All this debating 1000/2000xl, my opinion on Akai's future..

Look, there is no doubt that the 1000 will confuse the MPC buying market. People that previously wanted a 2000xl are confused as to what they should get and are probably holding out on the 1000 to see what its all about.

The fact of the matter is, that it's way to similar the 2000xl for the 2000xl to remain on the Akai product line for much longer. Now, I'm not saying that Akai is going to get rid of the 2000xl market but rather improve on it.

I would bet my left testicle that by Summer Namm, or by the VERY LATEST, next Winter Namm, that Akai announces a new MPC. Probably something similar to the rumored MPC2500. Basicly, something that has more expandability and beef than the 1000 but not quite a 4000. So you have the simplicity of the 1000 but with more memory, more features (I bet a real-time timestretch), possibly more sampling features, bigger LCD, USB mass storage connectivity, etc etc...


You get my drift? The more I think about it, the more I realize that there is no way that the 2000xl stays on the market for much longer with the 1000 being released. It's just too similar, for far less money and actually have some better features then the 2000xl in some regards.

Bank it, a new "mid-line" MPC will be released coming this Summer or next Winter Namm....Who knows, maybe even a teaser at this Winter Namm? C'mon Akai, I know you're reading, and you know I'm right

The latest rumor is that the MPC2500 is one year away from release. It is supposed to be the replacement for the MPC2000XL. Sooner or later it has to happen. With more customers interested in software samplers AKAI has to do something to keep the hardware customers buying their products. They can’t keep selling something whose design is years old. In the meantime the 1000 is a portable MPC not meant as a replacement for the MPC2000XL. Now what comes after the MPC4000? The MPC4500?

the mpc1000000xllese2

Where do these rumors come from? Until anyone has some sort of corporate information, they are meaningless and will only deter potential MPC buyers and lessen the quality of the forum.

perennial wrote:Where do these rumors come from? Until anyone has some sort of corporate information, they are meaningless and will only deter potential MPC buyers and lessen the quality of the forum.

exactly.....

The rumor is supposed to have come from a distributor source. Don't ask me. The source didn't tell me anything. The MPC2500XL rumor started months ago. There has to be a replacement for the MPC2000XL sooner or later so this might as well be it. If you or anyone wants an MPC then buy it today. Don't wait around for a year hoping for something better whether or not the MPC2500 is real.

perennial wrote:Where do these rumors come from? Until anyone has some sort of corporate information, they are meaningless and will only deter potential MPC buyers and lessen the quality of the forum.

It's not a matter of rumor, I was saying what I think is going to happen and hinted that it might be something close to the rumor of the 2500. Meaningless? Well it depends what you mean by meaningless. It's not going to change the way I put on my pants in the morning but these kinds of discussions are what internet forums are for. I didn't state anything as fact, I said what I thought. And you can bet that I'm right. Akai will be releasing another MPC to follow the 2000xl within the next year or so, bet the mortgage on it.


Lessen the quality of the forum? How? What does that even mean? Swiss you seem to protective of your investment. The 2000xl is a great machine and if something new comes out, it doesn't change the fact that you can still make good productions on your MPC. Markets always change, and companies always come out with new gear. It actually happens less with MPCs than anything else. Ask anyone that buys a synth how fast their product becomes the last generation. If you're lucky, you get a year or two.

if only Akai would spend time updating thier OS for thier current products. I understand the "needs of the business" since I work for a major corporation of america, but damm, with plenty of Akai users out here, they should take care of the loyal customers first, but, as they say, "business is business".

JusDaFied wrote:

perennial wrote:Where do these rumors come from? Until anyone has some sort of corporate information, they are meaningless and will only deter potential MPC buyers and lessen the quality of the forum.

It's not a matter of rumor, I was saying what I think is going to happen and hinted that it might be something close to the rumor of the 2500. Meaningless? Well it depends what you mean by meaningless. It's not going to change the way I put on my pants in the morning but these kinds of discussions are what internet forums are for. I didn't state anything as fact, I said what I thought. And you can bet that I'm right. Akai will be releasing another MPC to follow the 2000xl within the next year or so, bet the mortgage on it.




Lessen the quality of the forum? How? What does that even mean? Swiss you seem to protective of your investment. The 2000xl is a great machine and if something new comes out, it doesn't change the fact that you can still make good productions on your MPC. Markets always change, and companies always come out with new gear. It actually happens less with MPCs than anything else. Ask anyone that buys a synth how fast their product becomes the last generation. If you're lucky, you get a year or two.

Somebody give that man a hand. I feel your reasoning. Actually it just a simple business minded deduction. For those of you still going hunh. It's called marketing. Whay hasen't AKAI improved the O.S. for the MPC? It's possible they plan to move on and apply the updates to future products. The MPC 1000 is a good example of that. In the world of business a bad reputation can destroy you. So NO I'm not suprised about the MPC 1000's up to date with technology's specs. Werll that's my opinion on the matter right or wrong. We live in a business world first.

JusDaFied wrote:

perennial wrote:Where do these rumors come from? Until anyone has some sort of corporate information, they are meaningless and will only deter potential MPC buyers and lessen the quality of the forum.

It's not a matter of rumor, I was saying what I think is going to happen and hinted that it might be something close to the rumor of the 2500. Meaningless? Well it depends what you mean by meaningless. It's not going to change the way I put on my pants in the morning but these kinds of discussions are what internet forums are for. I didn't state anything as fact, I said what I thought. And you can bet that I'm right. Akai will be releasing another MPC to follow the 2000xl within the next year or so, bet the mortgage on it.




Lessen the quality of the forum? How? What does that even mean? Swiss you seem to protective of your investment. The 2000xl is a great machine and if something new comes out, it doesn't change the fact that you can still make good productions on your MPC. Markets always change, and companies always come out with new gear. It actually happens less with MPCs than anything else. Ask anyone that buys a synth how fast their product becomes the last generation. If you're lucky, you get a year or two.

Somebody give that man a hand. I feel your reasoning. Actually it just a simple business minded deduction. For those of you still going hunh. It's called marketing. Why hasen't AKAI improved the O.S. for the MPC? It's possible they plan to move on and apply the updates to future products. The MPC 1000 is a good example of that. In the world of business a bad reputation can destroy you. So NO, I'm not suprised about the MPC 1000's up to date with technology specs. Well that's my opinion on the matter right or wrong. In closing " We live in a business world first."

dood is right, the 1000 is the low end, the 4k the high end and the 2k the mid.

Its simple. like the BMW 3 series, 5 series and 7 series. they are the "same" car , but they are designed for certain people, to appeal to that market.

the 1000 looks set to appeal to peeps who use software seq. (USB, built in sounds, small enough to put next to a laptop or carry in the bag with the laptop and an oxygen 8 etc.)

the 2k appeals to hardware producers who like to use hardware stuff

the 4000 gives you all of the above (like the 7 series, the "ultimate driving machine)

would BMW market the 3 and 5 series to the same people? no. that would be bad business, the entire line would suffer from poor marketing.

akai is thinking the same (I hope).

I bet dood is right, there will be something to replace the 2000 soon, but I dont think the 1000 is it, but I DO think the 1000 is a "sign of the times to come" as far as akai's plans for future samplers.

look at the z series, it tanked, cuz akai made the mistake of thinking peeps would still pay big loot for a rack sampler. they made a mistake, peeps who want a rack sampler would rather buy a software one, for 1/3 of the price with 2 times the features, the z dont give the options that you want to make you get it.

I dunno if it will be the mpc 2500, but there is something new on the horizon, does this mean wait until it comes out? not really, since it wont hit stores for at least 8 months and then the usual "buggy os" period of 8-12 months and then the acceptance by the market. so why wait 2 years to get it?
plus, the price point, will be high, if the low end one is gonna retail for 900, then the new mid one will hit for closer to 2 G's.
so:
2000XL for 1500 with the options
or
New one for 2G's no options

the 2KXL will go the way of the trinity, a good deck/piece of gear that can be had for a low price and soon become "vintage" like the 60 and the 3000.

just 2 pennies

Spot on Foo. I'm glad to see we are in agreement with our economics this time around. Nice to see that BMW analogy again. HAHA

Dr.Foo wrote:would BMW market the 3 and 5 series to the same people? no. that would be bad business, the entire line would suffer from poor marketing.

Well, actually I think they did and as far as I know, they doubled their sales figures by doing so

About the Z4/Z8 samplers. I can understand why people want software but personally, I'd prefer hardware. If I weren't thinking of adding an mpc4000 I'd allready have a Z8 (no not the Beemer).

I'm not too sure about the 2500 coming out next year. From what I heard the 2500 was the 'rumored' number for the 1000. Also where does the 4000LE fit into the picture?

With the 4000LE around $1700 US, and all the possible OS upgrades that could go into it, why create more debt with a new product? If anything I think they should remove the plain vanilla 2000xl off the market, and only sell the 2000xl plus w/ zip for the same price ($1200 US).

Personally, I think Akai will sit on another MPC for at least 2 years. You gotta' remember that Akai is a relatively small company, and they already have 2 infant products (DPS24, and MPC4000) in the market. If any product needs a successor it's the DPS16!

The 2500 was never the rumor number for the 1000. It was always the rumored successor model to the 2000XL. If you are hearing differently now, then it is because the rumor is being adapted to the forthcoming 1000.

Debt would not be created with the new product. R&D is a company expenditure. New products must be created to stimulate new demand and increase sales. The 2000/2000XL design is years old with a stable demand that is being threatened by software samplers and its antiquated interface. AKAI must develop new products or eventually consumers will abandon the current ones favor of newer technologies.

The Zip drive is very old, limited technology. As the price of CompactFlash cards continues to fall there is less reason all the time to buy Zip technology. The going rate for a 256MB CompactFlash card is about $33. Prices will be reduced much further as demand increases. CompactFlash card readers can be purchased free after rebate.

AKAI has no reason to spend more years doing nothing or they will be priced out of the marketplace. They have delivered little in the past few years other than the MPC4000, which still has a few bugs. There are people who still believe AKAI went bankrupt due to their lack of market presence. This perception would become a reality of AKAI sits back and does nothing but rely mainly on sales from the MPC2000XL, their best selling product, whose basic design began with the MPC2000 in 1997.