By Michael Webb, Editor-in-Chief, MikeWebb@CompuServe.COM
Over the course of most of this past month, I have endeavored to piece together a mosaic of ideas about the current flagship of the Amiga line, the A4000T. I attempted to address the issue from as many angles as possible, to give an idea about where the Amiga stands now, how it may be poised for the future, and where we, the Amiga community, stand.
That is, I considered this important not only because this was my first entirely new Amiga in a decade, but because it may very well be the last of a dynasty, in a way the final stand of Commodore-Amiga, now years into history. We don't know what to expect now, but it is a different era, a different company, and even a different user community.
So despite how much we don't know about the platform's immediate and ultimate future, after an awfully long time as an Amiga user, I went ahead and bought a new Amiga. And I can tell you, after almost half a year with the machine, I do not regret my decision.
There certainly have been problems along the way. Nothing is perfect, and my A4000T experience has been no exception. However, many of the problems I have experienced relate simply to apparent lapses in professionalism, and in some cases, quality control. Again, I cite Steve Duff's experiences and ideas relating to his A4000T, as published in AM over the months.
But the Amiga at the heart of the machine is, without a doubt, deserving of the name and the legacy. I will let the story told in this review speak for itself.
Do I recommend the A4000T? That is not such a straightforward question. The main reason is simply cost. The price has come down significantly, but it is still rather high, even for this powerful system. When I said I do not regret buying the A4000T, I meant it, even thought it cost as much as it did. I believe in buying the best and then making the absolute most of it; all too often, I have seen people disappointed with less-expensive "equivalents" of what they really wanted. This is not to say that the emerging ranks of Amiga clones are inferior; rather, in this case, after looking at the situation, I simply felt that the Amiga 4000 Tower was the best choice for my purposes.
What I do recommend, however, is sticking with the Amiga. Unless you are certain that another platform is the best choice for your needs, give the Amiga a chance. If it is useful to you now, it will continue to be useful, at least to the extent that it is; and chances are good that things will improve significantly for the Amiga, and its community, in the near future. If you are looking for a new system, an A4000T is certainly capable; or, alternatively, take a look at the Amiga-compatibles. Either way, the Amiga is alive and well, and there are choices.
Essentially, it comes down to one question: What do you want the machine to do? After my experiences up to this point, I can say, without hesitation, that this system does what I want it to do, and does so powerfully, elegantly, and efficiently; and, given the unprecedented longevity of Amigas I've used in the past, I believe the Amiga 4000 Tower will continue to do so, and more, for a long time to come.