Re: The Cost Of Braille Displays

  • From: Chris Hofstader <cdh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:31:45 -0400

The standard market forces hardly apply in the AT world. Most purchasers of 
both overpriced software and hardware are rarely the actual consumers. In many 
countries, including US and EU, these products are bought by agencies with 
budgets far greater than the typical user. Thus, what would motivate a braille 
display manufacturer to lower prices? In a system of price fixes and government 
buying, the prices can be inflated and the different companies can effectively 
fix the prices at a windfall profit level.

Government purchases provide little incentive to make anything less costly so, 
as these companies find ways to lower manufacturing and shipping costs, the 
savings are hardly passed on to customers.

It's worse in the EU than US but it's still pretty stupid here.

cdh
On Oct 15, 2010, at 4:21 AM, Kerneels Roos wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I couldn't help but notice a post in which a claim was made that FS can 
> manufacture and ship a 40 cell Braille display for around $400.
> 
> In South Africa where I live, a new Focus 40 Blue is about the most 
> affordable 40 cell display one can find and it sells for around
> R 27,000which is about
> $ 3,857  given a exchange rate of R to $ of 7 to 1.
> 
> What is going on here?
> 
> But let's double the initial cost to $ 800 just in case, and somewhere, 
> somehow you still have:
> $ 3,857 -  $ 800
> = $ 3,057
> which is 79.25 % of the final cost.
> 
> What is going on here?
> 
> The average price however for a 40 cell display is nothing less than
> R 31,000 which is
> $ 4,428
> and the FS Focus 40 Blue is just a really good value item one (in our market 
> of course) i if you can call it such...
> 
> What is going on here?
> 
> The system is broken and the system is not benefitting the majority, 
> therefore the system must change.
> The system can only change if the end users exert pressure.
> 
> Notice "the system". It's no individual's company as such.
> 
> What can we do??
> 
> -- 
> Kerneels Roos
> Cell: +27 (0)82 309 1998
> Skype: cornelis.roos
> 
> "Common Sense" is not "Common Practice" .
> 
> "The Strawberry Jam Law:
>  The wider you spread it, the thinner it gets..."
>   -- from the Java Specialist Newsletter, from a book on consulting.
> 
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