Time turns must-have capabilities into commodities
DIGITAL INCENTIVES STORY BY – Scott M. Spangler Source: AVIONICS NEWS February 2020
A capability, the dictionary tells us, is the ability to do something well, in a skilled and competent way. It can be “a capacity for being used or developed,” but it can also be “an ability or feature not yet developed or utilized.” A commodity, on the other hand, is an economic good, “any useful thing,” an article of commerce. While it has useful value, something people buy and sell, its wide availability typically leads to smaller profit margins, making it subject to marketing exploitation. In the era of digital avionics, these definitions seem to proscribe the marketing lifespan of must-have functions that all too soon become expected, standard features. Do you remember when moving maps were something special? Before moving maps, back when boxes did just one thing, sales and rebates were the go-to sales incentives avionics manufacturers used to market their analog hardware. Now, with boxes With a new bezel and keyboard, the Avidyne Atlas is an IFD that employs most of its optional fun-ctions as standard capabilities.
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