14 Sep
1999
14 Sep
'99
5:11 a.m.
Speaking from the shadows of youthful ignorance (sure I owned a VW
bus, bit it was made the same year I was born), I think people bought the
Adam for the same reason that they bought the VW: price. Regardless of how
it looked, it was a *car* that could be driven on the *highway*! For next
to nothing! At least, that's why people in my family bought them. The
first-available Adams may have been no real bargain, but subsequent years
brought the price down to where you could practically trade a couple of
llama skins for one. It was the Christmas that they went under $400 for
the whole system that a bunch of my friends got them...and the same
Christmas that my parents took out a second mortgage (well, practically)
to buy me an Atari system. Believe me, every time the price came down on
the Adam I had to tell them again that I'd rather not have a computer at
all than have an Adam.
Flash idea: it seems that nostalgia seems to be a way for people to "fix"
their past mistakes, by reliving their most embarrassing moments with the
blinders of experience and knowledge. Since most people consider anything
of that era "non-useful", they can safely remember the Adam as that great
old computer they bought for next-to-nothing without having to face the
reality that it was actually a real hunk of shit. Anyone?
Aaron
On Tue, 14 Sep 1999, Jim wrote:
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles E. Fox <foxvideo(a)wincom.net>
I think it is human sympathy for an underdog.
I'm told the reason people
AT FIRST bought the VW Beetle was because it was so homely. (Don't shoot, I
had one in 1956.)
Regards
Charlie Fox
If that is it, then it would be an interesting ploy for a marketing
department. Although, I took such a course at the local community college
once and we discussed the COORS beer underdog marketing campaign of the
early and mid 70's. Seems they successfully exploited the underdog thing
some felt.
Yes, everybody laughed at the Beetle, and bought one.
Whatever, it is amazing at all the Web sites and new equipment for sell on
the Web for the Coleco Adam. I paid $800 for mine in May 1984 and that
was/is not really that cheap. There is not that much excitement left for
Coleco's Cabbage Patch Dolls of that time. Those dolls were making headlines
back then.
Thanks for the input,
Jim Rossbach, Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, www.TonkinYachts.cjb.net