5 Oct
2020
5 Oct
'20
1:04 p.m.
We need to differentiate between Retail Sales BY
MICROSOFT, V
manufacture
and WHOLESALE sales by Microsoft to OEMs for them to retail. With a
WIDE
variety of different packagings, ranging from personalized to the OEM
(Compaq, Zenith, Morrow, etc.), very generic, and even packaging that
would not be out of place for a Microsoft retail sale.
Fred,
That is an interesting issue that you bring up. This is a picture of the
"retail box" I am speaking about:
https://diskettes.pcjs.org/pcx86/sys/dos/microsoft/3.20/MSDOS320-BOX.jpg
While I admit it could have been an OEM release the box art and packaging
would make it seem a bit over the top. I have to double check if it also
includes the easel acrylic box like earlier MS products or not.
But, if you have reason to believe that your copies
came directly from
Microsoft, not through an OEM, OR came through a retail store that had
no affiliation with an OEM, then I need to revise my perception of when
Microsoft started to retail DOS. Has anybody ever seen a retail price
list or RETAIL SALES (V product) ad? (write/call to purchase)
YES, I can be TOTALLY WRONG. I felt the elephant's tail and smelled
the
region, but did not have the big picture.
Unfortunately, even my NOS items are second hand, for the most part, so
providence is something I cannot guarantee. I have seen other packaging from
OEMs for the same dos (e.g. TI) and it is definitely much more generic then
this. It is just a pair of red binders with slip cases.
-Ali