HELP  APPLE!©

Urgent Need! - Help Save Apple!

All submissions are; accepted as, described as, and considered to be; in the public domain (unless otherwise noted.) Some ideas that have mixed content may be duplicated on another page.

Send each idea as a separate submission in a single paragraph of 100 words or less:

The Help Apple! Suggestion List

Apple needs to offer a machine that has reasonable cost PC compatibility (not $1,000 for a plug in card), to help allay potential customer's fears about diminishing choices for Mac software, and third party add-on hardware, and an uncertain company future. - Entered 7/97. #1 - Vote=1

Apple needs to stop wasting time on frivolities like Spartacus, the 20th-anniversary Mac. Get over yourself... at least for a while. If you want to make a memorable anniversary computer - then make it memorably affordable. - Entered 7/97. #2 - Vote=1

Apple needs to create a new colorful kids computer for the home and school (Maybe in the cute Mac Plus/SE style.) Make it an upgradable Mac/Wintel-compatible machine, in bright rugged (Apple rainbow) multi-colors that can take multiple layers of stickers, and other abuses, that a young user will be proud to call their own. This computer has two killer apps: auto-grading of homework for the teachers; wireless e-mail note passing for the students. Price: $350-$400 before upgrades. - Entered 7/97. #3 - Vote=1

Apple needs to price their CPUs to sell. Offer novice first time Mac buyers the ability to enter the Mac market at a very competitive price, and later move up the power curve as their level of sophistication matures. The large initial price keeps new buyers away! - Entered 7/97. #4 - Vote=1
(Note: IMHO this idea coupled with the multi-colored kids computer idea above, is among the best suggestions on this page - it reminds of early Apple's school program; but even better. - Ed.) - Entered 7/97

Apple needs to: do "Better For Less." The total strategy of the company should be BETTER FOR LESS! Products, marketing, advertising should prove this and only this about Apple products: they work better and cost less than equivalent non-apple products. Apple will never again prosper on the BETTER FOR MORE strategy that they have been using for years. Wake up Apple and smell the NUMBERS! Focus your total attention on every aspect of your company on BETTER FOR LESS! - Entered 7/97. #5 - Vote=1

Apple needs to lower the prices for those machines, consider now Power Computing is killing the sales over Apple. - Entered 7/97. #6 - Vote=1 - Entered 3/98 - (Apple dropped computer prices considerably in late '97 and into '98. - Ed.)

Apple should follow the strategy of other great companies like Walmart and HomeDepot. They moved into the competitions neighborhood and gave a better product at a cheaper price and ate up the market, customers and eventually the competition. Apple O/S could be in the same Box with Microsoft O/S and slowly devour them whole. Intel does not care what O/S is running on their chip as long as it sells chips. - Entered 7/97. #7 - Vote=1

Apple: If you guys want to stay in the industry, you have to start manufacturing IBM compatible machines! No gaming companies or big software companies are going to make apple compatible versions of their software (except for a select few). Make EVERYTHING IBM compatible, but still leave your OS too. Make your motherboards upgradable with PCs. At this point, you guys just gotta suck it up and face the fact that your OS is not popular anymore and can't be used by itself! If you tap yourself into the PC hardware and software, people will think "Hey, if I get this Apple, I can use BOTH Apple and PC software!" Keep your prices low, until you begin to climb again. When you really think about it, it's the ONLY way you're going to stay alive. To sum it up, Make your motherboards compatible with PC peripherals and Mac peripherals, and the same with the software. You guys are just going to have to admit that you lost the business bigtime to IBM, and you're going to have to start manufacturing cheaper IBM compatible machines. Like I said before, it's THE ONLY way you're going to keep your company. Do whatever it takes, sign deals with IBM for use with their stuff, but DO IT! - Entered 8/97. #8 - Vote=1

Apple: I have more of an objective observation, rather than a suggestion. I agree wholeheartedly with the person who said (above) that you MUST start to manufacture inexpensive PC compatible machines. Then the buyer is taking a calculated risk by buying Apple, but he/she is outweighing that risk because the compatibility is present.- But this translates to a positive decision to purchase only if the price is near enough to the PC clones. I've come to this conclusion recently because I myself am now right smack dab in the middle of a buying decision, so I believe I know of what I speak. Recently my son has entered a state college and together he and the rest of our family have saved up about $2,000 for a new computer. I've always had Mac stuff, and my Mac IIcx has served us all well for many years, but is pretty much obsolete now (16MHz loaded down runs like about 8MHz). I want to hang on to the IIcx because it is still useful, but of course won't run much of the new software, games, and OSs. All my son's friends own PCs (clones), and about 4 family members have or use PCs. See the odds building up here? My son really likes our old Mac and other newer (faster) Macs he has used, and is not dead set against buying a Macintosh (even though all his friends have PCs). We know that the Macs are better machines, but we also know that almost every piece of software and available peripheral is considerably cheaper for the PC. So what's the one thing that would make us (besides loyalty) lean towards buying a Mac? Not new technology (except OS8) we don't see any! You guessed it. - PC compatibility and price. Here's what we found:

All prices are for 200MHz, 32MB RAM, 12X CD-ROM, 2GB H.D., 56K modem, entry level color printer, keyboard, system software, mouse, and 15" monitor. We shopped for the best prices we could find, including little or no software bundle, college campus discounts, rebates, latest price reductions, mail order, free shipping, sales tax vs shipping, etc., (without looking at the real cheapies like Packard Bell, or open box, or clearance/refurbished items.) (Some prices have factored values to help equalize features.):

Mail Order Compaq Presario PC compatible:$1,678. - Entered 8/97
Local computer store PC compatible:$2,236. - Entered 8/97
Gateway 2000 PC compatible:$2,278. - Entered 8/97
Local computer store IBM PC:$2,342. - Entered 8/97
College Dell PC compatible: $2,562. - Entered 8/97
Local computer store SONY PC compatible:$2,646. - Entered 8/97


College MAC 4400/200 w/PC Card: $3,179. - Entered 8/97

MAC 4400/180/266 w/PC Card: $2,195 Mail Order.
MAC 7300/180/266 w/PC Card: $2,399 Mail Order. - Entered 3/98 - (Apple dropped computer prices considerably in late '97 and into '98, but to our knowledge a new PC card that is not sold with an older model, is still about $900-$990 retail. - Ed.)


It's the over-priced PC compatibility card that's messing everything up! ($950-$999). I know you are getting two platforms here, but it just doesn't matter. Like the guy said- it's an absolute necessity that the card (i.e. overall price) be lowered! (By about $400-$600.) We're almost ready to buy, but I can't hold out for Apple/Mac much longer... So, try the price reduction for a while, & see what happens! - Entered 8/97. #9 - Vote=1 - Entered 3/98 - (Apple dropped computer prices considerably in late '97 and into '98, but to our knowledge a new PC card that is not sold with an older model, is still about $900-$990 retail. - Ed.)

 

---



---

VOTE!

  Price Suggestion Ballot Form:

  (Vote for your three favorite price suggestions found on this page)

Price Suggestion Ballot
First Price Suggestion Vote:	#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7#8#9
Second Price Suggestion Vote:	#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7#8#9
Third Price Suggestion Vote:	#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7#8#9
Your E-mail Address:

---

---

---

---

- Return to the Help Apple page -

(or use your browser BACK button to return)