> We probably need to define the product category we're discussing. I was > listing devices which prevent casual interception, and which Joe Average > might conceivably buy. The Starium is obviously more robust than that, > and consequently more expensive.
Right, exactly. When Starium was first announced, people were excited because it sounded like we were going to get industrial-strength stuff at consumer prices. That isn't reality, and now they are going to sell industrial-strength stuff at industrial prices. There's no way a complicated all-digital public key crypto device can compete on price with made-in-China analog scramblers, which are basically toys. That is not a smart fight to pick because the consumer who is just playing around doesn't know the difference under the hood. I'm glad they did the smart thing on this. > You asked in a previous message about the market size. For casual stuff, > tens or hundreds of thousands in the US, if the device is in the $100 > range. For the serious stuff, I think you nailed the market pretty well. > One or two orders of magnitude less, if the device is in the $1000 > range. Those numbers both assume no government interference, of course. Sounds reasonable to me. I hope they do well, but I'm not giving them money until the devices are actually shipping. I think they do have a good chance because law enforcement and private security demand for these things might be pretty good these days.
