Petro Tyschtschenko
President of Amiga International
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Ladies and Gentlemen
Dear Madame
Dear Sir
Dear Amiga friends
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The past has shown that there exists a market for Amiga which we can also see at the fair here in Cologne.
In 1993 there were 45.000 visitors at the Fair in Cologne, 1995 already 65.000 visitors an this year we expect more than 70.000 visitors.
Those figures are quite respectable and it shows the big faith and the enormous community spirit towards Amiga. Of course these figures are containing interested people from the PC market.
Today I will tie up to my speech of last year, in which I said:
"Due to the current situation, we do not have a fair booth this year. But Iīm very optimistic to attend the exhibition in Cologne with are own fair booth in 1997"
"Amiga is indestructible - Amiga is alive!"
This, my dear friends, was the end of my speech last year.
And at that time I was already convinced to have a comeback and thatīs why Iīm here today, Iīm the living evidence.
In my speech already quoted above, I said those days:
"We are looking for further potential Investors."
We donīt give up
We will see whatīs gone happen."
Glance backward in the past of Amiga and compare Amiga with other companies. Than you will ask yourself:
- How many companies exist which survived two bankruptcies?
- How many brands survive two bankruptcies?
And all this in times in which no new products exist or are developed.
And in times in which nobody believes in the future of our brand.
But Amiga is still there.
Amiga is alive
The development must go on
Faster and more specifically
With Amiga too.
Many professional developers, but even private tinkerers have meanwhile developed a view good ideas for Amiga.
We all, from Amiga, are open for all new ideas.
We have already made a new start.
A new start with the support of a company which believes in the future of Amiga - Gateway 2000.
But who is Gateway 2000??
Gateway 2000 is a large and solid American enterprise with more than 10.000 employees world wide.
1996 Gateway sold more than 1.9 million PCs.
The turnover amounted to 5 billion US dollar.
The net profit was 250 million US dollar after tax.
In the United States Gateway 2000 belongs to 500 biggest companies. Gateway 2000 has already been awarded many prizes for their product range and their services. This shows what a great potential is behind AMIGA International, Inc.
The policy of Gateway 2000 for Amiga is:
Amiga International is supposed to operate independent on the market.
As independent as possible.
For that purpose AMIGA International will be supported by Gateway 2000 wherever it is useful and synergies can be made.
Our strategy, the strategy of AMIGA International has three cornerstones!
- Supporting the existing Amiga community Supporting the existing Amiga community
- Leveraging the existing Amiga technology through brought licensing
- Assisting in developing new products based on open standards to the home computer and video/graphics market.
Let me explain the above mentioned goals.
The support of our Amiga users was already in past one of our cornerstone.
Even in times when Amiga worked under sequestration, Amiga succeeded almost always our customers advice and help. In future we will not change this policy, much more, we will enforce the support.
Our second cornerstone are the license agreements.
Wherever it is sensible and possible, we will reach license agreements.
Sensible and possible means:
We reach only license agreements with companies if it is of advantage to Amiga users and to the market, the Amiga technology remains compatible and the licensee grants to pull in one direction with Amiga.
Presently we reached 17 license contracts about soft and hardware.
The third cornerstone is the development of new Amiga models and to upgrade the existing Amiga products.
As you may know, Amiga has nothing developed for years.
But new products are essential to exist in a dynamic market.
For the development of new products, we need time.
Time and money.
Money which was not always available in the past few years, but with Gateway 2000 we are have found a solid basis.
We have founded a company which is responsible for Research and Development.
The name is Amiga Inc., a wholly owned company of Gateway 2000.
Amiga Inc. is situated in Sioux City close to Gateway 2000..
The tasks of AMIGA International, Inc and Amiga Inc. are clear defined.
Amiga Inc. develops products and AMIGA International, Inc. is responsible for sales and marketing world wide and for the settlement of license contracts.
We already started with some new developments. We hope to be able to present a new product for Christmas 1998.
This will be a Computer between PC and Game machine.
Which means a Computer, Game Machine, TV, Settop-Box, TVD and Internet access device all in one device.
If you think about that an Amiga OS which doesnīt need more than a one Megabyte Ram, than you see that our preconditions are nearly perfect.
Our Amiga has a extraordinary good relation towards price and efficiency.
The advantages of Amiga are the Operating System.
This has been proven in the past, and the future will show the same.
Prices for new developments will approximately range from 250 to 800 US dollar.
What concerns the software, we are planning to put the new Operating System 3.5 onto the market, hopefully in Spring 1998. In Winter 1998 we estimate to present further upgrades.
The image and the product position of Amiga is still very good.
And on this we built.
So, why resign of something which has shown its efficiency in the past time of crisis and without Amiga wouldnīt have survived on the market.
We donīt want to invent the wheel again, but we will do our best to develop Amiga on a high standard. Therefore we will find and look for co-operations.
We will serve our customers honest and open minded.
We will outsource services and we will look for new distributors
And we will try to operate with only a few employees.
Ladies and Gentlemen, last year Amiga did not participate with a booth, but this year you will find us in building 11.1 booth number D 42. Our booth has approx. 200 square yards, and everybody is kindly invited to visit us.
Before my closing words, I would like to thank a certain group very very much.
It is the group of Amiga Magazines Iīm talking about.
Thank you for the support in the past years and especially within the difficult years of bankruptcy.
Thank you again for that.
Please allow me some final words.
I think I can tell you with clear conscience that my last confidential words of the year before, came already true.
Today I had the great pleasure again to stand here and to talk to you about our future plans coming up in the next few years and Iīm convinced that we will meet each other several times within the next years and we will be still saying:
Amiga is indestructible - Amiga is alive
My personal opinion is:
Amiga has a bright future ahead!
Thank you for being here
Petro Tyschtschenko
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amigaflame.demon.co.uk