canthearu wrote on 2020-02-26, 08:17:

Really, what killed Adlib was that they were 3 years late to the market for PCM sound, against an existing standard that was already being used and developed for.

This is what I meant. The parts delay didn't help matters any, but I think at that point, they had already lost and might not have known it yet. (Although I suspect they were aware enough to be concerned.) Like I said, they were outmatched in the business department. Neat card, but they were not skilled business people. If Creative hadn't existed, they might have had a chance. Or that vacuum could have been filled by another aggressive competitor.

canthearu wrote on 2020-02-26, 08:17:

Really, what killed Adlib was that they were 3 years late to the market for PCM sound, against an existing standard that was already being used and developed for.

My understanding, based on the Rich Heimlich interview, was that it happened well before the AdLib Gold was even in development. Apparently Ad Lib believed that switching from a 1/4" jack to a 3.5mm jack was revolutionary. Had they added a game port as well at the time, it could have been very different for them - this was apparently the real 'killer' feature on the Sound Blaster. That and the price difference, of course. And this happened in 1989.

Like I said, they were outmatched in the business department.

They were outmatched in RnD department as well. You can't sit on your ass for years, with just borrowed chip from Yamaha, and expect good results.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2020-02-27, 11:39:

Like I said, they were outmatched in the business department.

They were outmatched in RnD department as well. You can't sit on your ass for years, with just borrowed chip from Yamaha, and expect good results.

But Creative did just that?

In their early years, they didn't.