Plainfaced wrote:Probably been asked.. In the past, with similar Audio companies -
How often do we see a product released from a concept like this?
Is it possible this was just Akai showing off? Saying 'Hey, we're still here. Look what we can do' - Having no intention to produce this MPC?
Anything is possible.
I got the impression this was more concrete than your typical concept car like prototype. I don't speak for InMusic/Akai, and wouldn't make any promises on their behalf. However, when they shipped it to me for the keynote they pointed out:
1. This isn't the final product (expect changes to screen, etc.)
2. The final software isn't yet on the unit.
3. They hadn't yet done any of the OS optimization on the unit.
4. The product should be out sometime near the end of the year.
Really great folks there, who are very passionate about this industry and what they create for it. I can't wait to see the final version of this incarnation of the MPC, and the Numark NS7.
I think the approach just makes sense. When you don't need to write and maintain an operating system, it makes it much easier to innovate on the actual software. That's why so many high end devices run "real" operating systems like Linux or Windows.
It also helps that apps they build for Windows Embedded could also work on a regular desktop should they decide to reuse the apps that way. That would mean less code to maintain app-wise.
Pete
