The Big Rant Price Vs. Quality (long) Message #13 Posted by How much is 300 dollars worth on 27 Oct 2003, 10:18 a.m., in response to message #9 by Pavel Korensky
Well, it is interesting to note that some people seem to be spending approximately $500 for little windows CE or Palm devices--like the Tungsten W. So maybe there is room for a $300 high quality device.
So yes, you might ask, "who would spend 300 bucks on a calculator" and the answer is "quite a few people" if you expand the category to "multipurpose digital electronic (computing) device".
On the other hand:
One of the other reasons that quality is now suffering, is the massive deflationary environment of the digital device. Obsolecence of devices is almost immediate--and this has been a problem for some years (decades!). The products are victims of their own success--inasmuch as manufacturing has continually evolved to produce a given product at a lower price, parallel with the ability to improve speed or other for a given price.
Or in other words, inventory is far more expensive--if it is digital devices--than it is for commodities such as cotton, wool, iron ore, ASTM A-53 GR B pipe, etc. So make it now, make it FAST, and keep moving.
But there is a market, and always will be, for devices where reliability comes first---but these are not produced by "big names" in mass-production. Yes, sometimes the proverbial $3,000 toilet seat is worth the money.
Perhaps there could be / is already a company producing devices--or even RPN calculators---at a price--which would be built for durability and reliability--at a price. And they would be made in USA---NOT China---- (or they would be made in Europe--not China). But not cheap. Most of us are not willing to make that jump. Yet. But one more broken $10 chinese POS______(fill in the blank: lamp, table, toaster, etc) that lasts 2 weeks and must be replaced, and I might just be happy with paying 10 times more for a high quality domestic product. Oh, but I forgot, we don't have any domestic manufacturing anymore (DEAD and GONE!)....now what!
Interesting to note that I could roll the clock back 40 years and say "Hong Kong KRAP" or 30 years ago and say "Japanese JUNK". So the trend continues, even as we now acknowledge that Japanese products are SUPERIOR (I drive a Toyota and dont Ever want another euro car (they cost too much and always break down) or GM (they cost too little and nickel/dime you to death).
-Bill Platt
Edited: 27 Oct 2003, 10:22 a.m.
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