Quoted from lowepg:lol.... I think you're WAY out of touch with what the typical consumer's reaction will be. It's WAY more likely to be "oh wait, whew.... crisis averted- I can buy pinball for our Xbox.... oh wait.... better yet- I can get it for your iphone honey" and ....done.
i thought you were actually joking with your "friend heard it on the radio and then talked about WOZ pinball over the dinner table" example.... but if you're even remotely serious:
i think you're kidding yourself if you think the $7500 price point is aimed at the casual, non-pinhead consumer..... WOZ was never intended to capture that- lets face it- its aimed squarely at the pointy top of the pinhead pyramid.
No. I respectfully think you are way out of touch here.
I cite http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21200001 article wherein Gary Stern himself reports sales (presumably units sold, not dollar revenue) are up THIRTY percent.
That's WITH other manufacturers in the worldwide market now racking up even MORE sales. And even if they're not delivering product yet, they are DEFINITELY taking preorders, so they are taking consumer money in, period.
So given that Stern's sales are up 30 percent, and that JJP has several hundred preorders (if not more), and that there are Predator presales, Popadiuk presales, etc. etc. IN ADDITION to that, one has to conclude new money, that is brand new customers, are coming on board.
And they're plonking $7k for new pins. AND since the sales keep rolling in, if rumors are to be believed that Stern is raising prices (to match Jack's increase), they'll be paying more than that.
And I will wager that the sales will CONTINUE to ramp up as more GOOD INNOVATIVE FUN pins get out there in the wild.
Now, you could argue that this boost in sales are due to the same old hobbyists. They're just SUDDENLY buying 30pct more pins even though they're more expensive now and that the world economy is flat. But I just don't think that's a significant source of the boost.
I think growth in sales for a luxury entertainment product like pinball happens by and large JUST like I've been describing. And at this point, the more manufacturers, the more hype. The more hype, the more people who would otherwise have never considered pinball start doing so (as long as the pinballs produced are GENUINELY QUALITY BUILDS, INNOVATIVE, AND FUN... Otherwise shabby pinball machines will SINK Stern, Jack, and everyone else).
Including our hypothetical "dad." And thanks to WOZ, our hypothetical "mom" as well.
So thirty percent growth in the face of escalating new and used prices. Its tough on our wallets, but GREAT for our hobby and entertainment. The more high quality manufacturers, the better.
Denver, CO
I hung in for 27 months before moving on.
Orleans, ON
