Some very good points made so far.
Originally posted by titian
I'm not a believer that these manufacturers first look what we need and then make it for us. Modern management do it the other way around. First they have an idea, then they calculate the chance to be able to have a large market by convincing the people they need that stuff.
That's bang on correct. When I said "everybody wants" that was really to infer that the market is sold a concept as being 'desirable', then the manufacture fulfills the need they just created - dish washers, web browsing mobile phones, orange juice presses, and most of the tat from the Sky shopping channels
We Hi-Fi enthusiasts often fall into the trap of thinking that the major Japanese manufacturers are producing equipment just for us. Are they balls! They're
electronics manufacturers who just happen to have the skills to make
audio electronics because it fits their business capabilities. Sometimes they hit on a winning formula - Marantz KI, Sony ES for example - which provides an improved margin opportunity, but in general the business premis is simple "decide what you are good at, then go find someone to buy the productor". The rest is just marketing hype.
On the flip side you have the smaller niche market players most enthusiasts know - Linn, Naim, Rega, Sugden etc. They still 'market' but have a very specialised product which competes in a more exclusive arena.
Each business type fits it's own market. Grand sweeping predictions about the future of Hi-Fi market are what we expect from the Leader Writers of the tabloids. Wingnut is right, manufacturers comments such as "There are DVD players that make CD players sound pathetic." without them giving a point of reference are worse than useless.
I'm leaving all this for the great British public to swallow. I have ears and a brain. I make my own choices, and the fact we're discussing this proves that you guys can see through the hype too.
