Could Amiga find a special (non-vintage) niche?

[orb85750]

Could Amiga find a special (non-vintage) niche that is not being filled well by Win/Mac/Linux PCs?  Or is there *nothing* at all that hasn't already pretty-much reached full maturity?  I haven't come up with anything.

[SamuraiCrow]

Not without new hardware.

If the Natami ever makes it to maturity, I'd say it would make a quick Netbook running AmigaOS 3.9+AFA due to the enhanced flash-based Kickstart images.

[slayer]

I've never quite understood these types of questions or outlooks, I'd rather label something as being such and such when it is realised it does fit into a category.

I guess by asking (or speculating) these types of questions you present a potential target for someone in a position to take the Amiga into that void? :-)

I've never used anything but an Amiga so I don't even consider my stuff classic or niche, since it is still the here and now for me, it's just the cpu I always use, end of story... If everyone wants to abandon me it makes no difference to me, I've got enough hardware to keep me happy till the day I die... And after I get a few more SAMs, well, anything could happen then, it makes no difference to me...

Like the good ol days of 1985 when there was no help or www etc...

And a 7mhz cpu ruled the planet ;-)

[AmiDelf]

Well. AmigaOS is great! What more to say. I would say that Windows and Mac is niches for me. Because I only use Amiga. I have no interest in PC or Mac, though I use a Mac daily. It doesnt give me any comfort.

At areas that Amiga can go further on with is pixel drawing, listening to music, video editing and other multimedia capabilities. Amiga was the first multimedia capable computer and I would say that its still the best choice. Why have you turned your back to Amiga? Ask that yourself sometime please. Because everyone else went for Microsoft products? Well, sometimes its just wise to go the way you want to go! Try that sometime and you find another side of your life

[orb85750]

Why have you turned your back to Amiga? Ask that yourself sometime please. Because everyone else went for Microsoft products? Well, sometimes its just wise to go the way you want to go! Try that sometime and you find another side of your life

I am an Amiga "loyalist" -- maybe you can tell by my avatar.  I certainly have *not* turned my back on Amiga, and I won't.  (Unfortunately, I cannot use Amiga for everything -- e.g. credit card processing for my business through Elavon).  

I would like my questions above to be interpreted more positively, if possible.  (Yes, I could have worded better.)  Clearly, Amiga was first to do some things very well.  The true pioneer!  Is there anything left for computers to do today that has not been done well?  That is a real question that I have, not a rhetorical one.  Thanks, -Dave

[Matt_H]

The Amiga has always been great at doing more with less. If the price of a SAM comes down, I still think the low power and cooling requirements could make it a viable kiosk machine (thanks to Hollywood).

[slayer]

hmmm...

You'd have to decide whether there are other things a cpu could be used for perhaps? Something that isn't being done very well or at all by existing setups. Trouble is how is one going to design something totally specific and only possible to run on Amiga endorsed HW? If anything was to come out in this vein it won't take a rocket scientist to go, hey cool, what if we attached this to blah blah blah with the extra grunt. And if you had a competely stand alone unit no benefited from a connection to the host system then why market it for a niche market...

As much in love as AmigaOS that I am and will never use anything other than AmigaOS at home I just can't see how it'll ever happen... Our best bet really is to show that the OS is the winning aspect... other than that, hell, let people use crappy pcs and alike... amen heh

[orb85750]

hmmm...

You'd have to decide whether there are other things a cpu could be used for perhaps? Something that isn't being done very well or at all by existing setups. Trouble is how is one going to design something totally specific and only possible to run on Amiga endorsed HW? If anything was to come out in this vein it won't take a rocket scientist to go, hey cool, what if we attached this to blah blah blah with the extra grunt. And if you had a competely stand alone unit no benefited from a connection to the host system then why market it for a niche market...

Not sure I agree with you here.  There are too many examples of things moving toward PC integration versus away from it -- whether or not you're talking about a niche -- and they don't seem to be moving back to a stand alone unit.  for example, pro video production moved onto PC (Mac).  Same can be said about arcane stuff, such as control of astronomical telescopes for large surveys.

[obscurepanic]

Amiga will still be relevant to many people who respect many qualities of Amiga.

Methinks there will be new computer franchise that are inspired by AmigaOS and its hardwares, fitted to the current market preferences. Since Amiga itself is awesome.

Having only Windows, OSX, and Linux, etc as viable options makes me sad and feel limited. We need more options, consumers need more options.

[alexh]

The only niche I can think of would be the OS and maybe GUI for Set-top-boxes for terrestrial, cable and satellite.

Most are PowerPC based.

The problem is that AmigaOS is 20 years out of date (even OS4.1) and security is becoming more and more of an issue with embedded systems. It is highly credible that next generation set-top-boxes need to become as secure as todays consoles with hypervisors and signed code etc.

[obscurepanic]

Oh, and Amiga or any possible Amiga-like computer franchises will be relevant (again) if the Microsoft dominance since the mid 1990s is toned down significantly.

Let's hope this behemoth is weaken.

[Mazze]

It could find a niche between door and frame :roflmao:

[GadgetMaster]

It could find a niche between door and frame :roflmao:

With that comment you are just asking for it.

:flame::uzi::madashell::destroy:

:lol:

[slayer]

Well, I'm just trying to give your concept some credibility but Its failing miserably... If you don't agree with me then I must have misunderstood you from the word go...

[Voyager74]

"Could Amiga find a special (non-vintage) niche that is not being filled well by Win/Mac/Linux PCs?  Or is there *nothing* at all that hasn't already pretty-much reached full maturity?  I haven't come up with anything."

It obviously fills one or another need right now since many people still use
the platform for whatever reasons.
I still find the OS an enjoyable option to other established brands.
The only niche I could find would be the size of the applications, ie, low
memory footprints with alot of power.
...and some of the apps that people still use in graphical appliances.
The peecee never got a really good equiv. of deluxe-paint (untill now?).
Icon-editing on the peecee wouldn't be comparable if an old Amiga-app like
Iconian was ressurected and got a 24-bit gfx overhaul.
Many images I've done for different job-related, in the mediadept., is proof
that some Amigaapps still can hold it's own.
Resizing an image in photoshop or paintshop didn't come anywhere near
the results I got from photogenics, where the colours were kept, and the
pixelsizes didn't increase.
Me thinks it's allready in, filling a niche.
New hardware and the cooperation of major softwaredevelopers could
make for a really brighter future.

...just my thoughts and experiences...