I am hoping that Uniden will see that offering new and upgraded features for existing and even older hardware is a good source of future revenue over and above hardware support and improvement for the end user. The SDS waterfall option is rapidly gaining in popularity as end users see its advantages and potential. It is a long desired option for locating and identifying new and unknown signals. Paired with Close Call the waterfall reopens a practical method of signal hunting and identification. This increases the users participation and enjoyment of the product. In addition it motivates end users to upgrade to newer and more flexible hardware to have these options this results in new sales and repeat customers.
At $20 a pop this is not a major expense for the end user but when multiplied by 10,000-20,000+ potential sales across the globe it easily recoups the cost of paying a 'couple' of coders and research people to work on these projects. Financially speaking investing $50,000 for a $200,000 - $500,000 return is good business sense and the type of thing investors and stock holders like to see. Not to again mention the customer satisfaction on having their hardware constantly being improved and supported.
The really nice thing about offering potential new options and purchasable features is that Uniden does not need to do the research on what is viable or desirable. Sites such as this one are full of customers who have wish lists and a broad membership who can practically discuss in advance the potential pluses and minuses of a feature. All this before any investment needs to be done on Unidens part. Free R&D who would say no to that? All Uniden needs is someone to read the posts and pass on the best/ wanted ideas.
Yet another revenue source is Uniden is aware that many upgrades like adding new modes such as dPMR or TETRA would be usable across several platforms and not limited to the one the code was originally compiled for. This expands the market for a upgrade from one product to potentially the entire product line.
We are aware there is always going to be consumers who do not wish to invest in upgrades and even may expect that they should be free. In the real world this is just not a realistic position. If this were the case then everyone one would still be using 4 channel crystal scanners or watching off air TV on black and white sets using Cathode Ray tubes. A great lesson has been learned with the waterfall upgrade. Offer a good desirable upgrade at a reasonable price and the customers want it and will buy it. Some will even buy it just to have the option and the have the most flexable hardware possible.
For myself the $20 investment paid for itself the second I saw the waterfall on my own hardware. I happily spent the money and like the majority will do so again for a feature that is wanted or even sounds cool.
Let the discussion begin...
At $20 a pop this is not a major expense for the end user but when multiplied by 10,000-20,000+ potential sales across the globe it easily recoups the cost of paying a 'couple' of coders and research people to work on these projects. Financially speaking investing $50,000 for a $200,000 - $500,000 return is good business sense and the type of thing investors and stock holders like to see. Not to again mention the customer satisfaction on having their hardware constantly being improved and supported.
The really nice thing about offering potential new options and purchasable features is that Uniden does not need to do the research on what is viable or desirable. Sites such as this one are full of customers who have wish lists and a broad membership who can practically discuss in advance the potential pluses and minuses of a feature. All this before any investment needs to be done on Unidens part. Free R&D who would say no to that? All Uniden needs is someone to read the posts and pass on the best/ wanted ideas.
Yet another revenue source is Uniden is aware that many upgrades like adding new modes such as dPMR or TETRA would be usable across several platforms and not limited to the one the code was originally compiled for. This expands the market for a upgrade from one product to potentially the entire product line.
We are aware there is always going to be consumers who do not wish to invest in upgrades and even may expect that they should be free. In the real world this is just not a realistic position. If this were the case then everyone one would still be using 4 channel crystal scanners or watching off air TV on black and white sets using Cathode Ray tubes. A great lesson has been learned with the waterfall upgrade. Offer a good desirable upgrade at a reasonable price and the customers want it and will buy it. Some will even buy it just to have the option and the have the most flexable hardware possible.
For myself the $20 investment paid for itself the second I saw the waterfall on my own hardware. I happily spent the money and like the majority will do so again for a feature that is wanted or even sounds cool.
Let the discussion begin...
