 probably replaces an advert for the 600, which would still have been available at that point.

17 May 2003, 12:21	#10
ant512 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: California Posts: 964	Ahh, now this seems more likely: http://www.amiga-hardware.com/a2200.html These guys think it was a pre-4000 prototype manufactured by Commodore, and never released to the public. Gives a better look at the advert, too. This does raise some interesting questions, though. If it was a prototype, how did Computer Answers have access to it for long enough to slap their logo on the screen? Unless it is a photo of an Apple Mac...

17 May 2003, 12:29	#11
ant512 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: California Posts: 964	And again: http://amiga.emugaming.com/prototypes/a2200.html This one appears to be confirmed by Dave Haynie (DiskSalv, A3000, etc). The 2200 was the cheapest model in a development of a computer called the "A1000Jr", a mid-range big-box machine. If we stick all of the information together: - The 2200 is developed as an offshoot of the 1000Jr; - It is scrapped; - Technology invented during its development is incorporated into the 4000. I'd guess that Computer Answers signed up as a distributor while the 2200 was in development (they went bust before Commodore pulled the plug). I'd also wager that the guy on the original page was either making his story up or had managed to get hold of a prototype.

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