Originally posted by OrangeKx After reading a bunch of positive reviews at B&H tonight for the K-01 and the buzz here lately, I wonder if the K-01 was just getting some momentum that could have helped Pentax gain some new converts. What a difference another year could make with the new price point, some new folks finding the brand and some positive feedback all around. Seems maybe it's just the world we live in, short attention spans and if something's not hot right out of the gates it's labeled as "lame".
I agree completely. Being a recent Pentax convert, I can attest to the effect that studying the K-01 reviews had on me. The product was differentiated. Imperfect, but differentiated - which is a lot more than I can say for most product design these days. Part of the reason I became a fan of the brand can be attributed to the K-01, despite the fact that I don't own one. It's a minor tragedy: quarterly profits overwhelm the kind of tenacity it takes to make a product stick. There's very little in the way of long-term product thinking. It must be painful to be Marc Newson.
I still may buy a K-01, if they're still available in the morning!