Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/28

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Subject: Re: [Leica] M6 TTLs...disappointment.
From: Walter S Delesandri <walt@jove.acs.unt.edu>
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 08:22:23 -0600 (CST)

Thib.....and others.....

The M2/50 summicron retailed for $400, +/-, in l958....
My parent's house (brick, one car garage) cost $14,000....their 
car cost $1350 (cheap, plymouth two door)

The same house now costs $100,000....the car, 14,000....
about the same "factor" as the Leica....the house and 
car today are 'cheapened' just like the Leica....to duplicate 
the same quality would cost a factor of 12 instead of just 
8x....

Wages have only multiplied (here) by about 5x-6x.....making 
our population (the largest consumer group in the world)
20-30% "poorer" than in l958.....

Leica's market would be even smaller (to their probable 
demise) if quality/price had kept up.....

Yes, I know that we have near-nonexistant unemployment...but 
the 95% employment is in jobs that average 50-75% of the 
"buying" power of l958-60.

And yes, we Americans consider ourselves more important as 
consumers than the rest of the world....funny thing, 
so do most manufacturers!!!---look at the numbers....
MOST of the world's population DON't consume technology....at all
Of the remainder that do, we, and our dollars, are all-important
to world-wide manufacturers.....I am fortunate in having (slightly)
more expendible income than my ancestors....I'm simply poor rather 
than destitute, looking for food....most of my peers, however,
are looking at a life with FAR fewer frills than their immediate 
ancestors enjoyed....part of the problem is that they're uneducated
consumers, and once they obtain goods, they don't seem to 
take care of them...but they STILL have LESS buying power than 
we (average) enjoyed a generation ago, when the M2 was current.

The top 5% earn many times what the "middle" class did in 
the 50s-60s, but the middle-class-descending-into-poverty
takes a helluva 'bite' out of Leica's market...and cars, and 
home audio, etc...and many other fields that I'm unfamiliar 
with!!!

Walt