Originally Posted By: Tonewheeldude

Its easy to forget the hidden costs and be distracted by the plastic case and circuit boards alone. But so much more is involved then a parts list:

Design, R&D costs..including prototyping, software developers and programmers, style writers, plus all the other staff involved in production, manufacturing, packaging, logisitcs, marketing accountancy etc...how many people do you think are involved in total in Tyros Project from beginning to end?), , plant and machinery (including maintenance and sevrice), building overheads, taxes, licenses, government standards complience (emmisions, safety, ROHS, WEEE etc), legal fees, taxes, logistics, taxes after sales service, support, warranty costs, parts, taxes...and the list goes on.


TWD ... this is true - to a point - ... but how often does a board come out that is TOTALLY NEW in design, concept, OS, styles, sounds, etc. ... I agree the 'cover' may look different, but today's KBs are still products of R&D, programming, etc. that has been evolving through the years, not being completely re-invented ...
And is the high price because there is such a small market, or is there a small market because the price is high ... It seems to me the manufacturer sets the price before the product even hits the streets ... and THAT's when we see what kind of market there is for it ...
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t. cool