I think the automotive manufacturer analogy is probably the most appropriate. Some manufacturers like to be in *every* market, from the inexpensive subcompact up to the full-size pickup. But a lot of auto manufacturers make a good living by excluding some markets. If you want a pickup, you have to get one from a manufacturer who makes one. Some companies stick with a core competency until they build a sufficient reputation (and sales) which allows for expansion into other markets. Some continue to restrict themselves to only certain markets.
Some of us might remember many years ago when Honda made some serious rust buckets. They were popular cars: Got good gas mileage and good reliability, but had some body integrity issues which they eventually addressed and soon they hit a couple of models out of the park with new designs and developed a reputation for quality. Of course, they still didn't make pickups. Until one day, they did. Now I don't hang out in the automotive forums, and maybe there were some people who (before Honda introduced their Ridgeline pickup) got totally ticked off at Honda for not bringing out a pickup when they wanted to buy one. And they whined and complained and stamped their feet about how they were gonna buy Toyota or Ford from now on and how Honda, as a company, really sucked for not bringing out a pickup. Now in my opinion, those people can spend their money on whatever they want, but if they after switching brands hey decided to hang out in a Honda enthusiast's forum and continue to whine about Honda, I would really start to wonder about them. If someone has decided to abandon Pentax for another brand, for whatever reason, bully for them! But seriously, why would they be hanging out in a PENTAX DISCUSS Mail List after making that decision, unless (perhaps) they have an abusive personality and enjoy poking people with virtual sticks? I speak only for myself here, but if I find someone urinating in my Cheerios, I consider it to be bad form. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
