PC floppy cable twists... - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

20 Oct 2005

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Subject: Re: PC floppy cable twists...
   From: "Teo Zenios" <teoz at neo.rr.com>
   Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 14:51:46 -0400
     To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at
classiccmp.org>

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Allison" <ajp166 at bellatlantic.net>
To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: PC floppy cable twists...

 You missed the most basic reason.  One part, one bin, one stocking number
 and less standing stock.  Logistics of warehousing costs and space not
 electrical design.

 Everyone seems to forget or even miss that not too long after the PC was
 introduced and clones appeared the costs of producing, stocking and servicing
  them were under great pressure.  Anything that
cost, even pennies, could put
  a vendor at risk.  Why did some vendors
disappear?

 Allison 
The original clone makers still had a huge profit margin so a few pennies
would not have mattered until the huge 1989-91 shakeout where pretty much
everybody started competing on nothing else but price (and purchasing power
benefits). I remember advertisements (early 90's ?) where DELL was comparing
its server to Compaq and it was thousands less for the same spec machine. 
But it did matter.  It was only a matter of time that some vendors that
were bleeding from the eyes tossed in the towel or were gobbled up. 
one of the major steps was to move to offshore production to reduce 
product costs.

...
 From inside the industry it was already apprent by the
late 80s that costs were under pressure.  The clone companies often had a great 
advantage as they were smaller and less burdened than IBM, DEC and 
others.  By '91 some were already dead or dieing.

Allison