Most of the chips in the TI (such as the TMS9900 CPU and the TMS9918A graphics chip) were made by TI. So how is it an advantage that Commodore owned the chips when TI did as well?
Or was this one of those situations where the part of TI that made the chips and the part of TI that made the computers were kept at arms length? (with the TI computer guys having to buy the TI chips at retail)
Or was this one of those situations where the part of TI that made the chips and the part of TI that made the computers were kept at arms length? (with the TI computer guys having to buy the TI chips at retail)
The latter. The consumer products group (TI-99s, Speak and Spells, eventually calculators) was in Lubbock. Hundreds and hundreds of miles from Dallas HQ and Houston IC research, and very much a us-v-them, exiled-to-Siberia part of the company.
TI made the chips as well (Score:2)
Most of the chips in the TI (such as the TMS9900 CPU and the TMS9918A graphics chip) were made by TI. So how is it an advantage that Commodore owned the chips when TI did as well?
Or was this one of those situations where the part of TI that made the chips and the part of TI that made the computers were kept at arms length? (with the TI computer guys having to buy the TI chips at retail)
Re:TI made the chips as well (Score:4, Informative)
Or was this one of those situations where the part of TI that made the chips and the part of TI that made the computers were kept at arms length? (with the TI computer guys having to buy the TI chips at retail)
The latter. The consumer products group (TI-99s, Speak and Spells, eventually calculators) was in Lubbock. Hundreds and hundreds of miles from Dallas HQ and Houston IC research, and very much a us-v-them, exiled-to-Siberia part of the company.