What will drive the New Amiga?

[IonDeluxe]

Nothing whatsoever, offers nothing at all to your normal everyday computer user

Ypu really should just move on if you think that way.

What made the AMiga A success was simply that it was marketed like a games machine, but offered so much more coupled with an easy to use OS and advanced graphics/sound system. In other words you got morethan you bargained for at a relatively inexpensive price.

All we have to do is the same thing again.

First it needs an identity, these generic cases, however nice they get, dont do it. We need a case that yells AMIGA.

There are two places the Amiga could break into the market for a sustained and healthy profit flow. Industry/kiosk systems and that kind of thing, which wont really get it into the public eye, and a multimedia entertainment platform that can replace the DVD, CD, stero, VCR, surround sound systems, radio, maybe even cable TV, provide the households internet gateway, AND be a useful workstation/games machine as the bonus.

In my home I currently have 4 sperate devices(5 if you count the surround sound system) The AMiga could easily be designed to fill this space as all these other machines (stereo DVD VCR surround and cable) the cable part is where a partnership with a cable tv provider would be required, but ignoring that I would still be eliminating 5 device for 2 device(not including the cable) on top of that it can run as a normal computer/games machine.

this could very well get the machine into enough homes to bring the developers back, however it would need to be marketed well, and it would have to be soon as there are manufacturers who are beginning to move in this direction.

I have thought of doing this myself for years, and have set up my PC to do this in my computer room, the only thing I am missing is a TV tuner board.Even still, it is not integrated too well and is just a bunch of seperate and competing interfaces on my computer, easy to use for me but not others who are not familiar with my system.

Combine this with internet gateway and wireless networking/bluetooth technology with properly integrated software interface, a strong and well marketed identity, and you have a winner!

Something like th NGAGE using wireless technology and the Amiga as a server for network games mayhem in the household could work well too in support.

[IonDeluxe]

@Marktime

I understand what you are on about. Its about changing the mindset of the people to measure our success in different ways so we can present a positive attitude. Also about changing the mindset from beating OS* to setting our own goals and achieving them, to succeed in what we want to do, not to succeed in what other guys are doing, and beating them at it, at least not yet.

@bigAussie

I know what you are getting at also, it is similar to what I was saying earlier, and what someone else was saying about portable devices.

@all
all these ideas have merit, and require a change in the attitude an mindset of everyone in the AMiga Scene.Its time to forget about what everyone else is doing, what everyone else thinks is thier way forward, and define our own goals and direction. To do that we need a clear objective, a clear meathod of reaching it and to find a market where our objectives will translate directly into sales.

Here is what I think.

The "leisure market" that was talked about was the same place as the one I was talking about it, we just came from different angles.We can expand this particular section to include the mobile market. I would prefer to call it the "semi mobile' or better still the "portable" market.

The old Amigas were portable (A500 A600 a1200 cd32), you could throw em in a bag and walk over to your mates place and have a ball. They are not laptops, though they would compete with them but you could do it at a lower price point as you can have a larger case, and hence the cheaper components. You could even add a power supply if you really wanted for say 90 minutes.This could be an optional extra.

THe old amigas were pretty much plug the thing in and play, you rarely bothered with the OS unless you were into recording and stuff, the bonus of the classic AMigas.

We need a central server based machine where it can surf the internet, print and do work, be a gateway, file server, print server for the household.Many many people have more than one computer in the house nowdays.

This can be supported with small mobile devices, that network from the Amiga, as handhelds or "workstations/netpc's"

To do this we need software like a good browser, chat clients, sound system, good graphics capability, very good networking capability, recording software DVD and wireless option built in would be a bonus. Once we have the software it needs to be integrated and as transparent as possible so those that dont want to know anything about computers dont have to.Meanwhile the rest of the functions need to be accessable by the "geeks"

Put all this together and what do we have?
We have a system that replaces the DVD/vcr recorder, supplies the surround sound for the entertainment system, plugs directly into a TV, and preferablet can fulfill the functions of the cable tv service provider box.You can also use it for games, office work, and other computer/console activities, that is also portable. It should also have its own(optional) LCD or similar screen.This system would be great for the home, and especially good for those single people working studying people. How much do all those seperate components cost?

Surround system: around $400 for a decent one
DVD about $150
Stereo $400
VCR $150
on top of that you have a PC
$900 is about the cheapest you get here and that has no graphics card worth speaking of so add $400 to that
Adds up to say a round figure of $2500.
Now if we can build a small box that can do all these things with similar quality for $1500-$2000 then we have a market, and the this is portable to-boot.
Then all we need to do is market it properly to get it in homes.

I have seen this beginning to happen slowly on other platforms, but they dont cover all the bases and the saftware if FAR from the point I have stated here.
We dont need to beat everything these seperate units can do, we just have to be compareable and price competetive, that its all in one unit and that unit is portable can be the selling points.

In this fashion we can get units in home and make a sizeable userbase for OS4 that will in turn attract more developers.

[IonDeluxe]

Yes I know, but the units I have seen leave alot to be desired yet. They are basicly just boards with alot of stuff onboard in a small square box.Its not very attractive and you can "choose" certain options for the one expansion slot.Otherwise they are a standard PC in all respects, just a funky box.

What I am talking about would be a similar kind of thing, but as we are starting from scratch and if we actively target this area from both a hardware AND software/os point of view, we could have a far more attractive (as in the case) unit with much better integration and ease of use.The bonus of which is that it is also a computer.

This is what whatshisname was talking about in the politics: They define thier product as a MMCE unit(a cut down PC for multimedia device replacement) We approach it from the Family entertainment unit that also happens to be a solid  multimedia computer. Its very hard to compete with wintel stuff, so we change our perspective and target it from an electronics device point of view. If the case design and marketing is right we could really make some sales like this.