X100 fw update 2.0 rumored to be coming SOON plus 23 announcement

Bob Michaels said:
Maybe I am overly skeptical but the concept of any company spending R&D money for a free upgrade to a model no longer being produced just makes no sense. Especially when improvements in the older model will discourage customers from upgrading to the newer one.
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Bob-

By my count they have had 5 firmware upgrades to the x100, all of which increased performance or added features.

By doing that, the have won the hearts and minds of their customers.

While Fuji was adding features to their existing cameras, Canon was found out to have crippled video features in a low priced model, so they could charge more for it in a higher priced model that actually had exactly the same sensor.

Who would you buy your next camera from?

Tom
 
Bob Michaels said:
Maybe I am overly skeptical but the concept of any company spending R&D money for a free upgrade to a model no longer being produced just makes no sense. Especially when improvements in the older model will discourage customers from upgrading to the newer one.
Click to expand...

Fuji are boosting their customer support reputation by doing this. If I were to buy a new name brand of camera (or buy my first system camera), it would be hard for me NOT to buy a Fuji design, They appear to be extending the "usable" life of their products -slowing down obsolescence. If nothing else it improves the market perception of Fuji as a trustable camera maker.
 
Bob Michaels said:
Maybe I am overly skeptical but the concept of any company spending R&D money for a free upgrade to a model no longer being produced just makes no sense. Especially when improvements in the older model will discourage customers from upgrading to the newer one.
Click to expand...

That indicates a company who thinks well enough to support their existing customers. And one who took pride in their products.

A rare thing these days.
 
Bob Michaels said:
Maybe I am overly skeptical but the concept of any company spending R&D money for a free upgrade to a model no longer being produced just makes no sense. Especially when improvements in the older model will discourage customers from upgrading to the newer one.
Click to expand...

Let's remember though that Fuji sold something like 130,000 X100 cameras before announcing the X100s. Also, the X100s has been out for 6 months or so. I'm sure Fuji knows what it is doing and what they can get away with. There are still a few things that make the X100s desirable over the X100.
 
Bob Michaels said:
Maybe I am overly skeptical but the concept of any company spending R&D money for a free upgrade to a model no longer being produced just makes no sense. Especially when improvements in the older model will discourage customers from upgrading to the newer one.
Click to expand...

I disagree. It makes sense because it develops brand loyalty. Perhaps it is more complete to say it makes no sense in the short term while wisely creating brand value in the long term. By next spring I will spend about double on Fujinon lenses compared to camera bodies because I am confident Fuji has a long-term plan. I am also confident about buying the next generation APS-C OVF/EVF body.

The R&D costs are minimal because the algorithms developed for newer products can be leveraged to improve the older ones. The firmware production and distribution costs are extremely low. We have reached a tipping point. Software and hardware are equally important to digital camera performance. R&D costs for both can be leveraged to encourage customer loyalty.
 
i dont understand anyone criticizing or questioning a company because it chooses to support its products and reward its customers. good gosh, what have we come to?
 
willie_901 said:
..... It makes sense because it develops brand loyalty. Perhaps it is more complete to say it makes no sense in the short term while wisely creating brand value in the long term. .........
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I will be thrilled to find a technology company willing to sacrifice immediate sales to build brand loyalty. I am just skeptical when a rumor says anyone is willing to do that.

I certainly do not track the rumor websites so I have no idea how often their rumors become reality.
 
Bob,

Yes, rumor sites are unreliable and un-trustworthy. Their goal is singular: get more page hits this week than than the week before. The temptation to overstate or just plain mislead must be oppressive. And, many of these sites are operated by people with no journalism training. All they worry about is how to balance sensationalism with long-term relevance.

At the same time every single Fuji X-Series firmware update was predicted by rumor web sites. Unlike a roulette wheel - where past results are have zero predictive value - in this case past events are relevant to judging whether or not a new X100 firmware update will actually be released.
 
Well, Sept 10 came and went. No firmware that I can see, and my X100 is still focusing 20% slower than it could be. Has anyone heard about a new release date?
 
will there be any update on the OVF with black screen shooting? (like a normal dslr)

i was told it was coming out on sept 17
 
GaryLH said:
In terms of ip theft... Xerox was the most prolific inventor.. But also the most inempt when it came to protecting its own rights. Apple was the tip of the iceberg IMHO. We talked about this a lot in the valley back in those days.

Gary
Click to expand...


Apple licensed key hardware patents from Xerox for the Mac. They paid up front. (One of my old bosses was a principal designer of the Xerox STAR and was named as inventor on the Xerox patent for the bit-mapped computer display -- like the one you are reading this on). Later, Xerox sued Apple after Apple sued Xerox over UI "look and feel." Both lawsuits failed, as they should have.

Amazingly, there were no significant Apple or Xerox patents on the user interface aspects of the OS's.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/16/110516fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all
 
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