RE: [Leica] corporate strategy and info

[Alan Ball <AlanBall@csi.com>]

On lundi 3 mai 1999 10:22, imxputs [SMTP:imxputs@knoware.nl] wrote:
> ...snip....
> I am not aware that the choice of  any consumer product on which the user 
will
> rely for many years to come needs to be made with a sound info about the
> future strategy of this comapany.
> ......snip........

Erwin,

I disagree on this. In the IT and telecom world for example, public 
strategic roadmaps published by suppliers are very common and used by 
buyers to plan their investments. These roadmaps can sometimes be very 
precise and highly scheduled: the Intel processor roadmap for example is a 
key to many corporate buying decisions. Apple does give calendars and ideas 
as to what the company's plans are regarding the future of its operating 
system, its processors and its peripheral interfaces as well as its 
application developement frameworks. The producers of network devices are 
very explicit regarding future plans for high bandwidth multimedia data 
delivery, etc, etc. These roadmaps sometimes fail to become reality, 
because the market is not always that predictable, but they often give 
clear hints regarding things to come. They leave plenty of room for 
surprise announcements and sufficient control on the details of products: 
knowing that Apple is fully committed to Firewire does not mean I should 
know what color scheme will be used for the next Gn generation or know how 
it will be called or be informed as to what differenciating added value it 
will be packaged with....

Transposed to the Leica field of activity, such roadmaps might, for 
example, include a clear public commitment to support digital media in 
hardware that will be compatible with what is produced today. Nikon and 
Canon communicate a lot of very early pre-launch hints and facts in that 
respect, and both already have a vast offer of available products proving 
that commitment. In other words: will Leica introduce pro-level digital 
technology other than studio interfaces (S1) and will the current M and/or 
R lines of lenses be compatible with that technology ? Does Leica commit 
itself to guarantee a large compatibility between the current R mount, 
equipped with ROM or not, and an eventual future AF system ?

Because buying Leica entails comparatively much higher levels of investment 
than buying from competing suppliers and because we are on the verge of 
radical technology shifts in the photographic world, answers to those two 
questions ought to seem crucial for any prospective buyer.

Embarassed answers, silence or contradictory signals must be harmful for 
sales today: why did the Digilux only live for 6 months ? Why is it not 
replaced by the new 2 megapixel Fuji ? Why was it announced as the proof of 
Leica's commitment to modern technology and what does today's silence mean 
? These are questions that are legitimate to ask on the LUG, and it would 
only be normal to get authorized answers ! That would cut the 
auto-proclaimed cognoscenti's noise to nothing, I'm sure, and probably dry 
up most sources of unfounded FUD.

> ....snip....
> The Lug while no doubt of some importance is not
> that  big or influential to get special treatment.
> We as the Lug should be a bit more modest about our influence and 
stature. My
> message was quite simple. The Lug is a consumer forum, not a market 
research
> item nor an advisory group for the Leica management.
> Let us continue in the good tradition of the Lug: helpful information 
about
> the use of Leica equipment....

I argue on the contrary  that the LUG, the LUG archives and the information 
spilling over from the LUG onto various newsgroups, forums and web sites, 
are probably the most important current sources of information for 
newcomers to the Leica world. I therefore believe that Leica is 
underestimating them and that it is not answering in an appropriate way to 
the damage that is currently done to its image by the mass of seemingly 
justified complaints that are relayed here.

I'm sure you are right about the R8 maturity and reliability, as well as 
for the level of quality of the current M6 and lens productions, but I 
certainly wish that some direct interventions from Leica representatives 
would replace questions and fears into perspective. What is the current 
return rate for new Leica products ? Does Leica officially state that there 
has been no change in trend regarding such returns during the last 15 years 
? Many companies communicate at length regarding their production 
processes, their QC results and their helpdesk interventions.

I bought an M6, BEFORE subscribing to the LUG, because I've been exposed to 
decades of Leica desirability trivia coming from all over my photographic 
culture. Had I done the opposite, and inquired on the Net before buying, I 
most probably would have NOT bought into a system that entails so many 
out-of-the-box horror stories. I would have been convinced by the idea that 
Leica HAD BEEN a great system, and that is was now in a dead end, producing 
lower quality old fashioned goods at crazy prices. Must I add that I had a 
zero defect personal experience with the M6, its lenses and its 
accessories, and that this system brings me great satisfactions ?

I bought a R8 and 100mm macro last December, 3 weeks before a steady stream 
of complaints poured into the LUG. Had I postponed my buying decision till 
january, I would not have bought the system at all. Even if I am totally 
satisfied by it and if it has also been a zero defect experience, I must 
confess I hesitate today in investing any more money into it. Mainly 
because there is not enough direct information coming from Solms regarding 
the future of the R system (asph lenses, AF, digital back, etc). I'm quite 
confident that I am not alone with this behaviour.

I'm  sure a majority of potential R8 buyers use the Net for basic 
introductory information and do not feel reassured by the few mystical 
posts from hard core fans they may find in their quest, compared to the 
wide variety of credible negative opinions that are expressed here, in the 
archives and in the newsgroups. We need more input than that, and much more 
corporate communication than what is offered on the currently stale and sad 
Leica web site....

Alan