I would suppose that they must. However: how can they? Unless someone subsidizes them for two or three years, they will never be able to get off the ground. If it costs $80 to make a cell (the cells I priced did), and they sell them at a price which amounts to $5 per cell: how long will be be before their startup capital runs out completely, and no employees are left? I mean, after all, if you aren't getting paid, you can't eat. Luke On Mon, 21 Jul 2003, Lorenzo Prince wrote: > But don't these companies realize that if they started with an affordable price that they would sell many, many more > units? > > Lorenzo Prince > > Tommy Craig staggered into view and mumbled: > > You are correct. I saw a post the other day about a new Toshiba laptop. They > > are expecting to sell 200,000 of them per month. If a company sells 2,000 > > units of a Braille display product over its entire lifetime it is considered > > a big success. It takes a lot of money to do the r & D for new products. Not > > to mention the support of the product after it is released. When you can > > spread this cost out over several hundred thousand units it isn't so bad. > > When you have to spread the cost over say a thousand units it is much more > > of a problem. The other factor that is effecting prices right now is that > > since most of these products are made in other countries the dollar exchange > > rate is a problem. Over the past couple of years the dollar has lost about a > > third of it value when compared to the euro. If this trends continues we > > will start seeing price increases on a lot of things not just adaptive > > technology. > > > > Tommy > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: blinux-list-admin@xxxxxxxxxx > > [mailto:blinux-list-admin@xxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Tom Masterson > > Sent: Monday, July 21, 2003 3:12 PM > > To: blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > > Subject: Re: Papermeier Braillex ELBA note taker > > > > > > Remember that each braille cell in a display costs (last time I got a price) > > around $125 per cell. There is a problem with the age supply and demand we > > don't need enough parts to make manufaturing them cheap. So by the time you > > add the cost of a case and the rest of the hardware not too mention the > > labor for puting these together and other costs I don't think the companies > > are making a huge proffit. Just a guess on my part. > > > > By the way I don't like the prices either but I don't see a way to lower > > them. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "the brilliant beast" <hanksmith4@xxxxxxxxxxx> > > To: <blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx> > > Sent: Monday, July 21, 2003 12:59 > > Subject: Re: Papermeier Braillex ELBA note taker > > > > > > > these companies need to lower there prices > > > they out ragiously raise them and it sucks. > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > > _______________________________________________ Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list