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Technology Stocks : WDC/Sandisk Corporation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bargain Hunter who wrote (27144)	12/15/2004 10:56:41 PM
From: Ausdauer	Respond to of 60323

Bargain Hunter, Yes, I think having Transflash reside semi-permanently to facilitate services from telecom providers is one potential avenue, but I still don't see the killer app. CF = digital film Cruzer = solid state floppy Transflash = ??? I can't see SNDK making a bundle with Transflash as a bundled item. If bundled packages in the digital camera market serve as a business model it is clear that you may break even on the bundled item and profit from the mandatory upgrade that the digital photographer makes after purchase. In this instance, a larger CF card from any manufacturer. In the case of Transflash, if you don't make a killing on the bundled item, then you must give a compelling reason to upgrade. Problem is that the phone works whether or not you upgrade. SNDK's bonus, of course, is that they will probably be one of only a few providers of this card due to the advanced controller design and the proprietary card format. Aus

To: Bargain Hunter who wrote (27144)	12/15/2004 11:19:16 PM
From: Ausdauer	Respond to of 60323

BH, since you brought it up, will SNDK work with service providers... ...or content providers to market Transflash? This is a question I ask myself after reflecting on prior product launches. Thinking back, you could make an argument that SNDK and the CF Association could have made a better attempt to have HP, Compaq, Dell, etc... begin to employ PCMCIA or CF slots to phase out floppies, or even lobby to have more accessible USB slots once Cruzer came out. That didn't happen. Yes, there was enough momentum in the digital camera market, PDA's etc... to float the boat and USB drives are here to stay now anyway, but I think there is some responsibility for the memory manufacturers to help drive acceptance. Think of IOMEGA. Not only did they have the better mousetrap in the Zip disk, they also got people to pony up for a new mechanical drive. That was quite a feat if you think about it. I was using a CF card with a PCMCIA adapter as a large capacity, portable medium for a long time before Cruzer and like keychain devices came out. Even when Cruzer did surface it wasn't a very good product. This points to a clear lack of product planning. Things are much better now (but I still never go my real wish...a functional USB port on an LCD projector). How bad have prior product launches been? SanDisk's first two Cruzer designs were so bad that they didn't fit in many USB slots without unplugging neighboring slots or using an included extension cord (which basically limits the pocketability of the device). These were terrible mistakes that companies like Apple probably would have worked out with field testing and focus groups. SanDisk didn't. Now the issue of Transflash arises. What responsibility does SNDK have to ensure consumer acceptance. How will SNDK market 1 gigabyte and larger cards without some kind of application. Are they working with the cellphone network infrastructure people? Are they working with content providers? Will they make a marketing effort to feature the beauty of the device? With digital cameras you had the ultimate killer app, broadband to distribute the content, a multitude of device manufacturers, excellent photo editing software, numerous webhosting and on-line photolab sites, and stunningly beautiful inkjet printers. The value chain is unbelievable. What exactly is the Transflash value chain? Aus@thecardswontsellthemselves.com