SOFTWARE WRITERS PULLING THE PLUG ON COMMODORE'S AMIGA COMPUTER: [3 STAR Edition]

Abstract

Amiga users who stick with the machines may also find themselves buying much of their software by mail order, said Amiga expert Denny Atkin. Atkin, author of Denny Atkin's Best Amiga Tips and Secrets, also was editor of Amiga Resource, which ceased publication. Amiga Resource was an all-Amiga section carried each month inside Compute magazine. Compute, which covers mostly the IBM marketplace, still publishes, but Amiga Resource died because of lagging interest in the Amiga.

When it was introduced six years ago, the Amiga personal computer was considered a technological wonder, offering more sound, color and graphics than any of the early IBM PCs.

Today, the Amiga line is still powerful, but it also may be dying.

Commodore Business Machines, which manufactures and distributes Amigas, reported a loss of $177.6 million during the latest quarter, and some industry analysts are predicting that the company will abandon the U.S. market and concentrate on Europe, were Amiga sales are strongest. Commodore has been suffering losses because of fierce competition from IBM computers, whose prices are at a historic low.

The uncertainty about Commodore means novice computer users who are thinking of buying an Amiga should proceed with caution. Thousands of programs, most of them now coming from Europe, still are available for the Amiga, and it remains a viable computer for some. However, it has become harder to find Amiga software and accessories for sale at major chains such as Babbages and Software Etc.

About a year ago, Electronics Boutique, which has about 350 stores, stopped carrying Amiga software. "The Amiga is a good machine, very good," said Rosemary Payne, manager of an Electronics Boutique in Orlando. "But it is an IBM world."

Only about 4 million Amigas are in use worldwide, compared with about 80 million IBM PCs. Analysts say that roughly three-fourths of all Amigas now being sold for home use are being purchased in Europe. No one knows exactly how many machines are being used in the United States.

Amiga owners in the United States have reason to be alarmed. Most major software producers in this country have announced they no longer will develop programs for the computer. That means programs popular for the IBM such as Quicken, Prodigy and Lotus 1-2-3 aren't likely to be programmed for the Amiga. The Amiga has an operating system that is different from IBM's. Amigas can be modified to run IBM software, but the results sometimes are less than satisfactory.

Some supporters of the Amiga deny the outlook is gloomy. They point out that Amigas are being used extensively by television stations and movie studios. The animation capabilities of Amigas make them ideal for generating graphics to be used in commercials and TV programs. However, little of that affects home users who use their computers for everyday tasks such as telecommunications, desktop publishing and education. Many of those users want access to the same programs being used by their friends with IBM computers.

Commodore could not persuade the top software companies to produce productivity software for the Amiga.

"The sales just weren't there," said Jan Davidson, president of Davidson & Associates. Davidson is a leading producer of educational games for the IBM and Macintosh. It dropped its Amiga support more than a year ago.

Davidson and others thought the Amiga would be a success because of its capabilities and price. Even today it is a bargain compared with other computers. An Amiga 1200 sells for as low as $499, yet it is as powerful as an IBM 386 PC costing twice as much. But few cities have more than one or two Amiga dealers, and many have none. The exact number of Amiga dealers was unavailable from Commodore. Many Amigas now are being sold by mail, computer industry analysts said.

Amiga users who stick with the machines may also find themselves buying much of their software by mail order, said Amiga expert Denny Atkin. Atkin, author of Denny Atkin's Best Amiga Tips and Secrets, also was editor of Amiga Resource, which ceased publication. Amiga Resource was an all-Amiga section carried each month inside Compute magazine. Compute, which covers mostly the IBM marketplace, still publishes, but Amiga Resource died because of lagging interest in the Amiga.

"The Amiga is still a technology advanced machine," Atkin said. "For some purposes, such as video work, the (IBM) PC and the Mac can't touch it without one of the add-on cards. But this is probably the worst time for Commodore since about 1985. The company had problems then, and this is a comparable situation. I would say that I am nervous but hopeful about the company's future."

Atkin predicts that Commodore eventually will recover from its losses. No company officials contacted would discuss the issue. The company has said it remains optimistic, and is looking forward to soon releasing a new multimedia console system that will operate like a compact disc player and allow users to operate interactive games and programs on their television screens.

Many of Commodore's dealers remain upbeat, too. "I don't listen to the rumors," said Gary Holland, president of Intelligent Machines Computer Center in Orlando. "I have been involved in the Amiga since 1987 and we have been hearing every year that Commodore is going under. I don't believe any of it."

Veteran users of the Amiga probably know where to find support. Creative Computers, at [phone], is the largest Amiga mail-order company. Amiga World magazine, available at most newsstands, and others still report on the Amiga. Amiga users can be found on virtually all popular electronic bulletin boards such as CompuServe, Delphi and others.