Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/10/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> I was surprised by a recent newsletter that the sporting glasses - > binoculars and spotting scopes - bring more revenue than the system > cameras. Tom Schofield > - because the R sales were certainly not keeping the camera > business afloat. The camera business was M sales and lenses. Lenses > may > continue, what with the new Tri-Elmar, etc. Although on the other > hand, > given the cost of the new body, people may look for used lenses - > 21 becomes > 28, etc. It's really not a question of the Osborne effect, but rather > whether the fact that Leica is endorsing digital will, in effect, > drive > Leica out of the film business, and whether the digital business > can then > keep the company afloat. Only time will tell. > > > On 10/7/06 3:53 PM, "Richard" <richard-lists@imagecraft.com> wrote: > >> Well, I predicted a bumper crop of film Ms being put on the block, >> and I'd >> say a casual checks on various sites bear this out - there is a >> good number >> of MPs being put up lately. Of course this happened when M7 comes >> out and >> then the price of used M6s dropped significantly. Now of course >> the key >> question is not the sales on used Ms but the sales on new M7 and >> MP: will >> the waiting for the M8 dries up the sales? On tech world, this is >> known as >> the Osborne effect. When Osborne II was announced but was going to be >> available "Real Soon Now," people stopped buying Osborne I and thus >> depleted it source of income and killed the company. OTOH, may be >> the M7/MP >> sales are relatively insignificant that it will not make much >> different? >> Leica probably has anticipated this and writing off M7/MP sales >> for the >> next few months. The key is whether they can execute the M8 plan >> and start >> delivery in Nov. If so, then the increased M8 sales will probably >> more than >> compensate. If not,... >> >> At 05:29 AM 10/7/2006, you wrote: >> >> >>> Noting that Leicaholic community is shedding film Ms the way >>> maples shed >>> leaves in October - and to continue a crappy analogy (sort of) >>> stashing the >>> cash toward an M8 purchase the way the squirrels are stashing >>> acorns for the >>> winter, I have to wonder what the long-term economic implications >>> of this >>> are for Leica. The quick answer is, "this switch to digital >>> guarantees their >>> long-term survival." But does it? Will Leica sell enough $4700K >>> digital >>> bodies to not only make up for what will probably be a real crash >>> of film M >>> sales but also reinforce an already weak bottom line? Will people >>> buy two, >>> three, digi bodies the way they bought film Ms? >>> >>> No, predictable responders, I'm not trashing Leica or wishing the >>> company >>> ill, and I am impressed by the initial reviews of the M8. I'm >>> just asking a >>> question that just occurred to me as I read all the recent FS posts. >>> >> >> // richard (This email is for mailing lists. To reach me directly, >> please >> use richard at imagecraft.com)