B.D. - unfortunately, my experience with the Zenith name has been the same. In the past month, I have gone into several different electronics stores (Circuit City, Good Guys, etc.) and have asked about the Zenith brand. It was as if I were inquiring about an Edsel. Every salesperson dismissed the Zenith televisions as a brand I would be satisfied with and recommended other brands, such as Sony, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and ProScan. My impression is that the Zenith Brand has bbecome the proverbial dinosaur. Something must be done to change the Zenith image.
That being said, my gut still loves this company. But whether they succeed will depend on whether or not they take charge on the HDTV front. The company can't sit back and let the other big names steal their thunder. Zenith played a crucial role in the HDTV development. Now it has to profit from that role. Much will obviously depend on the new CEO, what direction he/she has for the company, and how the street reacts. Building relationships with big name companies like INTEL certainly can't hurt the ZE reputation, so long as the company actually benefits from those relationships and isn't taken advantage of. Now is the time for the company to cast off that tired, worn out image. If Chrysler could do it, so can ZE! |
