This is a translation of an article which appears on the Amiga Magazin WWW site. The original article is in German. One plucky Amiga fan, Eelke Blok has translated the article into English and posted it to the comp.sys.amiga.misc newsgroup. We are reprinting that message here and hope that Amiga Magazin doesn't mind too badly!

From: Eelke Blok
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: Interview with Petro - Translation
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 14:50:12 +0200
Organization: University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

I tried to make an as acurate as possible translation. As German is not my native language, there may be still some errors or slight misinterpretatons.

Gateway2000 Buys Amiga Technologies - Interview with Petro Tyschtschenko

On 24.3.1997 the negotiations between the American PC manufacturer/distributor Gateway2000, Inc. and the liquidator off Amiga Technologies came to a joyful end. We asked Petro Tyschtschenko a few questions on the new situation.

Amiga Magazin: Our best wishes. What are Gateway2000's plans for the Amiga?

PT: They want to start where we stopped about a year ago. The Amiga has to be built and sold again. No one plans to use chips, motherboards or technological know-how for anything else, as for example VISCorp was planning to do (Put the Amiga technology in settop boxes). A press-release in accordance to this will be released at the end of April.

Amiga Magazin: Will the Amiga be available again in the normal way?

PT: Yes. We don't want to setup any mailorder scheme without using the other outlets: computer shops, specialist shops, department stores, etc.

Amiga Magazin: What will the Amiga's future look like, how much will it cost?

PT: In the near future, the computer will be available in the same configuration as it has been before, mainly the A1200. It will cost 698 DM (DFL 780,- US$400,- UKP 250,- , calculations made with current trade market figures, no tax-corrections - EB), 998 DM (DFL 1120,- US$580,- UKP 360,- - EB) including a hard disk. We don't want to let the price rice, but we won't drop it either.

Amiga Magazin: We all know that the Amiga, in its current hardware architecture, can't quite follow the innovations in the current computer business, but that there are great peripheral developments. Is it planned to cooperate with these manufacturers and traders in the future?

PT: You say it: we are well aware that the Amiga in its current configuration doesn't satisfy the demands of this time. The survival of the computer however, is due to the developments in the hard- and software sector by many innovative Amiga companies. Off course we are planning to have a talk with those competent developers as soon as possible. But we are convinced that these companies will seek contact with us very soon.

Amiga Magazin: What function will Gateway2000's German office in Frankfurt have in the support and distribution of the Amiga? They concentrate on MS-DOS computers solely, don't they?

PT: It's good that you mention this. Gateway2000 Germany and the European main office in Dublin have nothing to do with Amiga International. We want to ask Amiga users, manufactures and tradesman to abandon any contact, be it by telephone or written.

Amiga Magazin: How do you see the future?

PT: Very bright. Finally there is, with Gateway2000, a strong company behind the Amiga, which is willing to invest a substantial amount of money in the computer.

Amiga Magazin: Thank you very much for this conversation.

I hope that this translation will give some more ppl access to this interesting interview. (I have been juggling a German-Dutch and a Dutch-English dictionary for about an hour to get the right weight to certain passages) I for one am glad to see some reassuring words from Petro himself.

I am in no way willing to accept responsibility for any mis-interpretations or inaccuracies on my part or the readers part and any of the consequences.

Cheers,

Eelke

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Eelke Blok
e.blok@student.utwente.nl
http://wwwedu.cs.utwente.nl/~genderen/blok
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