CommodoreUSA Partners with Disney

[redrumloa]

 
I wonder what these numbers will be after people start opening their TRON DVD?

[danwood]

Do you remember how well the "New Beetle" sold when it was launched? The New Beetle had nothing to do with the original VW Bug except a vague likeness. The New Beetle was essentially a VW Golf with a 20-30% markup over the Golf.

I'm not feeling the car analogy.

[WolfToTheMoon]

I'm not feeling the car analogy.

why not, it fits perfectly... from the marketing, to the execution, right down to the price and brand awareness. You couldn't find a better example to compare with, C64x and Fiat 500 or New Beetle.

[digitex]

If the Commodore brand had such good ranking, why have half a dozen bigger companies (Escom, Tulip etc.) failed over the last 15 years?  Plus they were actually released in the 90s/early 00s when people still remembered Commodore as a brand.  Even closer to now, the Commodore Gaming PC rigs of 2007-2009 also failed.  Did he not use this very valuable research?  I'm sure the brand is still recognised, but past experience shows people regard it as an old brand from a different era, and are not interested in owning a Commodore these days.

Bananarama are still a recognised band name, but their albums in the 00s flopped.   Recognition and desire to buy are very different.

Many, many reasons why the other attempts failed: lack of funding, poor planning, misguided execution, market conditions, and most importantly, they were not me, and didn't have Leo.

I understand the uber-fans feelings. I really do. What I can't wrap my head around is the extreme insanity that is verbally expressed here over this adventure. Why do they really give a rat's ass about CUSA? Why? We are doing nothing from stopping them in their current activities. Nothing at all. You are all free to buy, not buy,laugh, cry, bemoan...all you want. It has no bearing on me or my company, nor do my efforts effect anyone one of you personally. Get help...get on meds...get a life. We are not claiming to have found the cure for cancer. We are not releasing the meaning of life or world peace. We are a business, having fun. Period. If it works, great...if not. so what? No skin in the game on your part. Not any of you will suffer one iota if this attempt falls flat on it's face. At the least, there will be great cases for you to insert your antique dreams and m/b's into. Have fun..enjoy the show..and for God's sake...lighten up!!

[danwood]

why not, it fits perfectly... from the marketing, to the execution, right down to the price and brand awareness. You couldn't find a better example to compare with, C64x and Fiat 500 or New Beetle.

Well firstly because classic cars are actually seen as quite stylish, desirable and classy things to own, owning a computer from the 80s (or a replica) is looked at as a bit sad/nerdy and incapable today.

Some "retro" or historical/classic products age better than others, the C64 has more in common with 80s clothes/music in terms of how it's dated than a classic car.

[WolfToTheMoon]

Well firstly because classic cars are actually seen as quite stylish, desirable and classy things to own, owning a computer from the 80s (or a replica) is looked at as a bit sad/nerdy and incapable today.

really... have you seen, for example, Citroen 2CV? It's uniformelly called an "ugly duckling" from where I'm from but still Citroen plans to release a 2CV retro inspired car because the old one still remains impossibly popular and a car icon. Have you seen a Renault 4? Same thing...

[Digiman]

why not, it fits perfectly... from the marketing, to the execution, right down to the price and brand awareness. You couldn't find a better example to compare with, C64x and Fiat 500 or New Beetle.

A more relevant car analogy would be real Ferrari (C64) vs Toyota MR2 with copycat F355 looking body panels (C64x).

One is a true classic other is a mass produced car disguised as a classic.

[danwood]

Many, many reasons why the other attempts failed: lack of funding, poor planning, misguided execution, market conditions, and most importantly, they were not me, and didn't have Leo.

I understand the uber-fans feelings. I really do. What I can't wrap my head around is the extreme insanity that is verbally expressed here over this adventure. Why do they really give a rat's ass about CUSA? Why? We are doing nothing from stopping them in their current activities. Nothing at all. You are all free to buy, not buy,laugh, cry, bemoan...all you want. It has no bearing on me or my company, nor do my efforts effect anyone one of you personally. Get help...get on meds...get a life. We are not claiming to have found the cure for cancer. We are not releasing the meaning of life or world peace. We are a business, having fun. Period. If it works, great...if not. so what? No skin in the game on your part. Not any of you will suffer one iota if this attempt falls flat on it's face. At the least, there will be great cases for you to insert your antique dreams and m/b's into. Have fun..enjoy the show..and for God's sake...lighten up!!

Because the Amiga brand is something I cherish, it was a machine that literally changed my life, most of the creative things I do today, in my career and with computers were crafted and I fell in love with on the Amiga.

That little machine gave me some of the happiest and most creative years of my life, and it breaks my heart to see its name being prostituted on anything from cheap crappy PCs to knock-off Chinese iPads, and TVs you'd expect to find in supermarkets in an attempt to make a last-ditched quick buck off a name that has been devalued of all it's class/legendary status.

To use the much loved car analogy, ask a classic Ferrari fan how he'd feel about Ford Escorts selling with Testarossa badges.

[redrumloa]

why not, it fits perfectly... from the marketing, to the execution, right down to the price and brand awareness. You couldn't find a better example to compare with, C64x and Fiat 500 or New Beetle.

I was a big time fanboy of air cooled VWs at the time so I remember it well. When it was released I strongly disliked it and refused to buy one since it was not what I wanted from a "New Beetle" but I didn't go on the internet and start a hate campaign against VW. Years later I bought a VW Golf even though I still dislike the New Beetle.

[WolfToTheMoon]

Because the Amiga brand is something I cherish, it was a machine that literally changed my life, most of the creative things I do today, in my career and with computers were crafted and I fell in love with on the Amiga.

So if the new Amigas enable you to do all of that again would you still be against it?
Because C=USA is really not into making cheap rubbish and slapping stickers... If they were I'd be the first to say "Hell no!".

[mongo]

Do you remember how well the "New Beetle" sold when it was launched? The New Beetle had nothing to do with the original VW Bug except a vague likeness. The New Beetle was essentially a VW Golf with a 20-30% markup over the Golf.

The difference is that the New Beetle was actually a pretty good car while the C64x isn't a good computer.

[WolfToTheMoon]

The difference is that the New Beetle was actually a pretty good car while the C64x isn't a good computer.

the truth is that the New Beetle was nothing special(Golf mk4 platform, pretty shabby plastics, the only thing they had was the design and I myself prefer the Porsche's version of the iconic shape and that c64x hasn't been tested or reviewed yet so it's clear you have nothing to base your opinion on, do you?

[number6]

True, the Commodore brand was jumping back and forth, but even before them Escom were selling Commodore branded PCs for a couple of years, in most of the high-street stores, they failed.  Heck, even Commodore couldn't shift Commodore branded PCs in the late 80s/early 90s, in-fact their move into PCs is often attributed as one of their financial disasters that eventually killed them.

If you couldn't market/sell Commodore PCs in 1988-1997 (when they were still a global mainstream player) I fail to see how you can in 2011, personally.

I see that Barry has answered to part of what I mentioned previously with "Many, many reasons why the other attempts failed: lack of funding, poor planning, misguided execution, market conditions, and most importantly, they were not me, and didn't have Leo."

The brand recognition of which you speak existing in those days could NOT be exploited for any purpose because of the legal shenanigans. That was the only point I was trying to make about the past. If you don't fully appreciate that, talk to anyone involved with C= or Tulip during that time.
Oh...being accused of insider trading in court didn't help either. Feel free to examine the assets of Asiarim which is still the same CEO as Yeahronimo as well, etc.
If you think the Amiga "ownership" saga is a sad tale, the C= story dwarfs it by comparison. Really.

#6

[danwood]

So if the new Amigas enable you to do all of that again would you still be against it?
Because C=USA is really not into making cheap rubbish and slapping stickers... If they were I'd be the first to say "Hell no!".

Not if they're doing what I've read so far, putting generic x86 motherboards in vaguely Amiga-ish cases and calling it an Amiga.

I already have a very capable core i7 based PC for Windows 7 and Linux.  For Amiga-ness I use OS4/MorphOS and 3.9 on an A1200.  All three systems run the Amiga apps I love and want to use, all of them share the commands and file structure I expect, and are the Amiga platform in various guises.

What elements of the Amiga will CUSA Amigas bring me, apart from running the same operating systems (Linux/Windows) that I can already on my PC?  From what I see this will just be the same thing I have in my PC tower case but in a different case?

In all honesty I don't enjoy using my PC, it's just a functional tool, it's the Amiga I go to (and to a lesser extent, the Mac) when I want to enjoy using my machine.

[danwood]

I see that Barry has answered to part of what I mentioned previously with "Many, many reasons why the other attempts failed: lack of funding, poor planning, misguided execution, market conditions, and most importantly, they were not me, and didn't have Leo."

The brand recognition of which you speak existing in those days could NOT be exploited for any purpose because of the legal shenanigans. That was the only point I was trying to make about the past. If you don't fully appreciate that, talk to anyone involved with C= or Tulip during that time.
Oh...being accused of insider trading in court didn't help either. Feel free to examine the assets of Asiarim which is still the same CEO as Yeahronimo as well, etc.
If you think the Amiga "ownership" saga is a sad tale, the C= story dwarfs it by comparison. Really.

#6

Even if we accept this of the Tulip era, it still doesn't account for Escom and the original Commodore also not being able to sell Commodore branded PCs, even in the brand's heyday.  But as has been said earlier, not my money, to be honest I have little attachment to Commodore as a company, the Amiga was a platform, on the other hand, which I do.

[WolfToTheMoon]

Not if they're doing what I've read so far, putting generic x86 motherboards in vaguely Amiga-ish cases and calling it an Amiga.

There's nothing else to put in there. Custom hardware would only ensure that it's underpowered, overpriced, outdated and late to market several years. I see we're still learning lessons from the early 90s.
BTW, I love custom hardware as much as anyone else here. I just do not live in a fantasy where it will ever be a viable option with current technology. That's why it only makes sense as a hobby, a low cost hobby, preferably. So I'll get myself a classic 68K amiga and enjoy in the "customness" of the design.