Rise and fall of the Amstrad PC?

    Three months ago if you had told me that I would have been writing this
    report I wouldn't have believed you.  From the number of  rumours  that
    were  flying  around in the press you would have thought that they were
    discussing the second coming of the Messiah instead of  another  IBM-PC
    clone.

    Yes  the Amstrad PC has been the saving grace of many a journalist over
    the last few months.  We are none of us without blame for  the  biggest
    hype  since  Sigue  Sigue  Sputnik.  Like most hype jobs the Amstrad is
    poised to make Alan Sugar the laughing stock of the computer  industry.
    Just  like aimless, marketless Sinclair range of computers that Amstrad
    have just bought, the Amstrad PC is set to die a death in a market that
    simply couldn't wait for it's arrival.

    It  was close I can tell you, the closest yet.  The Amstrad PC was very
    nearly the PC that it should have been.  The  processing  hardware  was
    state  of the art.  Fast 8086 processor, lots of memory, custom chips -
    the lot.  Strangely enough the CPU was  the  one  component  that  most
    clone  makers  failed  to  exploit  properly.   The basic design of the
    IBM-PC is over five years old now - why anyone would want to  blueprint
    and copy a five year old design is beyond me.  I suppose we put it down
    to the 'Blue Factor'.

    Amstrad was  the  first  'brand  name'  manufacturer  to  take  on  the
    Taiwanese imports.  Considering the very mixed reactions given to these
    clones Amstrad had plenty of information on which to base the design of
    their  machine.   The  fact  that  they  went  for  the 8086 CPU was no
    surprise to me personally.  I had been  informed  by  several  reliable
    sources  that  the  Amstrad PC design was little more than a 'speed-up'
    card with its own power supply.  The main source for these rumours  was
    a certain small south London based PC add-on manufacturer who have just
    launched a speed-up card with an 8086 processor.  The designer  of  the
    aforementioned  speed-up  card and the main designer for the CPU in the
    Amstrad-PC are in fact one and the same person.  Modesty stops me  from
    saying ' I told you so'.

    Yes the electronics was faultless - or was it?  It takes a brave man to
    predictate the type of video display you are to  connect  to  your  PC.
    And  what  about  the  non  switchable  CPU speed.  Very commendable in
    theory, why design a computer and then slow it down like IBM do.  Build
    yourself  a  thoroughbred,  a  real street racer.  Well thats just what
    Amstrad did - except they neglected  the  chassis  and  the  supporting
    hardware.

    There  has been much criticism of late of the Amstrad power supply.  In
    true Amstrad fashion the 'standard' fan  cooled  power  supply  mounted
    within  the  main  system  box  was ditched.  No, Amstrad didn't have a
    custom made chips made that operate off 250 volts AC - they mounted  it
    outside the main system box.  This is not a new approach.  I wonder how
    many secretaries have secretly blessed the 'footwarmer' power supply on
    the  Apricot Xen.  Amstrad decided to mount the power supply inside the
    monitor, just like they had  done  previously  with  the  PCW8516  word
    processor.   Yet  another very good idea .....in theory.  It would seem
    yet again that Amstrad have failed to consider the 'big blue factor'.

    With the power supply mounted within the monitor this means that if you
    decide  that  you don't like the standard (adequate) monitor that comes
    with the Amstrad then you will either have to provide  your  own  power
    supply  to  drive  the system unit, or you will be forced to source one
    elsewhere.  Perhaps from the large number of monitor manufacturers that
    will  be  stuffing  beefy  power  supplies into their existing range of
    monitors in the hope that people get  tired  (and  they  will)  of  the
    standard  Amstrad unit can help - at a price.  Then we will be into the
    realms of - is it worth fitting a 500 pound peripheral inside/outside a
    400 pound computer.

    The  ramifications  for  the  profit  hungry  PC aftermarket market are
    immense.  Just like the big software housed that are bringing out  'cut
    down' economy versions of their best selling software, are we to expect
    a cut down hardcard, or a cut down hard disk.  In the  casinos  in  Las
    Vegas they call that sort of behaviour chasing bad money with good.

    If  anyone  tells you that they have brought out a 'special version' of
    their hardware product for the Amstrad PC - a word of warning - beware!

    I know Amstrad's pricing policy is based on volume sales and low profit
    margin  -  very  commendable  for the PC marketplace.  But we seriously
    have to ask ourselves should we allow Amstrad to steer us up creek with
    their marketing philosophy just like IBM have done (and continue to do)

    Apple  computer  used  to  think  that  they  could always get it right
    'because they were Apple'.  That attitude simply doesn't cut  the  cake
    in  the  business  computer  market  unless of course your name is IBM.
    Just look at what happened to Apple with the Apple II I,  look  at  how
    they're having to eat their own words with the Apple II GS.

    The  PC  marketplace  is driven by the consumer and the end user.  When
    you buy a computer to help you solve the problems in your business  the
    last thing a new user want's to do is to have to go shopping

    For  the  first  time since the inception of the PC we in the UK are in
    the unenvieable position of being able to walk into a high street store
    and  walk  out  three  minutes  later with a IBM-PC compatible computer
    under your arm.

    Again the implications are immense.  There will be thousands of  people
    clutching their Dixons charge card in their sticky hands simply itching
    to buy a 'computer for little Johnny'.  Little Johnny won't  even  know
    that  he  is  getting an IBM compatible computer - chances are he won't
    even know who IBM are.  The PC is now a consumer product.

    You can buy scores of Amstrad magazines at the local  newsagents.   You
    couldn't  even  buy  a PC magazine in the newsagents before the Amstrad
    PC.  Now we are seeing other  PC  clone  manufacturers  advertising  in
    Amstrad magazines to try to sway a potential buyer away from the almost
    obvious first choice for a 'mug user'.

    Can't you just hear the spotty faced half  illiterate  Dixons  salesman
    telling  this  small  businessman  that  the Amstrad is the computer to
    solve all his problems.  Try it - go into any of the high street stores
    and  try  to  find someone, anyone who has the slightest idea what this
    Amstrad computer is all about.  The chances are that you too will leave
    flabergasted  and  sit  down  and write an article about it just like I
    did.