[Elecraft] Obsolescence as Marketing Rather Than Design

[Dauer, Edward]

For a number of years I used an iPhone n (where n is a small number -
probably a 3.)  I no longer do.  It sits in a desk drawer, unused,
replaced by a Samsung Galaxy running Android.

The reason is not OT - it is in stark contrast with what Elecraft does.

About 18 months ago I made the mistake of accepting a prompt from Apple to
³update² the OS on my iPhone.  I did so.  Big mistake.  Immediately half
of the apps ceased to work, and what did work had slowed down noticeably.
I tried to revert to the original OS but learned that doing so was
impossible - Apple had made that so.  Commentary on the Internet at the
time suggested what I suspected - that the upgraded OS was designed for
the new iPhone 5 (or whatever was then a number or two ahead of mine); and
that its backwards suitability to the earlier hardware was knowingly
abysmal - a strategy for convincing owners of older iPhones to upgrade
their hardware, at considerable cost.  I don¹t know enough about that
world to know if the allegation was true; but the effect certainly was.
So now I own a Samsung.  Never again an iPhone.

One of the many great things about Elecraft gear is that the opposite
occurs, at least during all the years that I have been in the owner group.
 Updates are designed for and suitable for the old equipment; and even
makeovers are designed to allow upgrades almost to match, as in the K3 and
the K3S.  That design strategy adds significant value to Elecraft gear
from the moment it¹s purchased.  Intentional obsolescence as a marketing
strategy, by contrast, reduces initial value.  Long live the Elecraft
approach.

Ted, KN1CBR


>------------------------------
>
>Message: 23
>Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2015 09:12:01 +1000
>From: Gary <vk1zzgary at gmail.com>
>To: <w3fpr at embarqmail.com>, <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 vs K3s..."to be or not to be an "s"
>Message-ID: <55f35fc5.8939440a.e2c84.6783 at mx.google.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>Way to go Don.
>
>Smart phones are a sneaky way for manufacturers to show us elder
>intellectuals how much of a hipster we could be.
>
>All the above is very much tongue in cheek for those who have
>sensibilities....:-)
>
>Freedom of choice is almost the last thing left that is free in VK
>
>Gary