iPod Clickwheels From Synaptics... Again

[deanwaterman]

I can't say I blame Apple for trying to reduce the cost of the clickwheel and increase profits (I own Apple stock, BTW 🙂 ). Do the math for the iPod nano alone using the forecast numbers and estimated teardown costs:

Apple/Cypress clickwheel: 8,000,000 x $0.45 = $3,600,000
Synaptics clickwheel: 8,000,000 x $1.00 = $8,000,000

Difference = $4,400,000

At these production scales, shaving even a tenth of a cent off the price of a part adds up to serious money over the life of a product. Of course you can wind up throwing all that money away in warranty costs if you compromise the quality in the process and end up with a lot of returns, but that's what your quality assurance people are paid to be checking.

i would rather see Synaptics keep the deal, rather than settle for a company that made a promise and couldn't deliver on quantity or quality.

There comes a time for corporate responsibility where Apple and other companies need to quit screwing the little guy so they can make more $$$.

 

[deanwaterman]

CNET on Synaptics... The Inside Scoop

Good Read!


http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-5512416-1.html

 

[iMeowbot]

i would rather see Synaptics keep the deal, rather than settle for a company that made a promise and couldn't deliver on quantity or quality.

Cypress would be the source of the quantity problem, but any quality issues would belong to Apple (the wheel is their design) or Hon Hai (the company that actually builds them). Hon Hai build the Nano itself (and several other Apple products), so it's not as though they're incapable of doing a good job.

 

[iHavenolife]

Give us a no click wheel... like 3g... please!🙂

Are you crazy?

 

[shamino]

Moving parts == bad.

Only when badly manufactured.

There are plenty of devices (like volume controls on stereo equipment) where mechanical knobs are far better than buttons or touch-pads.

And as has already been pointed out by others, touch-controls don't work in all situations. They don't work when you're wearing gloves, and they sometimes react when you don't want them to.

A well-manufactured mechanical control will not be any less reliable than touch-parts (which have also been known to fail.)

 

[ijimk]

thats kinda kool. i still want to be able to burn to a dvd and watch on my tv though.