I totally understand marketing, I went to business school, marketing, promotion etc were taught to me.
I got the clear message you're telling us. "Sell in increments", great.
Here's the problem with that and this product the MPC Live/X or a new MPC. If we are talking about a new MPC then another, then another then another X3 (in increments features), we are talking about price and competition (DAWS, Computers etc).
For ME, I wouldn't waste time when I recognize a pattern and see what they are doing to GET MY MONEY! I saw that with Protools, and Apple. Guess what I did? I got rid of both, because they were doing exactly what you have said, selling us these items in INCREMENTS! I use a powerful PC where I stopped that increments crap! I stop using Protools also, not only in increments where they Bull****ing around but their product will killing my setup. and I am talking about PTLe. I hated that crap, to long of a story to talk about. I got rid of it. Once I did my life in production has been a breeze! Once upon a time I was really excited about the MPC, not so much now, I am really excited on PCs and DAW's. My choice is Reason 10 and Studio One. I will never buy a Mac computer to produce music, no need to. I was one of the first early people telling clients you don't need freakin Protools to make music especially in a home studio. Avid/Digidesign had people in a dam trance thinking everything need to be in a protools session, which I broke the mold long ago with Reason.
Now I just received Studio One 4.5

OMG! Not only am I excited about the new 70 features but the dam program GUI is BEAUTIFUL! They have a handle on the CPU now, Gain on each channel and the list goes on. Now I can officially mix in it like I do Reason, and the editing is off the chain. I can say it's definitely better than Protools. Plus they have improved the zoom in on the wave form to look smooth like Audacity with the lil balls where you can edit precisely. I am ecstatic about that cause I can do some serious sound design in S1V4.5. It's really, really off the chain now!
So while companies are doing INCREMENT SALES people like me are moving on, the MPC's are groove boxes, and we need to understand that, it will never become a full fledged DAW. Especially if we are talking standalone. For me I don't need a new one, and my taste for it is gone! I am slobbering all over DAW software lol

It's getting more powerful by the months and I love doing my thing in them. Don't get me wrong I love my Live but... I love my DAW's even more. Why? Because they handle the bulk of my work and talent.
Now talking about Akai, I won't sit around waiting for them to dilly dally around still with glitches and what not to try and sell me a box in increments! Trust me as I made this thread they aren't going to make to many standalones. Also in Marketing you are taught to watch the market and sales of a product and if the weather ain't cool you don't waste money and resources on a product you have been monitoring. If Akai makes one more machine it will probably be it. This is the era of the DAW's and computers. Yes I understand the standalone culture, I am part of it, but as I said reality has set in with me. Just like moving from analog to digital. There were a lot of us stubborn, now look at me

You can't get me to buy analog machine. But I still love the sound of analog but the truth is, SOME SOFTWARE SYNTHS SOUND JUST AS GREAT AS ANALOG, that's not an argument anymore. Just like "You can't mix in Headphones wars" that is a thing in the past, I do it and I don't have to treat my room. See all the variables of past arguments have proved "CHANGE IS A COMIN" LOL

There will be a time where there are no more standalones. I'm just preparing you guys for it.
As a love for the MPC, and I will always love the experience it has given me, but I must move on with the waves of the ocean, and I won't get another MPC. This is not a complaint! And Akai needs to handle their business to keep the few customers they have with the Standalone/Computer product MPC they have. Get the glitches out!
Peace
hansjbs wrote:I see you don’t fully understand that the marketing department plays a big role in sales so yes they have a say in budget. As an engineer we do a lot of work for the department of defense and I’m always for adding the latest bells and whistle for either our radar or our electronic warfare products. I mean why not sell our navy and army the best we can. I was schooled on how you market and even tho you might have the technology you sell it in increments. For example Apple had 1gb in their iPad and IPhone for years while android tablets and phones had already increased from 1 to 2 to 4 go ram. It’s not because apple couldn’t do it but because they fed it to the public in increments. You look at both apple and Android now neck in neck when it comes to how powerful a device is. Why some might ask when android had the lead well because of smart marketing. Marketing, engineering and sales departments working well together. They knew Android would get to a point where they wouldn’t be able to upgrade anymore as software is always ahead of hardware. Same **** applies to the MPC, why would I sell you a fully spec MPC now when I can piece meal it. If I seek you an mpc with 16gb ram and 500gb ssd, next few years consumers will expect double that. If I give you increments of it not only am I prolonging the lifespan of the hardware, also the stabilizing the need of the consumer when it comes to power and feature. Which will also help our engineer with time for the next new innovation. This is what we’ve been doing and it works well. We’re working on product which we’re projecting will hit the market in about 10 years. Android came out with their flex screen phones, you don’t think apple already had a prototype and their just looking to see how people feel about it before they capitalize on it. That’s smart marketing, sales and engineering.