Originally posted by Jeff Mackwood:
As I read through several threads and see mention of "bugs" and "firmware upgrades" and "beta testing" etc., I see nobody mentioning what surely must be the biggest risk factor right now relating to purchasing any product.
In the industrial sector which I work in (aerospace), it is conservatively estimated that 50% of the supply chain (ie. companies) will not be in business by the end of the recession.
We already see what's happening in automotive.
You name it.
There's no reason to believe that consumer electronic manufacturers will not be similarly affected.
So what's the risk? Is it the warranty? After all, it won't be worth anything if the company you bought the product from goes belly up. But you know what? That's actually a small risk for reasons that I'll mention below. So what's the real risk?
What about the poor guy that buys his new piece of gear knowing that it's full of bugs BUT expecting that life today is the same as it has been in the past, and the manufacturer will just keeping patching that firmware until it gets it right. So what happens then when the manufacturer folds? Stuck forever with a buggy device.
My suggestion(s): make sure that what you buy right now has had ALL of the bugs worked out prior to buying it. If it works (bug free) right out of the box and for the next 30 days, then statistically-speaking there's an excellent chance that it will last through the warranty period.
Holding off on becoming an early adopter is an even safer bet nowadays than it has ever been. A product that's been on the market for six months is more than ever a much safer bet nowadays than one that's just been released (again with reference mostly to devices that are heavily dependent on firmware in order to function properly.)
Vaveat emptor!
I can't buy a 997 until December or January anyway, so I should be safe.
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