I don't think you get the wholesale migration of T2 to T3 users part right there, Bill. To be honest, it seems more the T1 and S900 users that feel the need for the T3. Many T2 owners have already stated that there simply is not sufficient change to warrant the move.

So, if you look at the time gap from T1 to T3 ('02-'08), that's a fair bit of usage from something that, until the price hike from Yamaha, was costing you maybe about $370 a year (if you allow a used T1 worth $1500 and a new T3 at $3700). Not too shabby, given how upgrades in 'open' arrangers are often accompanied by a need for an upgrade in hardware (motherboards, CPU's, etc.) and additional cost for 'voice packs'

Theoretically the 'open' arranger has the edge, but advances in the VSTi's is always accompanied by an advance in the need for bleeding edge hardware to run them. Look at how long you can go with a closed arranger before anything truly significantly advanced comes along, and you lower the TCO of a closed arranger considerably. Me, I got over ten years out of my G1000 before the G70 made the move pretty much mandatory And still sold it for over a grand. Take the $3500 that the G70 cost me, subtract the grand, you got $2500. Split that over ten years and you got a TCO each year of about $250. Five bucks a week... WAY less than I spend on coffee

I can afford the closed arranger, and gain it's bombproof operation and operational simplicity compared to the 'open' one. And STILL have all my VSTi's running on my DAW computer for studio needs, which is where they truly belong.

I mean, what are our options? Either a Wersi, with it's dated soundset and 200-300% markup on a normal arranger (you could keep trading arrangers for DECADES before you have used up the price difference between the Wersi and a PA2Xpro, for instance) and its' weight (they make my G70 seem featherweight), or the MS, which seems to be a totally 'build it yourself' arranger few seem capable of getting to work well as a closed arranger (read Dennis's posts for the real skinny on gigging the MS).

Or a move every eight to ten years to a MUCH better arranger for less than one large frapuccino at Starbucks every week...

Eventually, one of the big 3 WILL go this route. But I imagine that firstly, they will wait for the technology to mature enough for the system to be stable, and secondly, they will be SURE that it at least ships as a fully functional arranger in the sense that we all know them, and THEN add the rest. Just like Wersi, to an extent, but they won't do it until it can be done at a price that is affordable.

Me, I can wait that long...