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Luigi Vampa · (This post was last modified: 02-16-2017 09:30 PM by Luigi Vampa.)

I was counting down the days, and we are so close to 19th. February, that I couldn't resist to wish a happy birthday to that lovely sample shown by SM via YouTube one year ago.

It looked so close to its commercial launch!!! :O)

It was just some weeks later, after plenty of landscape vs. portrait hush/fuss/brouhaha, when we knew the portrait version won the 'public contest'.

The grapevine says SM is working full steam to polish the DM42P edges. I am fully convinced about it. Nevertheless, the coming birthday of that DM42L sample has made me wonder whether that model couldn't be marketed, as a quick win, to satisfy the appetite for a new 42 in the block. IMHO, this might benefit SM: increased public exposure, and plenty of time (and cash) to polish the edges of their next flagship, the DM42P. Well, well, well, I feel much better now that I have saved the world; but please, don't thank me for that, it is a pleasure to play my favourite game, 'The Armchair CEO' ;O)

I don't want to open a can of worms, it is just that St. Valentine's day has passed, and I felt in love one year ago. Spring is coming... who knows, maybe there is room for some hope. Such is love :Ox DM42L

vido · 02-15-2017, 10:08 PM

Since this is a niche market, it makes sense for SwissMicros to perfect the product before the commercial launch, rather than rushing it : the customers are going to pay much more attention to teething problems, and are also going to be much more grateful for a good calculator. Time is not so important here.

SwissMicros is going to gain serious credibility with the DM-42 release, and later on with the hardware side of the WP-43S. I'm looking forward to these machines.

Ángel Martin · 02-16-2017, 06:17 PM

I hope the project is still active - we're really looking forward to that great display and the I/O capabilities for the 42 platform, just imagine...

ÁM

Luigi Vampa · (This post was last modified: 02-16-2017 09:22 PM by Luigi Vampa.)

I fully agree with both of you, Ángel and Vido.
Swiss Engineering is the best example of "Festina Lente" :O)

Jlouis · 02-16-2017, 08:54 PM

I think Luigi has a point, and I fully agree with him.

The platform for DM42L was already there, but the changes of plan to DM42P, new display, new platform have to be created and so on, wich made things more complicated, so the immense delay.

I'm sure DM42L would have sold well, and the portrait version will too, and both can coexist with good sales.

**rprosperi** · 02-17-2017, 02:36 AM

(02-16-2017 08:54 PM)Jlouis Wrote: The platform for DM42L was already there, but the changes of plan to DM42P, new display, new platform have to be created and so on, wich made things more complicated, so the immense delay.

There was no DM42L, it was only a concept. All the prior SM machines were based on very low-resource (CPU, speed, memory, etc.) designs, but the DM42 (L or P) is based on the awesome Free42 application, which was designed for modern resource-rich architectures like Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. So SM has had to build an entirely new, far more powerful and complex platform from scratch, not even considering things like the larger display.

It definitely has taken longer than we all wish, but considering the scope of the job, I feel it has progressed even better than I expected. I will patiently wait for the DM42P and happily buy 1 or 2 when they're ready. I am not expecting a DM42L, as I think the market clearly indicated a strong preference for a portrait model, but would gladly buy that too if it should become available.

Luigi Vampa · (This post was last modified: 02-17-2017 11:38 PM by Luigi Vampa.)

(02-17-2017 02:36 AM)rprosperi Wrote: There was no DM42L, it was only a concept.

Rather than a concept (idea/draft design/mock-up) it was properly presented as the first prototype. Its finished keyboard and logo are undoubtedly calling prospect buyers from the YouTube video, while running some live tests. Please, see attached snapshot from that video.

(02-17-2017 02:36 AM)rprosperi Wrote: All the prior SM machines were based on very low-resource (CPU, speed, memory, etc.) designs, but the DM42 (L or P) is based on the awesome Free42 application, which was designed for modern resource-rich architectures like Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android.

We shouldn't forget that, on the Free42's early days, Thomas developed a version able to run on a Palm PDA with Palm OS 3.0, which is dated back 19 years ago. We are talking about a 68k microprocessor, with less than a half the muscle a DM41 counts today on.

(02-17-2017 02:36 AM)rprosperi Wrote: I am not expecting a DM42L, as I think the market clearly indicated a strong preference for a portrait model,

I think the DM42L could be, most likely, priced as the DM41L. If so, it seems sensible to think it might have its own place in SM's portfolio, positioned at half the price of the flagship DM42P. Once the market gets flooded with the latter, then SM could add the DM42L into its catalog, as a "poor man's HP42s replica" that would make plenty of happy campers too. It may sound like business fiction, but it seems more than plausible to me.
Regarding the prospect market, only SM knows how many units of each model they have sold so far. In this forum... we could mean... say... 200 (active) members?

**rprosperi** · 02-18-2017, 02:36 AM

(02-17-2017 11:17 PM)Luigi Vampa Wrote: I think the DM42L could be, most likely, priced as the DM41L. If so, it seems sensible to think it might have its own place in SM's portfolio, positioned at half the price of the flagship DM42P. Once the market gets flooded with the latter, then SM could add the DM42L into its catalog, as a "poor man's HP42s replica" that would make plenty of happy campers too. It may sound like business fiction, but it seems more than plausible to me.
Regarding the prospect market, only SM knows how many units of each model they have sold so far. In this forum... we could mean... say... 200 (active) members?

Points taken, though a marketing video does not a true prototype make.

But I do like your thinking about the SM product line and positioning the L model as the poorer cousin introduced after the initial 42P demand has peaked. You must be playing your favorite game (armchair CEO) a lot; its leading to some devious planning. As noted, I can see using both P and L versions, and hope I get the chance to, but still have doubts on demand. We'll have to wait a while to see.

Thomas Okken · 02-18-2017, 05:34 PM

(02-18-2017 02:36 AM)rprosperi Wrote: Points taken, though a marketing video does not a true prototype make.

From merriam-webster.com:

Definition of prototype
1: an original model on which something is patterned : archetype
2: an individual that exhibits the essential features of a later type
3: a standard or typical example
4: a first full-scale and usually functional form of a new type or design of a construction (as an airplane)

In the video you're referring to, they didn't just show a mock-up, they showed a working calculator. That is a prototype. :-)

Luigi Vampa · (This post was last modified: 02-18-2017 06:39 PM by Luigi Vampa.)

A point for Bob, another one for Thomas, and let me take just one for me too. We all take points, and keep being friends ;O)

**rprosperi** · 02-18-2017, 07:06 PM

(02-18-2017 05:34 PM)Thomas Okken Wrote: In the video you're referring to, they didn't just show a mock-up, they showed a working calculator. That is a prototype. :-)

My bad, I never saw the subject video (and indeed believed it was a mock-up); thanks for correcting me on this Thomas.

Does anyone have a link to that video?

Being so, if SM truly had a working prototype of a producible design over a year ago, and still have deferred any introduction, the feedback about preferring a Portrait model must have been overwhelming. Not a shock I suppose, though an L model still will be interesting to check out if Luigi's product forecast plays out.

Luigi Vampa · 02-18-2017, 07:24 PM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=314JMYJEh6k

**rprosperi** · 02-18-2017, 09:21 PM

(02-18-2017 07:24 PM)Luigi Vampa Wrote: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=314JMYJEh6k

Ok, thanks Luigi, I recall this video now. Though the machine clearly runs and effectively demonstrates the awesome precision of Free42, since it appears it does not implement Alpha mode (and 6 adjacent soft F-keys are not available due to Up-arrow on left and 7 on right) I think of this as more of a technology demonstrator than a real 42S clone prototype. Maybe these are just labels.

Still, such a technology demonstrator is crucially important, both to generate excitement and demonstrate SM's ability to port Free42, and it obviously worked, as they've felt enough interest to proceed.

Ángel Martin · 02-21-2017, 06:02 PM

(02-18-2017 09:21 PM)rprosperi Wrote: Still, such a technology demonstrator is crucially important, both to generate excitement and demonstrate SM's ability to port Free42, and it obviously worked, as they've felt enough interest to proceed.

What I find interesting is that dual line display, *much* better than the font featured in the other DL models in my opinion. I wish they could be retrofitted!

**rprosperi** · 02-21-2017, 07:03 PM

(02-21-2017 06:02 PM)Ángel Martin Wrote: What I find interesting is that dual line display, *much* better than the font featured in the other DL models in my opinion. I wish they could be retrofitted!

1 +

Once the DM42P is released, it would be a nice upgrade for the larger DM-10/11/12/15/16 models via a future f/w update.

I find the DM15L (et al) font to be much improved (easier to read - shape does not really change) if you change the default (thin) font thickness to the medium setting (using [ON]+[7]). The bold setting is too bold for my taste.