What is to be manufactured and why Message #3 Posted by Andrés C. Rodríguez (Argentina) on 6 Dec 2000, 4:24 p.m., in response to message #2 by Marx Pio
Just an opinion:
The HP 48 and its siblings (as recent history shows) will not be manufactured just because they are useful or because there are applications available. Any product will be manufactured when and only when its manufacturer BELIEVES it will be profitable. And that means:
1) Sales volume
2) Profit margin (price versus direct and indirect costs)
3) Low cost of support and warranty services
4) Low stock of spare parts or units
5) No side effects on other products of the same brand (cannibalizing)
Regrettably, usefulness only has something to do with sales, and with these products, you may well buy just one unit once and use it for years.
Otherwise, the HP42S (even the HP11C, or HP41CX) would be in production today. On a usefulness and user demand view, obviously they should.
Again, this is just my opinion; and it is not something I am always happy with; but it seems to be the way things are nowadays.
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