No one predicted the details of what would happen Peter. How could they? Pentax's camera division turnaround was still a drop in the bucket, both volume-wise and profit-wise compared to their competiton in the industry, and that competition has the means to force the smaller companies to their knees in a price/profit war.
It was simply suggested that Pentax appeared to be in trouble financially, and that the future was uncertain. They could exist as a small-time player for some period of time independently, they could go away, or the brand/mount could survive with the assistance of another company, Sony-Minolta fashion. Tom C. >From: "P. J. Alling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List <[email protected]> >To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: Don't want to sound too alarmist but... >Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 14:36:24 -0400 > >Pentax is being forced to sell out to Hoya by the Japanese equivalent of >a Corporate Raider brought in as a White Knight, after they began to >turn their Camera Business around. That seems to be the exact opposite >of what Herb was predicting. > >Tom C wrote: > >> On 21/05/07, Paul Stenquist <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> > >>> I'm just tired of all those who spend so much time watching the sky > >>> to see if it's falling. If I were inclined to dump my Pentax gear, I > >>> would do it now. But I'm not going to. It works quite well, thank > >>> you. A yawn is appropriate. > >>> > >> Rob Studdert wrote: > >> > >> It's not really, this is a conversation about Pentax on a Pentax > >> discussion list. Try to exercise just a little empathy, granted > >> Pentax's future is not entirely clear at the moment. However consider > >> for just a moment that some others here may not be made of money and > >> may have had to save and sacrifice to buy into the Pentax system and > >> as such are simply concerned that it may not have a future. Surely > >> scenarios are worth discussion. > >> > > > > Remember Rob. This is America, where one has the freedom to suppress > > other's freedom of speech if they don't like it. And the one who shouts > > longest and hardest wins. > > > > It is a Pentax list and Pentax is being discussed. Nobody has ever > > suggested dumping Pentax gear except the guys that are also saying >they're > > not going to dump it. > > > > I wasn't ever going to say this, but I guess I will now. For all those >that > > have been ridiculing the so-called Chicken Littles on the list who are > > supposedly claiming the sky is falling by discussing Pentax's financial > > condition in comparison with the industry... > > > > Well, guess what? The sky IS falling. Two or more years ago those >taunts > > were voiced when Herb (who has in depth knowledge of the camera industry > > financials), Rob Studdert, and myself were discussing Pentax's future. >At > > that time we suggested the outlook wasn't good and if things didn't >change, > > Pentax was possibly headed the same way as companies like Contax, Ricoh, >or > > Minolta. We suggested that they good possibly either cease to exist or >that > > they may be acquired or taken over. None of us knew what was going to > > happen and none of us outright predicted what would happen. There was no > > prescience. > > > > So a scenario quite similar to what we were talking about two years ago >is > > now taking place, has been in progress for the last 6 months or so, and >is > > in the front page Japanese financial news. And what's happening? >There's > > still folks on this list that are spouting the same "Chicken Little", >"Sky > > is falling" rhetoric as they were two years ago (hoping to sqaush > > discussion) before Pentax penned a deal with Samsung, and before rumors >and > > news of a Hoya/Pentax merger. > > > > I rest my case. > > > > Tom C. > > > > > > > > > > >-- >All dogs have four legs; my cat has four legs. Therefore, my cat is a dog. > > >-- >PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >[email protected] >http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
