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Engadget Podcast 169 - 10.31.2009
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- Dell Adamo XPS coming 'in time for the holidays' for $1799 (unboxing and hands-on video!)
- Verizon launches BlackBerry 8530, LG Chocolate Touch, Samsung Convoy, and prepaid data
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- New York attorney general files antitrust lawsuit against Intel
- HTC HD2 officially coming to US, out in Europe and Asia today!
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- AT&T sues Verizon over 'there's a map for that' ads
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- TwitterPeek review
- Verizon's BlackBerry 8530 and LG Chocolate Touch go hands-on
- Dell Adamo XPS coming 'in time for the holidays' for $1799 (unboxing and hands-on video!)
- DROID ERIS hands-on and unboxing!
- BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions
- Apple TV 3.0.1 update prevents data from 'temporarily disappearing'
- HDTV Listings for November 7, 2009
- Comcast lining up more day-and-date HD VOD this month
- Managed Copy hits Blu-ray Discs December 4th, but you still can't use it
- Microsoft emancipates Digital Cable Tuners with second Media Center update today
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lee @ Dec 19th 2005 2:37AM
The Osbourne effect is actually not a myth but an event...
Adam Osbourne had an early CP/M OS based "portable" (based on a Z80 CPU, I think) in the mid-1980's. This was a BIG hunker bigger than a carryon bag and weighed at least 25 lbs. It had a small CRT built into it and floppy drives only. It was reasonably successful.
Orbourne Computing announced that the "Osbourne Executive" was coming out, with greatly expanded features... I think things like a 7" CRT vs. the current 5" one. And I'm not making this up.
Anyway, it was late, but announced. Sales of the old model stopped completely and the company didn't have enough cash to keep going (as no new cash was coming in from sales). The company died a very public death and quickly.
So... a couple of observations:
1) The Osbourne effect is not a myth, it happened (though a long time ago).
2) Anytime a company pre-announces a new product (mostly hardware- you can always offer free upgrades for software) that greatly exceeds the old, and can't ship, they risk the Osbourne effect.
3) Cash helps with many things.
4) Laptops are really small now by comparison.
Oh, and I bought my first Power Mac G5 in May... damn.