Re: What's the actual *advantage* of not having an sd slot?

Your Name,

I was replying to you sentence:
  "And its not only the manufacturer who runs that risk, but also all the
resell points, upto-and-including the store"
>
If the store has a "sell or return" agreement, then the store has little
to no risk.

Yes, I was aware of that.   Your above risk is not the one I was talking
about.

The one I'm talking about is if they think they (the whole manufacturer to
store chain) will sell all the product they have produced/in stock.   If not
they are left with a loss.  And as they have no wish to eat such a loss they
will, preemptively, up the price of the whole batch.

To some degree Apple and many other device makers already run "small
batch" manufacturing because users can order devices with their own
options (although admittedly the iPhone's options are a lot less than the
Mac options).

I did not say that they won't do small batches, I tried to explain that such
small batches will cost more than long runs of the same product.

The manufacturer's usually create what they *think* the customer wants,
without actually bothering to ask the customer

:-)  Not quite right, as your below follow-up already indicates.

(or when they do, it's  via a survey of a tiny proportion of the
customers).

Thats called statistically probing.  It time-wise and financially makes no
sense to call /all/ (prospective!) customers and ask them about a new
product.

There are always multiple "reasons" and "excuses" as to why a company does
something. Many of them are silly and superfluous when the reality is that
the changes usually simply mean more money for the company.

:-(  Now you're starting to sound like Arlen (Marion).  You have zero to go
on in that direction, while I've been trying to provide several reasons why
prices change.   If you do have reasons to think such a thing than please
include them.  I regard this as a discussion, and I'm quite willing to hear
and consider such information.

Car companies for example, plan their standard car colours due to what
they *think* will be in fashion once the car is on sale.

Not a good example, as you can effectivily buy a car of any color and than
give it a paint job.   Yes, thats more expensive than going with one of the
standard colors. So, most people don't.

But its actually a nice example to why car manufacturers will not paint
their cars in every color there is : there is a good chance that they will
than not sell all the cars with less-favorable colors.   Just imagine
yourself in a purple-and-yellow pokedot car.  Or a two-color chessboard
pattern.  Or, as a straight hetro, in a pink one. :-)    So, the
manufacturer chooses to paint their cars with "safe" colors, to minimize any
losses in that regard.

Once the manufacturer has made that choice, the customer usually has no
option, other than buy or not buy.

:-) Not quite. They also have the choice to reconsider what they "need", and
go for something a bit different / from another manufacturer.   But than the
bling-bling factor comes into play (see "Those who insist ..." below).

Build to order options can make it easier for customers to get (to some
degree) the features they actually do want.

And as I already tried to explain, quite a "bit" more expensive.  Most
likely the whole device would than need to be redesigned, as a smartphone is
rather compact (very little, if any empty space), and you can't just throw
another component into it.

... unless you are willing to accept a standard phone which is rather bulky
(in comparision to the current ones), just so there is place for some extra
stuff.  Something like the "Freedom phone" perhaps ?  :-)

And by the way, have you ever seen how small soldering places of the
different smartphone components are ?   You would need specially-trained
people to solders (something like) an audio jack or sd-card holder into
place - and than likely need components manufactured for non-machine
soldering too.

Those who insist on buying the latest toy on the block when there current
device still works perfectly well are simply idiots with more money than
sense ... and it's these fools that big business relies on to keep going.

Absolutily.   And you should include those to-much-money bling-bling people
as a cause of stuff getting more expensive. :-|

Which proves the point. The company *is* trying to make more money at the
customer's expense ... i.e. they *are* goughing the customer
(to some degree).   :-p

I'm glad you added that smiley.  :-)

Yes, companies are out to make as much money off of their customers as they
can.   On the other hand, customers expect/demand "the best ever {product}",
while not really wanting to pay a cent for it.  IOW, they are thieves too.
<whistle>

Regards,
Rudy Wieser