Alan steps down as Amstrad boss

[JonnyHungwell]

He did alright for the boss of a company that produced a load of old tat. I had 2 Amstrad satellite boxes in the 90's that ran so hot they were fire risks (one of the boxes blew up, it went off with a huge bang and an awful electrical burning smell). Most Amstrad products were right up there, along with the likes of the Ronco Buttoneer or the K-Tel moustache trimmer!

People must buy his stuff, but there are certain brands you just don't buy - like Amstrad, Bush, Binatone, Goodmans - or any shop own branded electricals, because they tend to not be cost effective.

Alan must be laughing up his sleeve at the fact that people take him so seriously - but he is a successful businessman, but mainly for fooling people, probably the low paid, into buying his products. He should have gone the way of Clive Sinclair many years ago - and he probably would have had he not been in the right place at the right time, and obtained huge contracts to manufacture Sky boxes. Because like Sir Alan, Sky have the same philosophy - knock out shite and expect most of it to break within a few weeks of the warranty running out .... then you can sell the mugs another one.

[JonnyHungwell]

Alan Sugar of course:

[Robches]

Sir Clive Sinclair is a scientist and visionary more than a businessman. His vision did very well until he came up with the fucking C5 pile of shit, and then he became a laughing stock. Sir Alan on the other hand is a pile em high sell em cheap wideboy who has done very very well for himself, but who would sell any old crap if there was a percentage for him in it.

You don't see Ronco Buttoneers these days do you? I wonder what happened to them all?

[The Last Word]

Oh joy. I suppose it'll give him more time to devote to his egoistic, pseudo-authority media profile. Expect to see him in more shows where bolshy experts preside God-like over great swathes of trembling inferiors, of which we have a worrying amount already. And probably from the BBC, who are always the pace-setters at giving the public what it thinks it needs.

[crofter]

Cunts ... I have a Ronco Buttofuckingneer!!
Does that mean that my 25 year warranty (that I paid an arm and a leg for at the time) is worthless??

Seriously what the fucking hell IS a Ronco Buttoneer???

[Pervert]

From the crap adverts that Ronco used to have, in the run-up to Christmas, I seem to recall one being for a device that would instantly replace buttons on shirts etc.

Good analogy, really, between Ronco and Amstrad. Think I once had an Amstrad word processor---and it was shite. Have never bought anything else from Amstrad. How the hell is that company still running?

[Trumpton]

I remember the Amstrad satellite receivers were huge clunking pieces of cheap looking metal with a design straight from 1950's Soviet Union.

[crofter]

Yes I had to google for it and had a wee laugh at that "invention" surely if QVC and the other shopping channels had been around at the time this would have been a top seller ... eh??

Amstrad & Spectrum PC's I seem to remember were cutting edge at one time though - just goes to show what Sugar could have done if he had actually invented/produced something of merit ... I mean he would have been a millionaire ...

[colonel]

Set it- and then forget it!