CHR_ZD: AMIGAONE.... isn't it an obsolete technology already?
You can follow Doppie1200's definition of obsolete. Also, something is obsolete when it is no longer useful, not just that it has been replaced. In this respect, even a C64 is not really obsolete.
Whether a C64 or an A1200 or an AmigaOne is technically competitive with modern hardware is a whole new issue. Value is a factor with any device, not just computers. A Kia may be a good car compared to what we had in the 60's, but it's certainly no Honda.
billchase: I don't think Apple's decision will have as much effect on the supply of PPC chips available (or its future) as many people are making it out to be. There are many devices that use PPC as its core, (xbox360 just to name one mainstream device).
The problem is that these companies make their own custom processors around a PPC core. You also need special tools if you want to take advantage of the custom features. If you want a "standard" PPC, they are getting harder to come by. There's not much reason for IBM or Freescale to supply the "middleware" desktop market, and it's pretty obvious that IBM didn't need Apple as a customer with so much manufacturing potential concerning the custom CPUs being designed for game systems. Hopefully, Sony delivers on their promise of putting Cell in non-PS3 devices, but even then there are additional license fees, and the like. The non-x86 desktop computer world has never been strong, and is not likely to change in the near future.
No, the PPC market isn't dead, but it's still not easy or cheap, especially for long-term ownership when embedded devices usually require you to dump the whole unit, and backwards compatibility tends to be an issue, both for technilogical
and marketting reasons.
Look at how many old Macs cannot run OS X. Didn't Apple get in hot water because the Blue-and-White G4's couldn't get OS updates? This is more than just a tech issue. Apple would be all too happy to sell you a new Mac, complete with built-in monitor and new accessories, rather than track down compatibility issues and get their OS to run on your Mac with only 128MB of memory (which may explain why Tiger runs terrible with less than 512MB. Yeah, that
really makes XP look like a bloated resource hog).
What we should be asking is, do we want the Amiga to be a general PC (meaning a desktop personal computer) or a purpose-built device? The AmigaOne is a PC. Amiga Incorporated has other plans, which obviously means existing AmigaOne owners are not part of their future.
Amipal: Seriously, going from OS4 on my 800 Mhz G4 AmigaOne to using MacOS X on my brother's 733 Mhz G4 Mac was like stepping in treacle.
Since when has MacOS been fast and responsive? ;-)
OS X is the biggest piece of bloat I've ever seen. Even when I saw it running on Apple's flagship dual G5 system, it's obvious XP puts it to shame in terms of speed. I only bought one to support the Mac people who visit my web site.
old timer: Keep in mind quality, you can buy a speedy PC for £500 but the quality is rubbish, if you want top quality the same PC is £1000-1500.
Only if you buy a "mainstream" PC, like a Gateway. There
are other PC companies out there besides Dell, Gateway, and HP, even if you can't find them by walking into your local Wal-Mart or BestBuy (if you're a yank, of course).
Trust me, not all PC companies are equal. If HP is your reference, no wonder you're not impressed. And then, there's always AMD to compete with Intel. Look at how much thermal management and processor efficiency has improved since AMD decided they didn't want to be second-best anymore. The same happened when ATI got their act together and blew away nVidia's ill-fated GeForceFX.
old timer: The A1 is quality, its not so power hungry as a PC.
I sure hope you're being sarcastic. The build quality of any ABit or Gigabyte board puts any of the Terons to shame. The CPU alone isn't the only reference for the long-term durability of the board, especially when x86 chipsets are made for millions of customers and are
very well tested compared to low-volume runs, like ArticaS. If problems are found in x86 chipsets, firmware patches are released quickly. How long is it taking to get work-arounds for the ArticaS years after it has been released?
Don't even get me started about the MegArray module and on-board power management.
Seehund: That is a patently false statement, and I wish people would stop repeating it. No "AmigaOne" has ever been sold with any "developer hardware", "beta", "pre-release" or similar label. No warnings, caveats or disclaimers have ever been issued or mentioned regarding the quality of or support for the hardware.
Yes. The AmigaOnes (all of them) are based on reference boards built by Mai as dev platforms for companies that wanted to use the ArticaS chipset in their own appliances. If you rebadge a dev board and sell is as a unit for end-users (with Linux, and no Amiga tools, for crying out loud), then it cannot be considered a dev board, even if Mai originally designed and certified it for that purpose.
