Amiga returns to the hardware game, promises two new PPC desktops
By Paul Miller 
posted April 24th 2007 6:02AM
posted April 24th 2007 6:02AM
Don't call it a comeback. Or, um, something like that. Amiga hasn't been exactly prolific since 2001, when it "began" development of AmigaOS 4.0, but now that it's finally shipping that retro-modern OS, attention has turned to hardware: where oh where is a modern PowerPC machine to run this on? To that end, Amiga is teaming up with ACK Software Controls to build two new desktops, both offering complete experiences to new and seasoned Amiga users. Twelve months in the making, the flavors are a $500 consumer version and a $1500 "power design." Both seem rather cheap, given the exclusivity of the Amiga market these days, but we're not complaining -- and we're sure the imaginary people who will actually buy these aren't either. Full launch deets and hopefully specs should be unveiled next week sometime. [Via TG Daily]
Looks like a combo between CDE and Apples launch bar.
Will anybody buy this? What on god's green earth is the target audience?
Amiga needs a reality check; they've been able to "survive" only becasue Macs used the Power achitecture that allowed Amiga enthusiasts to get their pet OS running on semi-commodity hardware.
Now that Apple's shifted to x86, they need to wake up and smell the coffee (i.e. they need to port to x86).
IMHO, Amiga should just develop a Desktop environment for Linux with their front-end, that's the not quite worst solution.
The best one is to call this business quits and give the money (if any) back to the shareholders or invest it in some snazzy software for mainstream platforms.
The only outcome to the current direction is bankruptcy and tears. They need to move on.
Never underestimate the love for Amiga. The last computer I owned that just worked was one. Wish I could say the same for the one I use now.
I just wish they would wake up, smell the coffee and make a proper version of AmigaOS for Intel processors.
My Amiga 2000 is still alive and kicking with its 1 Mb of RAM and 100 Mb hard drive. She was built like a tank (and weighs about as much).
Yeah thats neat, but can you play Zork on it?
"Sweetie...Are they still with us?"
Well, I'm enough of an Amiga-fan to want one. I'm not sure I'll be able to afford one--but I do want one.
Wow, looks like it should garner some government agency support -- yesterday's technology tomorrow!!!
More people will buy this than the 8 people who own zunes.
There was a rationale for being an Amiga fan when Apples were running pre-OSX with no preemptive multitasking and the predominant OS was Windows98 which was still unstable due to its 16-bit backwards compatibility. And there were cool apps for the Amiga like the Toaster/Flyer system, custom hardware layered onto custom hardware. But these days there is no advantage. Not in the hardware, not in the OS, and not in the software. The only reason to run something like this is to be different for the sake of being different.
"The only reason to run something like this is to be different for the sake of being different."
Well...I would guess it's also nigh virus-proof. Security through obscurity and all that.
Which, of course, doesn't make it in any way practical to buy one, but that hasn't stoped millions of iPod owners...
The amiga's still my all time fave platform - and switched to the mac pre 0SX when I had to get a decent system cos it felt closer to the amiga than windoze did. The arrival of OSX definitely mitigated any of my nostalgia. Though the Amiga OS does have a few advantages still such as its small footprint. I'd love to see apple nick the multiple screens system the Amiga OS has (you're able to run applications on their own virtual screen in independent resolutions) - this would make a great and more convenient way of maximising an app for all the new switchers from windows.
Let it die. Let it die already!!!!
What made the Amiga great was that it was the best bang for the buck, and that it's graphics were designed to work with regular NTSC/PAL video.
In 2 years NTSC/PAL will be shoved out for ACTV.
At $500 to start it's already about $200 more than a PC that can run circles around it.
The only this has ANY legs is if they ditch the hardware all together and offer the OS a Dev platform for X-Box/PS3 running on the Cell.
Linux has already SMOKED the Amiga for Software bang, and my Pepper Pad 3 will out perform anything this cadaver of an OS can do.
@ Ratteler "At $500 to start it's already about $200 more than a PC that can run circles around it."
Wow! You already know the specs of this new Amiga hardware??!?! Maybe wait until the facts are out before making statements like this.
From the article.
"Twelve months in the making, the flavors are a $500 consumer version and a $1500 "power design." "
And the whole point of the article was that this new Amiga Hardware would be PowerPC based.
The top of the PowerPC line is the 970MP with a Max speed of 2.0Ghz for a dual core processor. Same as was used in last G5 Macs. There has been no new development in that line. No increased clock. No G6!
We know for a fact that the Intel Macs are nearly 2x as powerful given the same clock speeds.
The best FSB a G5 can handle is 1066Mhz. But if they are going to use a single architecture for both Amiga's they will probably have to use slower ram to keep with in their price guidelines.
Graphic card choices are limited to ATI or nVidia if they expect to have anything CLOSE to modern performance, and if Linux can't get decent drivers for those cards, I strongly doubt Amiga ponied up the cash to make it worth it for ATI/AMD and nVidia to do a better job for them. Sound will mostly likely be built in as it is with every other PC which means it's going to use one of the popular chip sets.
About the only place fore surprises is if they make the system SATA.
So to answer your retarded question...
"Wow! You already know the specs of this new Amiga hardware??!?!"
Yes. In fact I do. I know that the best PowerPC can deliver is barely enough to keep up with an equally clocked Intel or AMD chip. I know that they will have to use reasonably off the shelf components for the rest of the system.
I know that given economies of scale, a $500 Amiga is probably NOT going to sport one of these G5 processors... but rather a lower, slower G4, or maybe even G3 processor.
So I KNOW that a 2Ghz off the shelf E-machine for $300 is going to have a faster processor than this WannAmiga.
This is ignoring pesky little details like, how long until the WannAmigas actually ship, vs what the average low end PC will be in 4 to 6 months when they do and the fact that there is ABSOLUTELY NO MODERN SOFTWARE for AmigaOS, so these machines will be running in 68K emulation 90% of their time slowing their already average performance down even further.
The fact that MOST major distros of Linux have ditched their PPC lines means that even as a LAMP server these machine will be a still births.
These machines are no more Amigas than the new C= PC's are Commodores.
AmigaOS4 doesn't have a hope in hell of making a dime until it's fully X86 compatible. X86 Architecture has WON!!! Game over.
Even if the developers woke up and realized this, they would be just another LINUX wanna be beneath contenders like SUNs OpenSparc, BEOS, and dozens of me too Operating Systems that have no commercial apps.
It's over. Amiga has NOTHING left to offer the world except a few vultures trying to pick the last fleck of dried meat out of the pockets of the Amiga cult by putting the sacred name on old recycled crap.
Nowhere on in the article on the Amiga Inc. website do they say that this new hardware is intended to run OS4. Amiga Inc. has a plan for an OS of their own which they have been referring to as OS5. OS4 is not made by Amiga Inc. but rather by a Belgian company called Hyperion Entertainment and currently there is a legal disagreement between Hyperion and Amiga Inc. as to who owns OS4.
Amiga has been in the pro audio discussions lately:
http://www.protoolerblog.com/2007/04/19/stiff-upper-lip-194-07-glimpse-of-the-future/
:D
Seriously, this is cool. I was a Amiga junkie back in the day, but there is no way in hell this will survive. It's gonna be fun to see the new OS though, from what I understand OS4 was really good.
The least expensive way for me would be finding somebody who could put WorkBench 1.0 on a floppy that my Amiga 1000 would read and boot from but I'd also seriously consider paying $500 if this new platform could let me run all of my software that ran on WorkBench 1.0 :-)
Ha this is GREAT. Im a HUGE Amiga fan... Some of your comments I agree on, and some are just as stupid as the PC Vs Amiga wars of 15 years ago... (and the pc dudes with their dos boxes and 3/486's never admitted they were wrong about the more capable platform, even to this day, despite scientific proof!)
Like some other peoples opinion, the Amiga without doubt was/is my all time favorite platform. The quality, vibe, sophistication, games, OS, hardware, everything was so cooool about it - not to mention the community. It was something I was extremely proud to own, and only too happy to take to peoples houses to show it off and make their PC with Win 95 look like the absolute garbage that it was. I often run WinUAE, and it sadens at the Wintel survival of the saddest dommination that became. I was also WAY more productive on AMIGA. PC too me just dosent feel like a productive environment... OK for games and webrowsing however... I think this is becuase Amiga OS feels profession and almost realtme response. You just dont get that with PC.
The Amiga was the first platform that really took my breath away at what computers could do.... nothing to this day, has had that kind of impact, and I have to admit is why it's still my favorite platform. A true inovative machine, that without question was 10 yars ahead of its day!
It puzzels me why some people get concerns that some newer intel CPU's out perform PowerPC processors. WHile this may be true, lets not forget that a 7.14Mhz A500 in combination with custom chip and architecure, working in recursive parallelism within, out performs any 60 to 100MHz system at that time (especially within general multimedia stule computing). Given the Amigas custom chips (such a Paula, Denise, Gary, etc) also contained control registers independed of CPU intervention, they were infact True Multi processor systems by techical difinition.
What concerns me today, is that people are jumping on the bandwagon and using the word AMIGA as a catch word, from past history.... it converns me that a new Amiga a) wont have the same level of passion about it, b) will be too pre occupied in concerns of cross platform compatibility, c) will have no involvement from the fathers of Amiga, some of who are dead. RIP Jay Miner... d) will be more of a cash in on past fame...
However, the Best thing about Amiga today is the community. IE the millions of people who have secretly been waiting for their return!