Originally posted by BigMackCam Hoya didn't know that solenoid was going to be a reliability issue.
Reliability testing is an important cost of industrialization. If Hoya didn't know about the reliability issue of the solenoid they skipped the testing.
Originally posted by BigMackCam At sales of ten thousand units, that's six hundred thousand bucks - ten peoples' salaries
Yes you are right, ten people salaries compared to designing two different camera models which involves 150 people salaries, new product numbering, different bill of materials, different camera assembly procedure at the factory, a whole new set of camera model inventory shipped to retailers. Where's the saving? To me, at 10 000 units per model, it's not worth bothering of having hardware differentiation, just make 1 hardware and 3 sets firmware match the prices/features depending on customer segment.
---------- Post added 09-09-19 at 11:08 ----------
So in theory you are right about the benefit of hardware separate hardwares for optimal cost of the hardware. I'm referring to other costs that increase when sales volumes are going down. And the fact that Tamron and Sigma stop making lenses with a K mount is just the evidence that the hardware customization itself is less costly than just having the product in stock + maintaining in catalog and customer service.
Last edited by biz-engineer; 09-09-2019 at 02:09 AM.