>My cynical opinion:
>The "this is what you need" strategy has been going on for decades, but it
>is taking a new direction. Camera makers have found the product life
>trajectories and business models for personal computers and their
>software. They don't want camera systems to be "durable goods." It won't
>be long before ads appear touting Wunderbrick 3.1, 7.0 and '02-SE. I'm
>surprised they haven't created flash programming capabilities for selling
>updated matrix focusing and metering firmware. [We didn't get it quite
>right to begin with; thanks for beta-testing it; please buy the version
>upgrade with all the irritating glitches fixed.] The goal is shortening
>time between generations (read: model lifespan). Development work is done
>on two or three product generations simultaneously. About 1/2 to 1/3 way
>through the product develeopment cycle creating the next generation,
>another team starts on the generation to follow that one.
>I think I'll go burn a few more frames of Kodachrome or Tri-X in my Contax
>IIIa with its advanced neural network exposure program and USF
>focusing.
>-- John
Ironically, the only example I know of like this is the Contax G1 which
required a ROM upgrade to use some new lenses. Of course, being Contax, it
was upgradeable!
AndrewF
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