Comment by alnwlsn
4 days ago
I mean, in 1978 Tandy used standard drives and a disk controller IC, and still managed to sell a whole 16K TRS-80 system with disk drive for the same price (TRS-80 Level II 16K + Expansion Interface + disk drive = $1786 [0]) as Apple (Apple II + Disk II + drive = $1790 [1]). Plus, the TRS-80 came with a video monitor wheras Apple did not. But the Disk II could hold more data per disk, and I'm sure Apple's margins were better.
0 - https://ia803203.us.archive.org/9/items/Radio_Shack_TRS-80_S...
1 - http://www.apple-iigs.info/doc/fichiers/Apple%20Price%20List...
If you don't want to believe me that Apple's drives worked and Tandy's didn't, consider why VisiCalc launched on the Apple II in 1979 despite Bricklin and Frankston intending to do so on the Model I,[1] because of the latter's far greater market share.
[1] Not only that, Dan Fylstra (founder of VisiCalc publisher Personal Software) was among the first people in the world to own the Commodore PET and the Model I, having reviewed both for BYTE
> I mean, in 1978 Tandy used standard drives and a disk controller IC, and still managed to sell a whole 16K TRS-80 system with disk drive for the same price
The Tandy products were utter garbage.
Controller = Unreliable. Expansion Interface required for the controller = So unreliable that a robust third-party alternative market developed, including Steve Ciarcia's version. TRSDOS = So unreliable that Tandy has the dubious distinction of being the 8-bit system with the most third-party operating systems.
Reliability greatly improved from the Model III onward, but by then it was too late: Tandy had a) destroyed its reputation (the "Trash-80" nickname did not come out of nowhere) and b) surrendered its colossal market lead to the tiny startup founded by two California college dropouts.
More at <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44352856>