I own 3 Squeezeboxen V1. These toys have revolutionized access to my music and it's wonderful thing. Many thanks to Sean, Dean, and all the other Slim Devices employees and open source developers who have made this happen and continue to make new things happen.
Having said that, I'd like to express a concern of late (please no flames). With 3 units, I feel I have invested heavily in the product line. My experiences to date have been GREAT but there are some little things that I've been patiently waiting/hoping to have fixed/added/improved. And recently it seemed like the time for 2 biggies was at hand... Built-in FLAC/WMA decoding, COOL... oh wait, gotta have a SB2... ReplayGain, YES!!!!... oh wait, gotta have a SB2. Is it blasphemy to admit that lately I've felt a little forgotten? As promised SilmServer continues to support my SB1's so I'm not abandoned and I SINCERELY appreciate that, but I do feel a bit like a forgotten step-child. I understand the reason for this... we are always focused on the new thing and the hard-core developers very likely purchased (or perhaps were given) nice shiny new SB2s to encourage forward development. But for us owners on a budget who can't continually repurchase, this doesn't leave a good taste. I watched the SliMP3 for some time and then invested in SB1 because I thought it would be an upgradeable platform. I guess my timing was bad, and perhaps in some ways the SB1 was upgradeable but all the development effort (and that's what really counts) has shifted to SB2. Some long awaited features require a SB2, I feel somewhat hostage to this development approach. Either pony up and replace your hardware or live with what you have as-is. From time-to-time (measured in years) this might make sense as revolutionary enhancements often require a completely new foundation. But as a S.O.P. it makes me question my original investment, and honestly it makes me hesitant to invest further as a new model may be released at any time and my investment is rendered stagnant. I understand that technology today is obsolete tomorrow. I also understand that for Slim Devices' business model to work it must continually advance and find new sources of revenue. Development must focus on the current generation of hardware. I suppose what I am suggesting to Sean and company is to take the time to design the next model for upgradeability. Knowing that my investment won't be spoiled will go a long way to convincing me to jump back in and purchase new units. With this post I would like to stimulate some constructive conversation, or perhaps just express my concern and feel better about the situation by doing so. In no way is this post intended to take away from all the truly great things Slim Devices and the development community have accomplished. If I never upgrade again I will likely be happy for years. I just wish I could take advantage of the things I've been waiting for but now seem unattainable. -- bishopdonmiguel _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
