Bruce wrote:
> Shame, really had an attractive odor about it. > Anyway, one needn't be a great sleuth reading financial reports, patent >applications, eavesdropping in Japanese men's rooms and studying chicken entrails to >see where Pentax is going. All one needs to do is take two steps back from wishful >thinking and look at what Pentax has and is actually selling. Aside from the MZ-S, >which sort of looks like "we must have something to sell from that development >project", Pentax has been selling lightly reworked variations of the same basic ZX >platform since 1996. With a shrinking 35mm SLR market, and increasing development >costs (cameras are complicated, cost a lot to develop and even more to put into >production) Pentax is just milking what they have for as long as they can. They may >be playing with a load of interesting things, but it's an immense jump from the lab >to the store. > It is also apparent that Pentax has decided, for the foreseeable future, to pass on >mid and high end digital. If they had anything they thought people would buy, they >would sell it. There is a lot of money in digital. More money is being spent on >digital cameras than film cameras. The catch is that the unit numbers are smaller, >because the prices are higher. Pentax seems to have biggest, least risky segment >(digital P&S) and stick to that. > Pentax has shown no commitment to delivering "leading edge, world class imaging >technology" for 20 years; why to do you expect to see it now? > REPLY: A correct analysis. To your last point: Pentax has a new agressive management, a new boss and a new company name. A total restructuring of their factories and production lines. They also stated to their distributors that their product sortiment may change in the next few years. I for one expect to see some changes to their product policy. Exactly what is debatable but there are no reason to assume that things will be like they have been for the last 20 years. It's noteworthy that Pentax have said that their to boost their brand value and image. As we all know, this is impossible witholut suitable products. I have high hopes but you can't fault those who have given up... Pål
