[photo-3d] Re: Manufactured Broke

[Michael Watters <michael.watters@xxxxxxxxx>]

>    From: "Dr. George A. Themelis" <drt-3d@xxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: Re: Manufactured broke
> 
> Personally, I did not stress the fact that the camera went
> unchanged for 25 years as a good thing but as an
> interesting fact, possibly reflecting the reality in a
> declining stereo camera market.

The fact had been characterized as evidence that the camera 
didn't NEED improvement.  Enough said.

> > Quite likely the company COULD have survived by 
> > selling cameras to nobody but stereo nuts if they'd have 
> > released a seriously updated camera every few years.  
> 
> Selling 50 cameras a year I don't think it would keep
> the company in business.  A seriously updated camera
> requires a lot of money and David White clearly did not
> see the justification for this.  BTW, David White is still in 
> business but out of the stereo camera market.

The camera-end of things is not in business.  No point 
nit-picking.

So...  you're suggesting that out of an estimated 300,000 - 
500,000 stereo shooters (judging from numbers of cameras 
sold), that only 0.01% would have purchased a new camera if 
one had been offered with TRUELY updated features (of the 
type that were becoming more and more commonplace by the 
time of the demise of the Realist)???  Better keep quiet 
with that iron-clad logic.  If Minolta and Nikon get wind 
of it they'll stop releasing new SLRs every couple of years 
- since so few people bother upgrading...

Again:  It's hard to sell a product that is 25+ year old 
technology.  Do people buy new cars only when their old one 
dies?  No, they buy new cars because they like the new 
models, or their family has grown, or they want a change.  

Want an example?
	Apple computers.  Their market share hasn't changed 
significantly for over a decade.  They sell almost 100% of 
their product to people who already own Macs.  Was there 
anything seriously WRONG with their old ones?  No, the new 
ones just have incrementally better features:  faster, more 
memory, more colors etc.  If they were still selling the 
old Mac 128's and Mac 512's - who'd bother getting a new 
one when it's no different than the one on the desk already?

Sheesh!


-----------------------------------------
Dr. Michael Watters
Email: Michael.Watters@xxxxxxxxx
Valparaiso University