return of the amiga 8 of june, 1997 by johnmichael patrick monty monteith

Straight from the "Will these Amiga die-hards never give up?" department I have decided to entertain the slew of e-mails I have received lately on this subject. The question at hand: Is the Amiga coming back?

For those who might not follow the history of the computer industry, the Amiga, manufactured by Commodore in 1985, was the world's first multimedia computer. Like almost any new product way ahead of its time in this industry, the first to invent is also the first to die. Such was the case with the Amiga. It boasted: Mac-like graphical interface (although, arguably better than the Mac interface), 4096 color palette (revolutionary at the time), four voice stereo sound (a decade before it became standard on the PC), true pre-emptive multitasking in 512K of RAM (that is half of a single megabyte of RAM, in case you forgot), and a price tag lower than a Mac Plus. All this on a computer that could be hooked to your television right out of the box.

Later in the Amiga's short-lived career came the NewTek Video Toaster. Taking advantage of the Amiga's already amazing video attributes, this was a device that allowed broadcast quality video to be made on the Amiga, easier that toasting a bagel, and at a fraction of the price of comparable equipment. If you look around in the video industry, you will still see the Video Toaster widely in use.

The Amiga in many European countries once made up more than half of the computer market share. At one time, it was even widely accepted as a possible home computer choice in the United States. Indeed, it was well into the 1990's before the Macintosh entertainment software sales in the U.S. finally overtook the Amiga entertainment sales. Unfortunately, the parent company, Commodore, did not survive beyond April 1994. Since Commodore filed for bankruptcy the amazing Amiga technology has changed hands countless times.

"If the Amiga was so much better than anything else, why doesn't everyone own one?" I have no idea, but if you figure out the answer I am certain Apple Computer, who is facing the same problems Commodore did in the latter years, would pay you handsomely for the answer.

Still, despite the fact that there has not been a new Amiga released in the United States since the beginning of the decade, there is still strong support for the machine. Millions of people world wide still regularly use the machine. And many of the die-hard Amiga fans are still out there shouting its praises. And that amazing Amiga technology in some respects is still years ahead of the WinTel and Macintosh worlds.

Perhaps the biggest thing going for the Amiga technology right now is the industry movement towards integrating media. With the lines being blurred between computer, television, and entertainment system, the industry is finally moving into the technology that was the Amiga's trademark. And it is perhaps all of these strengths which made the technology too tempting for Gateway 2000 to pass up last month. Now Amiga is a piece of the Gateway 2000 sales machine.

What exactly Gateway will do with the technology is a little foggy at the moment. They have made a commitment to the current Amiga market in Europe by making it clear that they will continue to sell the computers, and even continue development of new Amiga machines. A smart move for a computer manufacturer that is also trying to expand their PC mail order business into Europe.

Further market expansion is not the only reason for the purchase, however. The technology behind the Amiga's amazing video abilities is now Gateway's to incorporate into their new WinTel machines. It is also available for the creation of Internet TV devices, merging their computers into home entertainment systems, and for direct competition with Microsoft's recent hardware interests. It is also a strong possibility that Gateway will re-release the Amiga in the U.S. solely for use in the video industry.

But all of these are the obvious reasons for the purchase. They have an immediate pay-off for the manufacturer of cow computer boxes, and will easily return every penny they paid for the technology and more. It is the less obvious reasons for the purchase that has caught the interest of Amiga fans everywhere.

It is no secret that Gateway is less than enthralled with their complete dependence on Intel and Microsoft in their manufacturing. No company wants to be completely dependent on the good nature of other profit hungry entities for their bread and butter. Not to mention that the real profits from their sales are not being enjoyed by Gateway 2000, but by Microsoft and Intel. If you were in their shoes, wouldn't you want a piece of the big profit pie?

Suddenly with the small purchase the opportunity has presented itself for easing that dependence. Gateway, with a little research and development money, could re-release the Amiga as an entirely new choice for computer buyers world wide. Give it a little sprucing up, with a PowerPC processor, some beefed up video, and out of the box Windows compatibility in the Amiga's Workbench operating system, and suddenly Gateway could turn the industry's attention away from Redmond. Suddenly it is an Amiga users dream come true with Gateway Amiga machines for sale everywhere. Hence, the return of the Amiga, and the chance for it's glory to reach new heights.

Now for reality, folks: As much as we would all love to see it happen, there probably is not a chance in hell. It is too big of a gamble, and the very act itself could place Gateway in a less favorable position with their controlling interests. Why would a company, that is doing as well as Gateway 2000, take such an incredible risk? They wouldn't. Yet, it is this possible scenario which has the Amiga community praying that the return of their savior could be just around the corner.

To read all about the history of the Amiga and news on the possible return to the U.S. market, check out the best Amiga site in cyberspace:
The Amiga Web Directory