Amstrad sold - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

ppppenguin · 1st Aug 2007, 4:55 pm

Sir Alan Sugar has sold Amstrad to BSkyB.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6925963.stm

Paul Stenning · 1st Aug 2007, 6:52 pm

There's more information about the sale (rather than misinformation about the PCW) on the Amstrad website here http://www.amstrad.com/press/news/latest_news.html

Mike Phelan · 2nd Aug 2007, 7:35 am

We may love or detest Sir Alan and/or his products, but his business expertise is without question!

Aerodyne · 2nd Aug 2007, 11:05 am

...and it seems he knows when to quit, too, not a common skill!
-Tony

Steve_P · 2nd Aug 2007, 7:59 pm

Funny how the world changes isn't it. Those Amstrad stacker systems. Especially the one where the Cabinet opened up but you then had to buy a new cabinet! They were in the same market as Fidelity with some of them. AAARGH!!

But, an Amstrad deck and speakers, although rather poor sounding, is still in storage and working, and the last Amstrad I saw I actually liked, because it did what it said it would with no messing. Mind you, I hadn't had to fix that one....

Computer wise, Amstrad tried to get into the market opened up by Clive Sinclair - The Spectrum was the machine to have for those who couldn't afford a BBC Micro. Then Amstrad came up with this Colour Monitor and Machine that did nowt, so eventually bought the Sinclair Computing Division instead.

He was a vision of things to come im a way was Alan Sugar. (Was it Alan Micheal Sugar by the way - AMS Trading - AMSTRAD.)

Cheers,

Steve P

evingar · 2nd Aug 2007, 8:29 pm

WRT computers, I was a BBC man myself. I think that Amstrad were targeting a different market with their machines. I don't know many people that bought an Amstrad to do programming, I know loads that did to do Word Processing (etc). In this respect (I guess) he was moving in the right direction. The computing "enthusiast" market is tiny these days compared with document creation, surfin' and games markets.

I'm not one of those that idealises Sugar, he always comes over as making unpleasantness into an "art form" (I have know idea what he is like in real life though !). I do think that he was a master of sniffing out lucrative markets. As has been mentioned, he also seems to be good at keeping his wealth by knowing when to quit.

CanonMan · 2nd Aug 2007, 9:55 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_P

Computer wise, Amstrad tried to get into the market opened up by Clive Sinclair - The Spectrum was the machine to have for those who couldn't afford a BBC Micro. Then Amstrad came up with this Colour Monitor and Machine that did nowt, so eventually bought the Sinclair Computing Division instead.

Sorry, Steve, I can't agree with that one. The early Amstrads (the CPC range) were very good in their day, as were the PCW range. I've owned (and still do own) quite a few of these machines, and found them to be pleasent to work with and fairly reliable (unlike their tellies....)

As for buying Sinclair out, That was just taking advantage of the fact that Sir Clive made one or two blunders too many (QL, anyone?)

I personally think that Amstrad started to make mistakes in the computer market not long after it started to get involved with IBM-PC compatables.

The Notepads were about the only later range that were worth bothering with, IMHO.

Mike Phelan · 3rd Aug 2007, 7:43 am

Agreed, CM, the CPC and PCW were excellent machines. The Locoscript software of the PCW was far better than some of the more "grown-up" computers offered (no PCs then).
Their later PCs were really quite dire - everyone else had got there first with better machines.

I attended a course on the CPC as we sold and serviced them, but they never went wrong. As to their (Orion) VHS machines and dreadful audio stuff, parts requests were contered with sending us bits of cannibalised machines!

As to Sir Clive - a brilliant man with clever ideas, but he did no marketing! Things like the infamous C5 seemed like a good idea (it wasn't) but he forgot to ask if anyone was likely to buy one! I only ever saw one on the road at the time, and very soon K R Whiston were selling the surplus motors for a fiver.
The ZX80/81/Spectrum just sold themselves - he was lucky there.

Aerodyne · 3rd Aug 2007, 8:36 am

I owned a couple of PCWs and used them to produce school work on (I was teaching at the time). I found them very handy and reliable, within their severe limitations (but then I knew no better and in fact there wasn't much better at the time for word processing simplicity). Things have certainly moved on since then. As for Amstrad's so-called 'Hi-Fi' range, well... the less said the better, but it's a shame they were ever produced. 'Down to a price' redefined!
-Tony

quantum · 3rd Aug 2007, 9:08 am

The 1512 was the first computer I really got to know, and for its time it was high spec and cost effective compared to other PCs available. Alan Sugar had a natural aptitude for what he called the 'lorry driver market' (what market research people call part of the C1 and C2 classification) and understood the growth of this market niche (people whose parents had been traditional manual workers but who themselves were self employed, supervisors or white collar workers who didn't want the same lifestyle of their parents) and what this group wanted in terms of hifis and computers. However, I think that he later lost the plot a bit.

Dave Moll · 5th Aug 2007, 12:43 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Phelan

The Locoscript software of the PCW was far better than some of the more "grown-up" computers offered (no PCs then).

I still think there are areas which Locoscript (which I run on a PC) handles better than most of the Windows WPs, especially the support for the Greek/Russian families of languages and general support of accents and other diacritical marks. I would love to have seen a windows version.

Mind you, as Locoscript wasn't an Amstrad product but simply bought in for the PCWs, this may be straying OT. I would say, though, that the later versions of Locoscript for the PCW (including support for certain inkjet printers) made the PCW a very usable system.

1st Aug 2007, 4:55 pm	#1
ppppenguin Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: North London, UK. Posts: 6,167	Amstrad sold Sir Alan Sugar has sold Amstrad to BSkyB. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6925963.stm

1st Aug 2007, 6:52 pm	#2
Paul Stenning Administrator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Cardiff Posts: 9,370	Re: Amstrad sold There's more information about the sale (rather than misinformation about the PCW) on the Amstrad website here http://www.amstrad.com/press/news/latest_news.html __________________ Paul Stenning Forum Admin/Owner and BVWS Webmaster

2nd Aug 2007, 7:35 am	#3
Mike Phelan Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 4,610	Re: Amstrad sold We may love or detest Sir Alan and/or his products, but his business expertise is without question! __________________ Mike.

2nd Aug 2007, 11:05 am	#4
Aerodyne Octode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hampton Vale, Peterborough, UK. Posts: 1,700	Re: Amstrad sold ...and it seems he knows when to quit, too, not a common skill! -Tony

2nd Aug 2007, 7:59 pm	#5
Steve_P Dekatron Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 6,666	Re: Amstrad sold Funny how the world changes isn't it. Those Amstrad stacker systems. Especially the one where the Cabinet opened up but you then had to buy a new cabinet! They were in the same market as Fidelity with some of them. AAARGH!! But, an Amstrad deck and speakers, although rather poor sounding, is still in storage and working, and the last Amstrad I saw I actually liked, because it did what it said it would with no messing. Mind you, I hadn't had to fix that one.... Computer wise, Amstrad tried to get into the market opened up by Clive Sinclair - The Spectrum was the machine to have for those who couldn't afford a BBC Micro. Then Amstrad came up with this Colour Monitor and Machine that did nowt, so eventually bought the Sinclair Computing Division instead. He was a vision of things to come im a way was Alan Sugar. (Was it Alan Micheal Sugar by the way - AMS Trading - AMSTRAD.) Cheers, Steve P __________________ If we've always had it, why is the Car Boot open? You're not sneaking another Old TV in are you...?

2nd Aug 2007, 8:29 pm	#6
evingar Octode Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Newbury, Berkshire, UK. Posts: 1,772	Re: Amstrad sold WRT computers, I was a BBC man myself. I think that Amstrad were targeting a different market with their machines. I don't know many people that bought an Amstrad to do programming, I know loads that did to do Word Processing (etc). In this respect (I guess) he was moving in the right direction. The computing "enthusiast" market is tiny these days compared with document creation, surfin' and games markets. I'm not one of those that idealises Sugar, he always comes over as making unpleasantness into an "art form" (I have know idea what he is like in real life though !). I do think that he was a master of sniffing out lucrative markets. As has been mentioned, he also seems to be good at keeping his wealth by knowing when to quit. __________________ Chris

3rd Aug 2007, 7:43 am	#8
Mike Phelan Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 4,610	Re: Amstrad sold Agreed, CM, the CPC and PCW were excellent machines. The Locoscript software of the PCW was far better than some of the more "grown-up" computers offered (no PCs then). Their later PCs were really quite dire - everyone else had got there first with better machines. I attended a course on the CPC as we sold and serviced them, but they never went wrong. As to their (Orion) VHS machines and dreadful audio stuff, parts requests were contered with sending us bits of cannibalised machines! As to Sir Clive - a brilliant man with clever ideas, but he did no marketing! Things like the infamous C5 seemed like a good idea (it wasn't) but he forgot to ask if anyone was likely to buy one! I only ever saw one on the road at the time, and very soon K R Whiston were selling the surplus motors for a fiver. The ZX80/81/Spectrum just sold themselves - he was lucky there. __________________ Mike.

3rd Aug 2007, 8:36 am	#9
Aerodyne Octode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hampton Vale, Peterborough, UK. Posts: 1,700	Re: Amstrad sold I owned a couple of PCWs and used them to produce school work on (I was teaching at the time). I found them very handy and reliable, within their severe limitations (but then I knew no better and in fact there wasn't much better at the time for word processing simplicity). Things have certainly moved on since then. As for Amstrad's so-called 'Hi-Fi' range, well... the less said the better, but it's a shame they were ever produced. 'Down to a price' redefined! -Tony

3rd Aug 2007, 9:08 am	#10
quantum Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 785	Re: Amstrad sold The 1512 was the first computer I really got to know, and for its time it was high spec and cost effective compared to other PCs available. Alan Sugar had a natural aptitude for what he called the 'lorry driver market' (what market research people call part of the C1 and C2 classification) and understood the growth of this market niche (people whose parents had been traditional manual workers but who themselves were self employed, supervisors or white collar workers who didn't want the same lifestyle of their parents) and what this group wanted in terms of hifis and computers. However, I think that he later lost the plot a bit.