Re: Sizing the Internet market

[Clay Shirky <[e-mail]>]

> Hmm, just to throw a little kindling on this fire, I would venture
> to say that price is more important than interface.  Why?  Because
> a place like Netcom, with a low fix-priced scheme, seems to be much
> more popular than the easier to use but more expensive Pipeline.
> I want to make it clear that I'm only operating on hearsay, as I'm
> not associated with Pipeline in the slightest, but I know that the
> general impression among those who follow the NY Internet scene is
> that Pipeline has been starting off slowly, mainly because of the
> price.

New York is something of an oddity in that we have seven .com providers
with 212/718 dial-ups, and we would have had eight except tht netcom's
difficulties in dealing with NYTel have led them to postpone their entry
into the market. I suspect the GUI vs. low prices debate will really play
itself out when AOL goes on the net and goes head to head with newcom and 
delphi.

-- 
Clay Shirky