About DM32

[jonmoore]

(05-19-2023 04:33 PM)EdS2 Wrote:  But there's a progressive response: as the price is higher, the fewer people will pay it. The best price for the health of the business will probably be higher than the one which everyone is happy to pay.

In this sense, we will always be doomed to see a few people complaining about things being overpriced - those people are the ones who are most price-sensitive.

I'm sure SM are quite clear that they sell something which is a niche product. They have no expectations of making a mass market student calculator, or even a calculator for the world's engineers. They sell to enthusiasts and collectors.

And that's the beauty of perceived value. It's in the eye of the beholder (to butcher the much loved idiom). eBay would have gone out of business years ago, if it weren't for the fact that "one person's trash, is another person's treasure".

Not that I'm suggesting the DM32 is trash (before I get of torrent of irate PM's). SM haven't let us down in the past in terms of their calculators matching (and surpassing) expectations. The hardware has taken a few evolutionary iterations to truly shine, but the firmware has generally been well maintained.

For the record, I think all SM products to date have been priced appropriately for the quality of what's on offer, and the portfolio of calculators has lower-priced options for those with smaller budgets. But I do believe the DM32 to be out of step within the product portfolio regarding price.

Being price sensitive isn't a 'calcaholic sin', and I wouldn't classify any of those who've brought up price as whingers. The very fact they're posting on MoHPC in the first place suggests they're not only potential customers, I'd guess the majority have a purchased at least one SM calculator in the past. Their opinions should really matter to SM.

To be in the business of only selling to an ever shrinking audience of enthusiasts will end being a weaving self-written obituary. Surely, there's nothing wrong with creating and selling calculators that appeal beyond the already converted.

As long as there are students in the likes of engineering, finance and computer science, they'll be a market for well-designed specialist calculators. Sure, they'll be mass-produced tat available' marketed to these same students, but have faith that the young know a good thing when they see it. Especially if it's priced appropriately within the product portfolio. Any of the students I encounter take pride in their premium priced vinyl records, vintage Palm Pilots, Apple Newton's and HP calculators. And emulation platforms that're only capable of playing 20+ year old games are big business too.