<Rambling response deleted>
Khen, what it comes down to is this: Olympus is no longer in a
market in which they can toss out a technical improvement or two
every couple of years and call it good.
Strangely, Oly seems to understand this when it comes to the digital
point-and-shoot market. They're out there with new models and
upgraded features every 6-9 months. Right now, in the U.S., Oly
offers two dozen different DP&S cameras. I'll guess that almost all
of them have a much lower profit margin than any E-thingy model and
that those DP&Ss are sold to customers who are less loyal because
they're not risking much money in moving to another brand next time.
Despite this tough sales environment, Oly makes the effort.
So why not offer something besides a long song and dance to
customers who have used Olympus SLRs for years (decades, even)
and/or who bought an entry-level E-thingy and now want to (or have
to) move up? Where do these folks go? How can Oly keep a straight
face in calling the E-1 "Professional" (their term, on their U.S.
Web site, not mine) when it offers a much lower pixel count, a
smaller chimping monitor, and a different (smaller?) feature set
than either of their other two (maybe eventually to be three)
E-thingies? How can they insist that a four-year-old digital camera
is still competitive when their competition has upgraded some of
their models three times in that period? Is this any way to sell a
"flagship" model? The E-1 should have been replaced -- possibly
twice over -- by now.
Despite your suggestions that I can't possibly understand what goes
on in an electronics manufacturing company (WRONG) and that I need
to "understand" Olympus, let me suggest that you and Olympus America
or Olympus Japan or whoever understand this:
I am a prospective buyer in one of the biggest sales markets in the
world. I'm worth thousands of dollars in camera bodies and
accessories and I'll spend that money -- if I'm getting what I
need/want. I am not alone, on this list or in this market.
Olympus needs to sell cameras -- or they will die (at least the DSLR
part of their company will). They have my goodwill as a happy
previous customer. But if they want me to be patient in waiting for
the next "pro" E-thingy, then they need to give me some concrete
specs and an introduction date that their history shows they are
likely to meet. (They can always bump up the specs or the intro
date.) "Something" offered "sometime in 2007" doesn't cut it.
Olympus also needs to be able to tell me that they are aware of
current shortcomings in their products and that they _are_
addressing them.
Olympus' problem is that there are several other camera
manufacturers out there -- Canyon and Nykon and Fuj! and Pentacks
don't insist that I "understand" them or that I just trust them for
my future business. They understand that if they don't offer the
products I want to buy, I will go elsewhere. That's not a threat --
that's business. If Olympus cannot figure this out, then they'll end
up selling their technology patents off to a competitor. There's no
future in that.
If I didn't give a rip about Oly, I'd be gone by now. I want to see
them survive and prosper. But I'm a realist. That's not trolling.
It's not a personal thing with you or anyone else at Olympus (except
maybe the hooyocks in Marketing who Just Don't Get It). It's just
business -- and Olympus seems dangerously out of touch.
BTW, I didn't vote for that cowboy in the White House either time.
I'll thank you to not include me in his little world.
Steve
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