1945

....and they bounced back from that!
I think B&O will survive this too.

Andy T.

Jandyt wrote:

....and they bounced back from that!
I think B&O will survive this too.

Andy T.

I think they had a better product mix and pricing policy back then Andy!

Absolutely right there j0hn, but there is a lot more money (and credit) about now. I have every faith in the Danes resilience.

On Beoworld there's a tendency to always be upbeat and positive about B&O even when having a moan about a particular product. If you take a look at the financial reports on B&O via Google, and then take a look at the comments that people have made on those articles, a different perception appears.

1. Brokers are generally saying hold or sell rather than buy.

2. Perception via comments is that B&O used to have innovative products with a long life. Present situation is that products have a short life due to ever changing technologies and improvements. Also, mass market competitors like Phillips and Apple are producing well designed products that are up to date and can therefore sell above their market sector average prices, and buyers do not begrudge paying a premium. With B&O there's no real technological advance anymore and the very high prices only appeal to those who want it to be known that they've spent a lot. One report suggests B&O spends 10% of profit on research but doesn't produce enough/ fast enough to justify that spend, whereas Loewe spend 5% for a faster return.

Personally  I think Apple with its massive cash reserves would do well to invest in B&O.

Graham

vikinguk wrote:

Personally  I think Apple with its massive cash reserves would do well to invest in B&O.

Graham

I love Apple, but I hope they never will invest in B&O. It's a completely different world.

As I see it, only B&O can save B&O.

I agree that Apple would never invest in B&O.  Apple and Steve Jobs may like B&O design but Apple's business is computers, software, iPods and iPhones all of which is keeping them busy.  Apple is spending some of its cash.  They are spending $1billion to build the facilities for a new server farm in North Carolina USA.  Although the purpose of the server farm has not been stated, it is presumed to be for an expansion of the ability to deliver significantly more movies and music. 

B&O most certainly can save itself and they appear to have a good strategy.

As for the Beosound 5, I have one and like it very much.  I know for a fact that my local dealer sold at least two Beosound 5's.  I bought one and another person who was in the shop at the same time as I also bought one.

as a newbie, i feel that B&O can quickly recommand some spike in sales by doing simple updates to the strong and popular range at present.

the speakers are pretty good at the moment, so i'd say the range could be left alone for now.

update the BS9000 and BS3200 with simple additions to better integrate the digital era (hard drive in the BS9000, digital radio options on both) and allow multi-source capability or upgrade the BS4 to include a built in hard drive option ala BS3200.

BC2 could be slightly updated for design and incorporate blu ray option.

scrap BS2/6 for now and revisit the portable digital music space when funding permits and somehow make it integrate as a remote control for all B&O and also as an extension to the BS5 interface.

does the BS5 accept MP3/ music from itunes?  if not, this should be addressed to enable simpler upgrade decisions for consumers.

the above should not request substantial funding/modifications I would think and would easily speed up sales for enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

TV is the toughest, with LCD and plasma evolving the last few yrs and now the LED/OLED range coming out. for the premium design, sound quality and features should set it apart from the everyday models.  

Panasonic and Samsung panels should provide cheap access with only user interface and built in options such as digital TV tuners/hard drive/dvd & blu ray drive be worked on.

hopefully some exciting developments take place in the current year and late '09/ early '10 will bring us all more reasons to buy more B&O

I cannot agree more with you!

Bring on updated products instead of always launching new products that will take more energy,money and time, and may not be 100% viable.

Fit all BeoSounds with USB and Ethernet/wi-fi connections so people can plug whatever memory device they have, and make CDDB and software updates automatic and seamless.

blue2th wrote:

as a newbie, i feel that B&O can quickly recommand some spike in sales by doing simple updates to the strong and popular range at present.

the speakers are pretty good at the moment, so i'd say the range could be left alone for now.

update the BS9000 and BS3200 with simple additions to better integrate the digital era (hard drive in the BS9000, digital radio options on both) and allow multi-source capability or upgrade the BS4 to include a built in hard drive option ala BS3200.

BC2 could be slightly updated for design and incorporate blu ray option.

scrap BS2/6 for now and revisit the portable digital music space when funding permits and somehow make it integrate as a remote control for all B&O and also as an extension to the BS5 interface.

does the BS5 accept MP3/ music from itunes?  if not, this should be addressed to enable simpler upgrade decisions for consumers.

the above should not request substantial funding/modifications I would think and would easily speed up sales for enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

TV is the toughest, with LCD and plasma evolving the last few yrs and now the LED/OLED range coming out. for the premium design, sound quality and features should set it apart from the everyday models.

Panasonic and Samsung panels should provide cheap access with only user interface and built in options such as digital TV tuners/hard drive/dvd & blu ray drive be worked on.

hopefully some exciting developments take place in the current year and late '09/ early '10 will bring us all more reasons to buy more B&O

@blue2th,

I agree with you. Great sugestions!

Regards.

Alen