XF551 prototype case?

[+kheller2]

The infamous Atari Explorer mag from April/May 1985 has a picture of the XF551 but its using a different case. Anyone ever seen one of these in person 'cause I think it looks better.

[cx2k]

Is it the same one shown on the 130XE box?

 

John

[+kheller2]

Um..

 

This one: http://www.atari-explorer.com/images/XE-Intro-Graphic.gif

[Curt Vendel]

I always liked that case, there is a better photo of it in an XEGS promo ad. Haven't found it... yet :-)

 

 

 

Curt

 

Um..

 

This one: http://www.atari-explorer.com/images/XE-Intro-Graphic.gif

[carmel_andrews]

Isnt' the case the same one that Atari were going to use for the A8 version of the original external ST disk drive

 

I find it strange why Atari didn't release the a8 Version of the external ST disk drive, all they needed to do was either replace the mech with a 5.25 version (with a switch for 1050/810 emulation mode) or like the 815 drive offer a dual drive option (i.e a 3.5/5.25 drives in 815 alike housing) and a built in hardware copier like super archiver/SA2 or lazer/happy for copying stuff to 3.5 format

[Mathy]

Howdy Carmel

 

Diskdrives back than were considered expensive. So a double drive would have been even more expansive. Not may people would have bought it (except ofcourse for us die-hards).

 

If Atari would have made a 3.5" drive available for the 8 bit computers you would have had three groups of users. Those with only 5.25" drives, those with only 3.5" drives and a relativaly small group of users with both drives. That would have given the software industry two options. Either bring out the software on only one size disk of both. The first narrows an already small market, the other would have been very costly. They didn't want that and told Atari so. So Atari decided agains it.

 

Atarians copied just about anything. If Atari would have included something like a Happy or Lazer, that would have been even easier. Guess what the software industry would have said?

 

Greetings

 

Mathy

 

PS can you imagine a customer buying a piece of software, returning the next day complaining that it won't fit? Where they either bought a 3.5" disk and have a 5.25" drive or vice versa? That's how "smart" some people are.

[drac030]

http://atariki.krap.pl/index.php/XF521

 

Better photo appreciated.

[+kheller2]

So this is really the XF521 case then..

[tjlazer]

So this is really the XF521 case then..

 

Cool I always wondered when Atari was going to release this drive! I had the 130XE and had a 1050 at the time as that was all that was available. I quickly moved into the ST and Amiga and I never bothered to see if Atari came out with that drive... Then like 6 years ago I found out about the XF551 and got one...