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Siggy999 · 06 December 2010, 00:58

Hindsight is always 20-20. Viewing it from now it's easy to speculate, and viewing it from the OP's criteria you could say the same thing of just about anything made in the last 20 years.

The Ami was introduced as a home computer - many people I know balked at the 1000 when it came out, as it didn't look like a home computer of the time. Several bought one when the A500 came out. It was familiar. It looked like a home comp of the day did - a keyboard looking thing you plugged other stuff into.

Can't fault them for that - it was the move to make in that time. The fact that home computing shifted to affordable - expandable - updatable - systems that folks could use for work and home, and home gaming as we knew it would shift more to consoles... who'da thunk it?
Even companies that were a part of that change (SEGA for instance - going from the Sega PC to the Master System and eventually the Genesis/Mega Drive) felt the squeeze by the end of it.

Even if they did see the age of the keyboard/box home computer coming to an end, the 'big box' systems didn't really take off so well (see above - what people expected). Even if they had the expandability required to keep up with the rest of the pack, then you had the issue of backwards compatability - a lose lose prospect of either having something way too expensive, or alienating your customer base.

I don't think it was doomed from the start - fell victim of being ahead of its time, failing to establish and maintain a niche, and eventually falling behind as other technology advanced.

More just ending up between a rock and a hard place.

06 December 2010, 00:58	#45
Siggy999 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Las Vegas/Nevada Posts: 103	Hindsight is always 20-20. Viewing it from now it's easy to speculate, and viewing it from the OP's criteria you could say the same thing of just about anything made in the last 20 years. The Ami was introduced as a home computer - many people I know balked at the 1000 when it came out, as it didn't look like a home computer of the time. Several bought one when the A500 came out. It was familiar. It looked like a home comp of the day did - a keyboard looking thing you plugged other stuff into. Can't fault them for that - it was the move to make in that time. The fact that home computing shifted to affordable - expandable - updatable - systems that folks could use for work and home, and home gaming as we knew it would shift more to consoles... who'da thunk it? Even companies that were a part of that change (SEGA for instance - going from the Sega PC to the Master System and eventually the Genesis/Mega Drive) felt the squeeze by the end of it. Even if they did see the age of the keyboard/box home computer coming to an end, the 'big box' systems didn't really take off so well (see above - what people expected). Even if they had the expandability required to keep up with the rest of the pack, then you had the issue of backwards compatability - a lose lose prospect of either having something way too expensive, or alienating your customer base. I don't think it was doomed from the start - fell victim of being ahead of its time, failing to establish and maintain a niche, and eventually falling behind as other technology advanced. More just ending up between a rock and a hard place.