Viva Amiga! (page 2)
The Phoenix of PCs
When Gateway bought Amiga in 1997, there immediately was speculation concerning the rebirth of Amiga as a major player in the PC industry. After a yearlong wait, Amiga finally made announcements about their new computer at the May 1998 World of Amiga show in London. Unfortunately for the diehard Amiga fans that attended the show, Amiga didn't announce any new hardware. Instead, they announced a roadmap for the future, along with a developer version of the AmigaOS (version 4.0). Amiga is also working on a final version of the OS for the existing Amiga hardware, version 3.5. This is expected to prime the pump for the anticipated release of the new consumer AmigaOS, version 5.0, built with from QNX Software, sometime in 1999.
A Roadmap for the Future
Now that Gateway owns Amiga, what are they actually doing to pull the computer from the realm of "Ubernerds only" and into the computing mainstream? First, they are releasing a new version of their OS for existing Amiga hardware (version 3.5), and a developer's version of the OS for the new hardware (version 4.0). Second, they have announced a partnership with QNX software to develop the AmigaOS 5.0. They have also made sweeping statements regarding the long-awaited hardware upgrade that is expected to propel Amiga into the 21st century.
The new Amigas should be available by Christmas 1999, according to Bill McEwan, Amiga's head of marketing and software evangelist. Expect the new machines to sport a radical new chip that runs 5-10 times faster than current PC CPUs do. This new chip is yet unannounced, but according to McEwan, several companies are designing chips as powerful as the announced specifications for the new Amiga. Rumor has it that they aren't the usual chip-making suspects: Intel, AMD, Compaq/Digital or IBM. Beyond that, however, it's all very hush-hush.
The original Amigas were renowned for their graphic processing ability, and the next generation of Amiga is sure to please in this area too. The new Amiga, for example, promises the ability to process 400 million pixels per second. By comparison, a high-end Pentium with a good 3D card is only able to process 50-100 million pixels per second. If the specs are true, you can expect some amazing graphics on these machines.
Another promised ability of the new Amiga is the ability to play four simultaneous MPEG streams at one time. Current Intel/Windows computers have enough trouble running one MPEG stream without dropping frames, so the new Amiga will be on many digital video editors' Christmas lists...at least for Christmas 1999.
It Won't Cost an Arm or a Leg
With the current state of the computer industry, Amiga knows that they won't be able to sell many computers if they set the initial price above the vaunted $1000 price point. If Amiga is able to build new high-powered systems at this reasonable price range, there could be a red checkered ball bouncing back into the computer industry limelight. Otherwise, it could be the second coming of the best machine that only your nerdy silicon-lusting friends could ever love.
