Earlier SAM Coupé

edited October 2018 in Chit chat
Avoiding the thought that this was about the nearest to the Loki that was ever likely to appear, I was just thinking earlier...

SAM Coupé appeared around 1989, I recall reading avidly the bits and pieces in the mags back then , seeing the prototype on a large breadboard semi alive etc.

I think perhaps it was (A bit like the Oric Atmos, another very good machine actually, I'm surprised how good this thing is once I had a decent bit of time with it) just "too late to the party" really :(

Anyway back about the Sam: Wondering , pure speculation here *if* it had been pushed out the door in say 1987 instead of 1989, would it of been more of a success ? Or was that time possibly too late and companies were turning towards the 16bit Market ? That puts it about a year after the release of the 128K I realise...

Thing is it was (as I see it) a bit of a catch 22 'back then' as companies may of waited to see what sales were like before committing to writing or porting too much stuff over, and potential buyers wanted to know it actually had software available in a reasonable quantity...

Hmm. :)
Post edited by spider on

Comments

  • In comparison both ST and Amiga were released in 1985. 1987 would have been too late. 1989 release date was just plain silly.

    In 1987 I had a 48k speccy and IBM PS/2 Model 30 (256 colors, 640k ram, two disk drives).
  • edited October 2018
    Hmm. So 87 was a bit too late to the party too.

    Perhaps I should of thought about it more, speculating if it was released in say 86 ? Only 'issue' I see here is with this (even though its only speculation anyway) is the further back the years you go, the price will increase relative to the cost of living/other computers...
    Post edited by spider on
  • I always thought that if it had been released in '87 it would have stood a chance. The 8-Bit machines were still very much 'in vogue' at that point and the likes of the Amiga was still beyond many a home user.
    I didn't get my Amiga to 1991, but if I'd had the chance I would probably have picked up a SAM around 1988 if they had been available.
  • The Sams mostly missed Christmas 1989. I didn't finally get mine until Feb 1990.

    However, my Spec chums mostly quit for the Batman editition of the Amiga 500, which was released October 1989 after the price of an Amiga was slashed from £499 to £399. However there was still no way my parents could have afforded that. My Sam (Without a disk drive) cost me £140.

    It would have been more successful in 1987. Though it would have cost more, obvs, and I never real got the feeling that it was a continuation of the Spectrum. The included emulator was rubbish.
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