Re: DRAFT Agenda for SLUG/SMBX Meeting of 15 December

[Doug Evans <DE%phoenix.sch.symbolics.com@RELAY.CS.NET>]

    Date: Mon, 18 Dec 89 17:21 EST
    From: miller@CS.ROCHESTER.EDU (Brad Miller)

	Date: Mon, 18 Dec 89 15:44 EST
	From: Barry Margolin <barmar@Think.COM>

	[ . . . . ]

	    Why isn't there yet any upgrade plan for old 36xx machines to Ivory class 
	    machines?

	There is.  My sales rep offered us something like a 10K or 15K discount
	to replace a 36xx with an XL400.

    Well, I guess I'd call that a trade-in plan, not an upgrade plan. I mean,
    given I've already spent $150k on a 3670, offering to sell me a 60k machine
    for 50k isn't that terrific a deal. Taking it back and GIVING me an XL400
    for it (for maybe a $5k upgrade fee) would go a long way toward improving
    customer relations....

I may be taking you too seriously ... but ....

I'm very confused here.  I don't understand where you're coming from or
what your viewpoint is.  If I pick an analogy such as sports cars, what
you appear to be saying above is:

    1. In 1984, you bought a new sports car, say a Nissan 280ZX, which
       was currently top-of-the-line for $20K.

    2. Now, in 1989, you want a new 300ZX Turbo, which let's say sells
       for $15K because of manufacturing breakthroughs, and you're
       wondering how cum Nissan won't allow you to simply pay a $1,000
       upgrade fee for the new car when you trade in the old one
       (essentially allowing you $14K for trade-in of your five-year-old
       old car).  Do car dealers do this??

Granted, cars are not computers ... but ... how could Symbolics possibly
stay in business if we came out with a new line of machines using new
technology and gave them away for a token price and trade-in of an older
machine?  We can't even buy the RAM memory ICs for a 4MW machine for
$5K, much less buy the rest of the parts and build the machine.  Who
else in the computer industry (or any industry, for that matter) does
this?  Do you have any examples?

Basically, are you just making a wish list, or do you have a good reason
that makes good business sense (for both Symbolics and its customers) to
do such a thing as you suggest?