Text 4951, 300 rader
Skriven 2005-06-13 18:01:28 av Rich (1:379/45)
Kommentar till text 4950 av Mike '/m' (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Everyone should take a pay cut
==========================================
From: "Rich" <@>
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_03F4_01C57041.ECA79D00
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Typical selective editing. Are you behind on your spin quote. The =
portion of the article you elided to jump ahead is
There are noteworthy exceptions to this trend of falling prices. One =
of them is ink, at least the heavily branded sort. A year ago, it cost =
$65 to buy the two cartridges needed for my H-P 960c ink-jet printer, =
and that's precisely what they cost today. Ink prices are such that =
Hewlett-Packard now sells an entry-level printer -- the 3740 -- that, at =
$34.99, costs the same amount as some ink cartridges. Can a disposable =
printer be far behind?
The comparison you are insinuating is apples to oranges. Hardware =
decreases in cost because technology allows producing the same or = similar
products at lower manufacturing cost. Software doesn't have the = same cost
structure and gets little to none of this benefit. The costs = for software
increase. This is why DVD players are far cheaper than a = few years ago but
DVDs are not. Televisions are cheaper but cable, = satelite, and other premium
TV is not. If anything software development = costs have increased with
inflation plus you get more in today's = products then old ones (both computer
software and movies). The movie = folks just raised prices as anyone that goes
to the theater has seen.
Do you pay the software developers, testers, UE folks, and others =
involved in software development less than you did a year ago? How much = of a
pay cut have you offered to take to reduce non-manufacturing costs = for your
employer? There may be lots of factors in pricing but unless = your
manufacturing costs are decreasing like they are for Dell I don't = expect your
employer is lowering its prices to half of what they were = last year because
Dell can do so with its products.
Rich
"Mike '/m'" <mike@barkto.com> wrote in message =
news:739sa1d75ffa17ngusrhvpp9637q3cigtc@4ax.com...
=
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB111861285110257383-7l7a53nARtxd=
FA5SfRng_iu4dTc_20060612,00.html?mod=3Dblogs
=3D=3D=3D
How low can they go? Over the past few weeks, personal computers =
reached
a significant milestone: The price for an entry-level but fully loaded
system fell below $300.
Dell -- which wasn't even the first PC maker to take the step -- last
week was offering for $299 a Windows computer that had most of what a
beginning user would want. That list includes a 17-inch monitor, a 2.4
gigahertz Celeron processor, 256 megabytes of RAM and a 40-gigabyte =
hard
drive.
A nearly identical system a year ago cost $499, and while it had only
half as much RAM, it did provide speakers. The newer, cheaper model
doesn't have any, but you can add a pair for $20.
Besides reflecting a remarkable price decline of 40% in 12 months, the
fact that computers can now be had for less than $300 means they have
officially entered into the territory of "consumer electronics," at
least under one set of industry rules.
Ten or so years ago, when PCs cost five or even 10 times what they do
now, it was common for analysts to say that they would never become a
staple in homes until they were priced the way consumer electronics
were, usually defined as costing less than $300. In the days when PCs
were $2,000 and even more, that target seemed to be something of a
fantasy.
Now, PCs cost less than some telephones -- and less than a lot of TV
sets -- and can be found in roughly three-quarters of U.S. homes. But
while they are priced like consumer electronics, the machines still
aren't even remotely as easy to use, and the trend lines there aren't
particularly encouraging. In fact, with price no longer as significant
an issue, the continuing complexity of computers may become the =
biggest
contributor to any "digital divide" between digital haves and =
have-nots,
especially involving access to the Internet.
Declining PC prices have become the poster child for the free-lunch
economics of the modern technology industry, where manufacturing
efficiencies, especially in semiconductors, allow companies to
continually sell more for less. This is most noticeable in hardware, =
but
it is occurring as well in technology-related services -- at least =
when
there is something resembling effective competition....
There are noteworthy exceptions to this trend of falling prices....
Microsoft, for one, seems to be in no particular hurry to cut the =
price
of Windows. Ten years ago, an upgrade version of Windows 95, then =
fresh
from the labs in Redmond, Wash., was being sold in most stores for
$89.95. If you shop online for Windows XP Home, the third-generation
successor to Windows 95, you'll find it in the same ballpark.
Ditto with Microsoft Office, which includes Word, Excel and the like.
The high-end version of Office 97, which was introduced eight years =
ago,
went for $499; the most recent Office had the same price when it came
out in 2003....
=3D=3D=3D
While having a monopoly is legal, its effect upon prices is usually
beneficial only for the holder of the monopoly.
/m
------=_NextPart_000_03F4_01C57041.ECA79D00
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.2627" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> Typical selective =
editing. Are=20
you behind on your spin quote. The portion of the article you = elided
to=20
jump ahead is</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr style=3D"MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV>There are noteworthy exceptions to this trend of falling prices. =
One of=20
them is ink, at least the heavily branded sort. A year ago, it cost =
$65 to buy=20
the two cartridges needed for my H-P 960c ink-jet printer, and that's=20
precisely what they cost today. Ink prices are such that <A =
class=3Dtimes=20
onmouseover=3D"window.status=3D(' Quotes & Research for =
HPQ');return true"=20
onmouseout=3D"window.status=3D('');return true"=20
=
href=3D"http://online.wsj.com/mds/companyresearch-quote.cgi?route=3DBOEH&=
amp;template=3Dcompany-research&ambiguous-purchase-template=3Dcompany=
-research-symbol-ambiguity&profile-name=3DPortfolio1&profile-vers=
ion=3D3.0&profile-type=3DPortfolio&profile-format-action=3Dinclud=
e&profile-read-action=3Dskip-read&profile-write-action=3Dskip-wri=
te&transform-value-quote-search=3Dhpq&transform-name-quote-search=
=3Dnvp-set-p-sym&nvp-companion-p-type=3Ddjn&q-match=3Dstem&se=
ction=3Dquote&profile-end=3DPortfolio&p-headline=3Dwsjie">Hewlett=
-Packard</A>=20
now sells an entry-level printer -- the 3740 -- that, at $34.99, costs =
the=20
same amount as some ink cartridges. Can a disposable printer be far=20
behind?</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> The comparison you are =
insinuating is=20
apples to oranges. Hardware decreases in cost because technology =
allows=20
producing the same or similar products at lower manufacturing = cost. =20
Software doesn't have the same cost structure and gets little to none of =
this=20
benefit. The costs for software increase. This is why DVD =
players=20
are far cheaper than a few years ago but DVDs are not. Televisions =
are=20
cheaper but cable, satelite, and other premium TV is not. If =
anything=20
software development costs have increased with inflation plus you get = more
in=20
today's products then old ones (both computer software and = movies).
The=20
movie folks just raised prices as anyone that goes to the theater has=20
seen.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> Do you pay the software =
developers,=20
testers, UE folks, and others involved in software development less than = you
did=20
a year ago? How much of a pay cut have you offered to take to = reduce=20
non-manufacturing costs for your employer? There may be lots of = factors
in=20
pricing but unless your manufacturing costs are decreasing like they are =
for=20
Dell I don't expect your employer is lowering its prices to half of what =
they=20
were last year because Dell can do so with its products.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Rich</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV>"Mike '/m'" <<A =
href=3D"mailto:mike@barkto.com">mike@barkto.com</A>>=20
wrote in message <A=20
=
href=3D"news:739sa1d75ffa17ngusrhvpp9637q3cigtc@4ax.com">news:739sa1d75ff=
a17ngusrhvpp9637q3cigtc@4ax.com</A>...</DIV><BR><A=20
=
href=3D"http://online.wsj.com/public/article/0,,SB111861285110257383-7l7a=
53nARtxdFA5SfRng_iu4dTc_20060612,00.html?mod=3Dblogs">http://online.wsj.c=
om/public/article/0,,SB111861285110257383-7l7a53nARtxdFA5SfRng_iu4dTc_200=
60612,00.html?mod=3Dblogs</A><BR><BR>=3D=3D=3D<BR>How=20
low can they go? Over the past few weeks, personal computers =
reached<BR>a=20
significant milestone: The price for an entry-level but fully =
loaded<BR>system=20
fell below $300.<BR><BR>Dell -- which wasn't even the first PC maker =
to take=20
the step -- last<BR>week was offering for $299 a Windows computer that =
had=20
most of what a<BR>beginning user would want. That list includes a =
17-inch=20
monitor, a 2.4<BR>gigahertz Celeron processor, 256 megabytes of RAM =
and a=20
40-gigabyte hard<BR>drive.<BR><BR>A nearly identical system a year ago =
cost=20
$499, and while it had only<BR>half as much RAM, it did provide =
speakers. The=20
newer, cheaper model<BR>doesn't have any, but you can add a pair for=20
$20.<BR><BR>Besides reflecting a remarkable price decline of 40% in 12 =
months,=20
the<BR>fact that computers can now be had for less than $300 means =
they=20
have<BR>officially entered into the territory of "consumer =
electronics,"=20
at<BR>least under one set of industry rules.<BR><BR>Ten or so years =
ago, when=20
PCs cost five or even 10 times what they do<BR>now, it was common for =
analysts=20
to say that they would never become a<BR>staple in homes until they =
were=20
priced the way consumer electronics<BR>were, usually defined as =
costing less=20
than $300. In the days when PCs<BR>were $2,000 and even more, that =
target=20
seemed to be something of a<BR>fantasy.<BR><BR>Now, PCs cost less than =
some=20
telephones -- and less than a lot of TV<BR>sets -- and can be found in =
roughly=20
three-quarters of U.S. homes. But<BR>while they are priced like =
consumer=20
electronics, the machines still<BR>aren't even remotely as easy to =
use, and=20
the trend lines there aren't<BR>particularly encouraging. In fact, =
with price=20
no longer as significant<BR>an issue, the continuing complexity of =
computers=20
may become the biggest<BR>contributor to any "digital divide" between =
digital=20
haves and have-nots,<BR>especially involving access to the=20
Internet.<BR><BR>Declining PC prices have become the poster child for =
the=20
free-lunch<BR>economics of the modern technology industry, where=20
manufacturing<BR>efficiencies, especially in semiconductors, allow =
companies=20
to<BR>continually sell more for less. This is most noticeable in =
hardware,=20
but<BR>it is occurring as well in technology-related services -- at =
least=20
when<BR>there is something resembling effective =
competition....<BR><BR>There=20
are noteworthy exceptions to this trend of falling=20
prices....<BR><BR>Microsoft, for one, seems to be in no particular =
hurry to=20
cut the price<BR>of Windows. Ten years ago, an upgrade version of =
Windows 95,=20
then fresh<BR>from the labs in Redmond, Wash., was being sold in most =
stores=20
for<BR>$89.95. If you shop online for Windows XP Home, the=20
third-generation<BR>successor to Windows 95, you'll find it in the =
same=20
ballpark.<BR><BR>Ditto with Microsoft Office, which includes Word, =
Excel and=20
the like.<BR>The high-end version of Office 97, which was introduced =
eight=20
years ago,<BR>went for $499; the most recent Office had the same price =
when it=20
came<BR>out in 2003....<BR>=3D=3D=3D<BR><BR><BR>While having a =
monopoly is legal,=20
its effect upon prices is usually<BR>beneficial only for the holder of =
the=20
monopoly.<BR><BR> /m</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_03F4_01C57041.ECA79D00--
--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5
* Origin: Barktopia BBS Site http://HarborWebs.com:8081 (1:379/45)
|