On Fri, 12 May 2006 05:08:21 GMT,
wrote:


On 8-May-2006, "Dico" wrote:

If Dell can deliver an entire computer system to my door for $299
Canadian, I'm guessing that it costs less to put together one of these
boxes.... the upgrade will probably run us 2 or 3 Dell systems!


If panel-mounted, IFR-certified GPS/NAV/COM units were bought in the volumes
that personal computers are, the GNS-430 would probably cost a few hundred
dollars. They would be manufactured in China, and there would be a dozen
companies competing for the business. Send one to the manufacturer for a
hardware upgrade? No way -- you would just buy a new one.

Bottom line: in electronics, cost of the product is far more sensitive to
manufacturing volume than it is to its functional sophistication or
complexity.
When you sell hundreds of thousands of units, or even millions the
engineering costs per unit are trivial over the prduction run. When
you sell in the quantities used in general aviation the engineering
costs are a substantial part of the selling price for each unit.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

-Elliott Drucker