[Elecraft] K3 vs K3s..."to be or not to be an "s"

[Phil Wheeler]

Tom,

I'm happy Elecraft has not adopted the Apple 
iPhone business model; try adding a new board, or 
even a new battery, to your iPhone!  Of course, 
smaller scale of market does force a different 
business model.

OTOH -- Whatever you think of Apple's approach, it 
sure works for them! I wonder how long it will be 
before you buy your iPhone 6s Plus? :-)

73, Phil W7OX (still using my iPhone 5s, the newer 
ones are just larger than I like)

On 9/11/15 9:23 AM, Tom Fitzgerald via Elecraft wrote:
> N1LQ-Dave...this is starting to remind me of the Apple iPhone drama...about every 6 months a new iPhone comes out that's "better" than the previous one. Sorta makes you wonder why they just didn't make the damn thing that way in the first place, I think we all know why. I've owned all the iPhones from the very first one up to the recently new 6 Plus w/128gig hard drive & now the 6s Plus is out!  Honestly!!!??? I've had gripes about all of them, use to be size (to small), then camera resolution, then software bugs & the OS, etcetera etcetera etcetera. Getting off topic...back to the radio...I have 3 radios inline including a mid serial number 3,000 something K3. I paid tooooooo damn much for all of them and am quite sure I can survive without the latest & greatest version of the K3...the "s" line...ya just know that some day real soon there will be the next latest & greatest K4 or some nonsense out making the new K3s old news. I can think of about a hundred other things I'd rather do with the $$$$ than burn it on another ham radio but then again, ham radio isn't my life or my passion, it's just a hobby. In the end it's a personal decision you have to make based on many factors. Do you really need this new version or just want it? It sounds like you have a great radio now...take a trip to the South Pacific with the wife instead is my advice (at least one of you could go for the same money maybe :), avoid getting that feeling of wondering why you blew perfectly good money on something you really didn't need in the first place. I find that it's the "wanting" that's the real drug, after you get the new "thing", it's newness wears off pretty quick & then it's just the same old same old again. Skip this version and wait for the next one is probably good advice too, maybe the best advice, you know that it's already being thought about & it is after all...inevitable. I'm staying pat until many of the physical features of the radio are addressed...& they will be...eventually, the performance upgrades will be in that future radio too. Don't get on the merry-go-round as I did with all the different models of the iPhone, it's simply a waste of perfectly good money better spent elsewhere or even invested and or saved. Just my two cents!
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> kd0bcf