Price Difference b/t Serato & Traktor....why?

[tilldrop]

I'm pretty sure that a big part of the reason is that "apple-argument": You are worth, what you charge. People do buy iPhones BECAUSE they are expensive! It's always not only that. The quality has to reflect the high price as well, but that does not mean that competitors have a worse quality.

[mostapha]

iPhones aren't really any more expensive than the other smart phones nowadays, so...bad example.

And, frankly, I don't think apples are expensive for what you get either. Yeah...they're expensive compared to bargain basement PCs that feel like they were put together by half-trained monkeys, but my Thinkpad cost just as much as my MBP....like...within $30.

(if you're wondering why I have multiple laptops, it's because I got sick of dual-booting os x and linux).

[the_bastet]

I cant dog on Apple laptops. Youg et what you pay for. They handle a lot. I do wish they would spend mroe time being backwards compatible with their OS updates.

Why would Rane (a company that makes audio hardware) outsource for their audio hardware?

Apple Phones and most smart phones in general, though, are way overpriced for what's inside. It's sad that I can buy replacement parts for an Iphone 4s and build the phone from those parts cheaper than I would pay for the actual phone.

[mostapha]

I think what people were saying was that the price of SSL/SDJ is included in the hardware, and Rane has to pay Serato for that (or something).

That just doesn't make sense to me, since TSP is included in all of those prices.

[the_bastet]

Ah I see. The SeratoDJ software is free. That does make sense for them to make at least a $100 kickback from all hardware. That begs the question of why the AmX is so cheap?

[tilldrop]

What I was trying to say with the apple comparison is: It's price policy. An iPhone costs about $150. Add some costs for the development, stores etc and you will end up with with the conclusion that if Apple sells its phone for $250 each they would still make profit. However this would make a cheap image, which is not wanted. Probably Apple would even sell more iPhones in the short term if the suddenly would make their phones that cheap. However in the long term people would turn away from Apple since their products are "too cheap". This is 100% first-world-problems, but it's the reality.

I'm sure this example can be reflected on Serato Boxes as well. They prefer to sell less boxes with more profit each compared to more boxes with less profit each to increase their popularity by beeing the "higher class solution". As long as people buy water in bottles these things won't change.

[blatterjr]

Yeah...they're expensive compared to bargain basement PCs that feel like they were put together by half-trained monkeys

HAHA, so true...

Seriously, NEC, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Acer, HP, Sharp, Vizio, Panasonic, Asus. It may offend some, but couldn't recommend these brands for anything more than web browsing. It's tragic really.

[the_bastet]

Its just honesty. Something about popular pc brands and not giving a crap about their circuit routing. Pop open a Toshiba, Macbook, or Samsung and compare the circuit mapping to the more popular brands. They actually take the time to ensure all data moves efficiently. They spend more time matching up compatible hardware inside. People don't realize that something as small as the fsb on a hard drive can conflict with the speed of data flow.

[mostapha]

Seriously, NEC, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Acer, HP, Sharp, Vizio, Panasonic, Asus. It may offend some, but couldn't recommend these brands for anything more than web browsing. It's tragic really.

Lenovo makes some good laptops. They also make junk. You have to do your research into the exact model, but if one of the good ones is one of the ones you like, it'll work and last as well as an Apple. It'll also cost just as much (but probably have hardware/bios/efi that plays better with linux).

Pop open a Toshiba, Macbook, or Samsung and compare the circuit mapping to the more popular brands.

Did toshiba turn around? The last time I used them they were bargain basement with a mid-level price....

[blackavenger]

Bottom line is....the reason Rane SL/DJ cards cost more than NI cards is because
they have to pay licensing fees to Serato. NI makes the Traktor cards & software,
so they can pass along those savings to the consumer.

If you want to make a comparison..... NI are just like Apple. They make the software & hardware.
Rane are just like, fill in the blank PC hardware manufacturer.....they make hardware (PC Desktops/Laptops), but have to pay
to have it run the software (Windows). This cost overhead (licensing fee) is passed along to us, the consumer.

If you don't believe me, have a look around the Serato Forum.....do a search for ScratchLIVE "licensing".