How The Industry Works:



Thoughts on Pre-Release Product Announcements:

One of the biggest problems in the industry is that products take a long time to develop and there is often a level of unpredictability what a final product will actually be like or when they will arrive. Early in 1996 or late 1995, a very enthusiastic fellow on Genie predicted that the MP-2000 (then known as the "Q" project) would come out in the Spring of 1996. I said he was probably wrong due to what I'd heard about CPU availability. Instead, we saw the MP-130, which is still the current model, and in fact even today (Dec, 1996) you can still buy "new" MP-120's in some stores. So if in January 1996 you were trying to decide whether to buy a then current MP-120 and upon hearing about the MP-2000 you decided to wait for the MP-2000, you might have been disappointed when you saw the MP-130. I expect some people, frustrated from the anticipation probably overlooked the fact that the MP-130 could be adequate for their needs. In general, don't get too caught up in long range talk about "coming products." The only guarantee you have is that if there's a box on the shelf with something in it to buy, that's what you can get.
[1996/12/14] revised [1997/01/13]

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Last update 1997/01/13.