Hi Mike,
Perhaps the manufacturers could modularise their components such that
improved sensors could be a plug-in module much like a CPU in a computer. It
would make a lot of sense.
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Johnston"
> Just as an aside, note that the camera manufacturers are not at all happy
> about the short production lifespan and market viability of these products
> at present. What it has meant for them is that the R&D costs are very high
> yet the products barely have enough time on the market to earn back their
> cost, much less any profit, unless they are real "hits" with consumers
like
> the Nikon 950 was.
>
> This is a major reason why so few companies are earning any money on
digital
> yet.
>
> Manufacturers would be MUCH happier with 2 - 5 year product viability than
> with .5 - 2 years. They do need to earn back the products' development
> costs. In fact, the situation is becoming rather desperate for many of
them.
>
> The exemplar of this situation is the Contax Digital N1, which by all
> accounts has pretty much been an unqualified disaster. The product is
still
> not in full release, has sold almost nothing, yet its pricing is no longer
> even remotely supportable and its features and specs make it just verging
on
> obsolete before it has even started to earn any money. Yet it cost Kyocera
a
> king's ransom to develop, WAY more than the $5-10 million or so it costs
to
> develop a major new film camera. Many more products like this would have
> Kyocera stockholders screaming for the managers' heads.
>
> --Mike
>
