<< the flash unit for digitals can't be easily replaced. the entire
camera must be replaced if the flash unit is damaged. and the flash units are much more touchy than Rocky has been stating here. >>
Actually, flash interfaces are entirely solid-state (except for the connector) with no mechanical parts whatsoever. This results in an extremely reliable, rugged solution. In fact, the flash interface can have an MTBF of over 3,000,000 hours. (I've designed something similar before) CLIK! on the other hand quotes an MTBF of 100,000 hours. This actually is really bad. This equates to an annual failure rate (AFR) of about 10% per year. Yes, 10% of all CLIK! devices will fail per year. Typically, AFRs are stated at worst case conditions, and are usually quoted conservatively. Usually, you experience about 2-4x quoted MTBFs in the field. So, I suspect CLIK! would show about at 2.5 - 5% failure rate at 100,000 MTBF.
My guess is that this will double the failure rate of a digital camera and triple (or more) the failure rate of a PDA.
<< return rates on digital units are, I'm told, very high in comparison to your normal $50 kodak film unit. a defective clik drive can be easily exchanged. >>
You are making the false assumption that the reason digital cameras fail is due to the Flash interface. There could be thousands of other reasons.
Good luck!
kp |
