my $.02 ...
Michael Potter said...
I'd rather have a very happy Gateway and a good reputation (= long-term sales)than several unhappy OEM's
I mirror your sentiments exactly. From day one, 3dfx had stated that Banshee was targeted at the OEM's. I for one could care less if they pull any retail sales, just as long as they make the OEM's that they did win EXTREMELY happy. I'm not just talking in terms of supply, but integration with box and support in general. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see Banshee selling like hotcakes retail but:
1) I personally don't want to see the blocked channel that V2 initially had. I don't like seeing canceled/reduced orders (V2- re: diamond). So keeping a check on production is not a bad thing.
2) Seeing a supply problem on the retail side begs the question, "Is 3dfx having supply side problems OR are the OEM's eating up a majority of the chips available?". Based on the "1 million chips shipped" news, I would lean towards the latter being the case.
3) Since this is 3dfx's first real venture into the OEM realm for an inhouse 2d/3d solution, maybe they have been a little cautious. I for one would definitely have questioned management if we had another voodoo 1.5 or voodoo rush nightmare.
Given the balance that needs to be drawn between undersupply and over supply, from what I've seen, management has done a pretty good job. You CAN find a Banshee (good luck for AGP... I got one <grin> ), but you're not going to see a store loaded with them. Besides, I think that seeing a few boards on the shelf versus a plethora may effect buying decisions (my own little theory). "hey... if billy bob bought one... and there's only a few/one left... I better grab it". The masses are as*es, but i'm not going to complain when it works in my favor.
Good luck all.
Jeff |
