Remember too that this is not just a hobbyist tool. It's the full Delphi development IDE with the only exceptions (that I've heard) being a single language and the removal of the ALM stuff. This, I imagine, will be just right for most independent professionals. And it's not $500, but $400--half the listed price of VS 2005 Pro. Personally, I think $50 would cheapen the perceived value of Delphi and might actually scare away more developers than it would bring. DevCo needs to survive and companies that buy developer tools know that and will happily pay $400. Most of the 3rd-party components that add just a little functionality to Delphi cost much more than $50.
I don't believe Borland is trying to sell nostalgia. Sure, they're bringing back a name that was popular in the beginning, but I think that was a smart move for the spin-off products--something to make the long-time Borland fans smile and a catchy name for potential newcomers. What they're selling is a very serious development tool--and reminding us they've been around a while as well as differentiating themselves from The Big Parent Company (Borland) that AFAIK will still be selling Delphi Studio (multi-language, ALM, high cost, etc.). Lastly, since Microsoft is giving away VB.NET Express with SQL Server Express, I don't believe DevCo can do anything but give away for free a limited version of Delphi. If people can get VB for free but have to pay for Delphi (even for a nominal $10), guess which one they'll choose? David Cornelius Cornelius Concepts, Inc. http://corneliusconcepts.com Software Development, Databases, Websites ________________________________ From: David Smith [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 11:29 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [delphi-en] Delphi is on the way back... You can assume that they've done their market research and determined the fair market value based on the expected max. # of customers. They've 15 years of sales data to go by. Dave Thomas Hruska <[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:thruska%40cubiclesoft.com> > wrote: David Smith wrote: > What do you mean "in the same market as Microsoft"? .NET is only in its current incarnation thanks to the work of the guy who invented Delphi. Otherwise, we'd be looking at Visual Basic 7.. then you'd be right. They wouldn't be in the same market. > > Dave I'm not talking about .NET. I'm talking about their pricing points. Borland prices their software like they are Microsoft. Almost no one I know recognizes Borland as a leader in good development tools...so to get the audience they are after (lost customers), they need to drop the price point to something reasonable. I thought I made it clear that I got my copy of Turbo C++ for $35. Turbo C++ Professional is $500. It should be around $50 because Borland is trying to sell nostalgia. To sell nostalgia, they have to drop the price because that's what I remember most about the various Turbo products - easy on my pocketbook and good solid software. And they really should be selling Explorer for $10 to offset a price drop in the cost of Pro. This is what I meant by "Borland isn't in the same market as Microsoft". Borland used to set itself apart from Microsoft by being the "high-quality, cheap alternative". For a time the quality out the window AND the price went sky high. Now the quality is somewhat back, but for the same price, I get a better supported product from Microsoft. Granted, I develop C++ code and Delphi is only available from Borland, but that's not the point. Turbo Explorer is ALL ABOUT MARKETING NOSTALGIA. Thus, the price point should be placed accordingly and not charge the same amount as Microsoft (I've heard of some people who get legit copies of VS.NET 2005 for less than $400). Borland can offset the cost difference of dropping the price on Pro by charging $10 for Explorer rather than giving it away. -- Thomas Hruska CubicleSoft President Ph: 517-803-4197 ----------------------------------------------------- Home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/delphi-en/ To unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/delphi-en/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/delphi-en/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
