Evolution to the 6400/6600 and Revolution to the M-models - why we should expect innovation

Steve K9ZW

I had buried this in another thread, and it is worth sharing (worst of my grammar corrected):

Perhaps some of us have missed how important new models are to an organization, as the new products predictably will not only incorporate enhancements that may better fit end client expectations but as importantly they will hone & optimize production. 

The production per unit advantages are important to capture both to enhance revenues, but as critically to avoid non-value-added production costs (waste) that increases vulnerability to more efficiently produced competition. 

This is more true when the new products replace existing production rather than expand the product line produced. 

I'd argue the 6400 and 6600 are updates to leverage everything FRS has learned and cost optimize for both production cost and marketplace sell price reasons. 

Further the M-models are the true product line expansion models, as they leverage the Maestro product through update & integration with the otherwise needed new 6400 and 6600.  The M-models brilliantly expand product line appeal at a much lower cost (or resource drain) than a completely new product would have used. 

In the transformation to a software defined company the hardware still must be state of the art in effectiveness on both performance and cost-value. 

Remembering that there are industrial dynamics that simply require an effective producer to innovate or risk being replaced in the marketplace by more effective competitors we cannot be "High-Tech Luddites" expecting innovation to stagnate because we imagine we can artificially maintain marketplace supremacy for our purchase through stagnation. 

Kudos to FRS for redesigning a few models to better fit the marketplace's needs and improve margin on a unit production cost basis.

And more kudos due for combining developed products with enough enhancement to carve out new marketplace positions with what arguably are largely already amoritized product development costs in the merged products. 

Hope I haven't bored too many of you as I wanted to wait until the usual emotional stuff started to settle before explaining why FRS needed to innovate core models, and how brilliant the M-models are from the product expansion aspects. 

73

Steve
K9ZW

WV9L

The 6600 specs looks awesome. Bridges the gap between the 6500 and 6700. Also, adding the optional model with front controld opens themselves up to the market of ops wanting that traditional "buttons and knobs" feel. I personally run a 6500 and am eager to see the trade options to upgrade to the 6600M.

Ted_Spiegel_NX6C

Flex Radio Innovation is very important to each owner of a Flex-6000 series radio.
  As more Flex-6000 series radios get into the hands of users the overall total number of possible customers for software upgrades increases.   
  This added demand for software upgrades directly increases Flex Radio's incentive for new software.   This will help each owner of a Flex-6000 series.  Each of us will directly benefit from sales of these new feature rich and aggressively priced new radios.
  Thank you Flex-Radio!

Ted Spiegel
NX6C

Patrick

They still need to address the low end of the market.   Lots of hams can not afford the FRS line of radios.  I suggested in another post that something like a 6100/6200M  in the price range of 1000 to 1700 would bring a larger share of market.  And it stile be state of the art.  but only have 1 panadapter and one or two slices.  3 MHZ band etc.  Still would be a great radio. 

Brian Denley KB1VBF

My main concern is Flex ability to deliver these products? It's disconcerting to purchade an item and have to wait many months (or more) to receive it! Can you even get a Maestro in 2017?

Steve K9ZW

@Brian - you're only making a refundable 10% deposit, not buying and waiting. Maestro information has been here but the latest is in the new product FAQs. Expected new product deliver information is there too. 73 Steve. K9ZW