Free updates - where does it stop?

E

EOengineer

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Having watched and now been impacted by the great layoffs of 2023, I’ve been wondering at what point the free update faucets begin to run dry.

L6 and Fractal have a well-earned LEGENDARY status with their post sale attention and community engagement, but just about everyone I talk to in tech right now is working for a company that is either cutting people or reducing services that cut into profits.

Perhaps there’s enough profit in the hardware sales to sustain a decade of free updates but I guess that surprises me? As long as sales are decent, maybe we all keep partying.

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While I do think a lot of management would agree with you (why release new functionality without additional revenue), more practically the gradual improvements and additions over time do trickle into new products and promote purchases of new products as well (even repeat purchases).

For instance, Helix was released in about 2015, then there was the LT, Stomp, HX FX, Stomp XL, Native, and the code also went into the Pod GO, Pod GO Wireless, and Catalyst amps. Maybe more I’m forgetting some too. Or in Fractals case, the code probably started all the way back in the first unit, and has evolved to support the Axe FX II, AX8, FX8, Axe FX 3, and all the FM units.
 
There is no such thing as free.

Updates with new features and models generates more sales via new and returning customers, and keeps current customers happy.
Positive talk on social media and word of mouth create interest, bumps up reputation, brings more customers and generates more sales.
The ultimate goal is to create a growing positive feedback loop of new and returning customers loyal to the brand.
The modeling tech and experience do not just disappear with the old product, they are carried to the new product and improved up on even if it looks completely different.

The "free" updates are as valuable to the company as they are to the customer, if not more.

All in my opinion and from my perspective.

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Yep, I pretty much repeated what @Jarick said.
 
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Many of us here agree on the merits and value in the continual update model. However, it’s apparent not all businesses agree, as is evident with Boss/Roland and some others.
 
Boss, as a Japanese company is culturally very different. It's just not in their character to do things differently or to change unless forced. Their corporate culture and value systems will never be like those of FAS or Line 6.

It's not just MI companies - you can see these same sorts of patterns with Nintendo.
 
jellodog said:
Boss, as a Japanese company is culturally very different. It's just not in their character to do things differently or to change unless forced. Their corporate culture and value systems will never be like those of FAS or Line 6.

It's not just MI companies - you can see these same sorts of patterns with Nintendo.
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Is their business so good that they can continue to operate with this mindset?

The GX100 fw list is impressive :oops:
 
JiveTurkey said:
Is their business so good that they can continue to operate with this mindset?
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It's my understanding that in hierarchical eastern companies it is considered wrong and disrespectful to give critical feedback to those at the top of the hierarchy; so people lower down the chain keep their mouths shut.

Boss probably won't change until their senior management changes or dies off. It's going to be a long wait ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
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Stone said:
Well Line6 Is Yamaha and they are also Japanese

:idk
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Line 6 already have their own culture within the larger organisation though, and presumably have some freedom to operate as they did before, because they were already successful (with a proven track record) before they were bought.

Ugh. I don't know where this is going now... probably should not have said anything in the first place!
 
jellodog said:
Line 6 already have their own culture within the larger organisation though, and presumably have some freedom to operate as they did before, because they were already successful (with a proven track record) before they were bought.

Ugh. I don't know where this is going now... probably should not have said anything in the first place!
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Tru dat they are a somewhat separate entity (y)
 
jellodog said:
It's my understanding that in hierarchical eastern companies it is considered wrong and disrespectful to give critical feedback to those at the top of the hierarchy; so people lower down the chain keep their mouths shut.

Boss probably won't change until their senior management changes or dies off. It's going to be a long wait ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Yoshi retired a couple years ago . I think right after the release of the GX100.
 
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