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Posted By
Crown
on 2003-12-30
|  Re: Interesting read
It seems he also have a V364 prototype, that raises the known existing number to 3.
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2003-12-31
| Re: Interesting read
I disagree with the thought that Michael has prototype #3. Please re-read the section just before the Plus/4 is mentioned: and it began with the cancellation of the MAX. This machine - although taken to final design - and as I've indicated, I still have one at home - was killed by the incoming management team that took over when Jack Tramiel left the company.
Michael has the prototype MAX machine, not the prototype 364 #3. (Doug Cotton of CMD once said in comp.sys.cbm that one of his then-employees had prototype #3 but Doug has never divulged the person's name.)
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Posted By
Gaia
on 2003-12-31
| Re: Interesting read
MAX could be just a work-name of the prototype. All other characteristics suggest that it's about an early 364: built-in software, speech, etc. He claims that he left Commodore in May 1984, while the CES where the 364 was finally shown to the public was held later during that year.
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Posted By
TMR
on 2003-12-31
 | Re: Interesting read
Skip reading through the interview, the Max he's talking about isn't the Ultimax - it's at least something that approximates the 364. The Ultimax was fully released, shares it's specifics with the C64 (although it's smaller) and certainly hasn't got onboard speech.
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Posted By
Ulysses777
on 2003-12-31
| Re: Interesting read
That's a very strange machine he's describing.
He starts off by saying that the keyboard is grey with red highlights (which is what the Ultimax has) but then mentions the speech and built-in software. Perhaps a previously unknown machine?
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Posted By
Mosh
on 2003-12-31
| Re: Interesting read
"The Plus/4 was salvaged from the MAX concept, but lacking the strong support of the product managers and technical staff who departed in 1984, it faltered in the marketplace."
Wow, that's completely different from everything else I've read about the development of the 264 series.
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Posted By
Ulysses777
on 2004-12-03
14:23:32
| Re: Interesting read
I've just come across an article regarding Commodore vapourware in a 1989 issue of Commodore Computing International (CCI) magazine, and it contains a few snippets of info that might explain this 'talking MAX' machine.
It states that at the Winter CES in January'84, as well as the 264 and 364, there was another machine of the same series, called the 164, which was described as having a membrane keyboard. It also describes an ICPUG meeting where a 164 was used to demonstrate a talking version of Superscript.
No pictures I'm afraid  , although the description of the machine's appearence in the interview above could be explained by reusing old Ultimax casings, which would be consistent with Commodore's 'recycling' policy (the Plus/4's keyboard appears to be a modified SX-64 keyboard, as well as the C64 using the Vic20 keyboard etc.).
As for the confusion regarding the name, the 264 series was being worked on well before January'84 (the TED patent was filed in June'83), so maybe they had a few names during that time? 
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