How entrenched is the computer in your lifestyle? Completely. I move between five locations on a fairly frequent basis and have a computer at each. My emails are broadcast to each location, and that is how I tend to communicate nowadays. You can keep it short on an email, whereas telephone calls can drag on unnecessarily.I also have e-m@ailers at my UK locations and use these for my domestic traffic.
Why did Amstrad move away from home computers after the success of the CPC range and the PC1512? When we launched the CPC464 in April 1984, we introduced to the market the only home computer that looked like a computer. The Commodore, the Sinclair etc looked like pregnant calculators because they had no monitor - the children had to muscle in on the family television. However, the CPC464 came with its own monitor and bundled software.
But the home computer industry went into decline the following year when we introduced our first PC. Remember that in 1985, the average retail price of an IBM or Olivetti PC was over £2,000. Then we came in with the £399 PC that matched the big boys at a fraction of the price.Then the parents began to buy Amstrad 1512 models for themselves and their children and the home game-playing market went into a shallow but terminal dive.
Are the mobile and the PDA making inroads on the desktop computer? Techno-yuppies will always snap up this type of kit. But mass market? I'm not at all certain that they will ever be able to deliver the performance or work-comfort of the PC. Emailing and watching pictures on small screens is alright now and again but the PC will remain a fixture and the principal tool for many years to come.
Who do you see as the current IT innovators? The current IT innovators are the people who bring technological advancements to the masses and do so in the simplest and most consumer-friendly formats: Nokia, AltaVista and Google.
How did your e-m@iler evolve? We wanted to create the ultimate home communications tool. Now there are 250,000 users from every demographic using the em@ilerplus to call, email, text, play games and access the net. The library of downloadable Sinclair ZX Spectrum games has brought back classic computer games with a vengeance. Games such as Jet Set Willy have possibly offered fathers the only opportunity to beat their kids at computer games.
Favourite gadgets? SKY+ digital recording device is brilliant - we are going to make them soon.
Favourite sites? www.spurs.co.uk
· Visit: www.amstrad.com/default.shtml
