Changes

The length for viability of the TImarket, Ficklin says, "depends onwhat happens in the next two months.If Cor-Comp comes out with their stuffand if someone comPS comes out with someviable software, it's 1 ½ to 2 years. Ifnot-you're probably looking at it now.As far as most people are concerned,TI is a dead subject. Which is really toobad, because the computer is such agood machine." "People who've got them won't sellthem," Mccutcheon notes. He feelsthat the viability of the TI marketdepends on "if someone comes outwith a comparable computer-not aCommodore or Atari." "Two years, maybe," speculatesBurger. ''"I think a lot depends on othercompanies. Most of the people whoown Tls are really pleased with thecomputer and the features. If a computersuch as the Phoenix came outthat was compatible there is a marketwhich is loyal and would upgrade. Forthe TI99/4A itself, I don't know." "I don't know how to call that one,"says Reitan. "Opinions range from sixmonths on out.''" He says it may be another severalyears "assuming a namesake nevercomes out.'·"\ He continues, ''"I think we knowenough to invest a lot. Past the nearterm, which I look at as a year, I don'tknow.''" "I know there are a lot of machinesout there," Smith says. "At leastanother year. maybe more." "If it comes back with another supplier,a long time," DeMars says. "Ifsomebody doesn't take it over, I thinkanother five to seven years." ==RETAILERS' PROBLEMS== Ficklin sees his biggest problem as aretailer as answering his customers'questions. Though he knows that theTI is a good computer, he says, hedoesn't know whether any individualshould buy a computer or not, orwhether they should get more softwareor hardware.Mccutcheon McCutcheon says the biggest problemis that "suddenly there'll be a rushon something. Extended BASICyouBASIC you'llget 10 in a day and they'll begone. Peripherals-people want entireexpansion systems and you can't getthem." He also cites frustration with notknowing what prices will be. Reitan says the biggest problems"continue to be TI. They are difficultto do business with, though their withdrawalfrom the market has beenhonorable to dealers-amazingly so inthat they haven't dumped a hugequantity of software on the market atnothing, leaving dealers with hugeinventories of worthless software." Reitan also cited the difficulties ofpredicting what customers' needs willbe and thereby running short ofinventory. Smith said that '·trying "trying to get theproduct" is a difficulty. She cited TIWriter.TI-Writer, Editor/ Assembler, Pascal,Extended BASIC and Terminal EmulatorII as being hard to find. ==CHAIN STORE COMPETITION==De Mars DeMars says the biggest problem is"probably competing with the chainstores" who buy software in largevolumes and sell it as loss leaders. However, since large stores _such such asMontgomery Ward and J.C. Penneyhave been phasing out TI products, thesmaller operators have benefited.''"In today's market much of our businesscomes from the big stores sendingpeople to us," he says, citing Sears,Penney's, Target and Dayton's (alarge chain in the Midwest). "I'Tm m gladfrom that aspect. Our business hasquadrupled." Smith also says she was unable tocompete with the chains. "They were selling stuff below costjust to clear it out. I couldn't competewith that," she says. Ficklin says that "small retailerscouldn't get them (TI consoles) whenthey phased out.''" Reitan is philosophical at the"dumping" of some TI products. "Those things last a day or two. Weurge our customers to take advantageof it, and we're not too proud to do itourselves," he says. He notes that a customer who savesmoney on a particular product by buyingit at a department store may buyother products·from Unisource, whichhas a larger selection of TI productsthan the chains.