<<Some analysts feared discounting by Agilent would create price pressure, but WAT management said this isn't the biggest factor in the customer purchasing decision, and that they weren't seeing any pressure. >>
This is true almost everywhere. Almost. Enough that WAT is probably correct. In my experience, what drives the purchasing decision is what the ordering scientist likes (code for: is used to).
WAT's stuff is great, as I think anyone who has used it would attest. IMO, however, Agilent software is easier to use, and for the vast majority of users it's the interface that drives the utility.
MS is another story. Love the Quattro, love it. Given the choice, I wouldn't buy an Agilent LC/MS system. But, it seems to me they really need to push their own LCs. It makes so much sense to have analytical HPLCs and LC/MS systems from the same manufacturer (ease of training, compatibility, etc), that their LC/MS business would explode if they could just get more customers to buy the stand-alone HPLCs. |
