Re: Hard drive cases/connectors

[uwe@odb.rhein-main.de (Tim Vetter)]

>Sounds like beginnings of a plan to me.  :-)  Do you know someone that can
>manufacture this stuff?

How about the Thinkpad User's Group Company (THUGCO).  

Only half jokingly, the collective knowledge of this group on issues of TP
accessories/compatibility/user-needs probably far outstrips that of any OEM
firm (though IBM itself still probably has us beat :-)).  If some of you
energetic young bizness types (Randy, you listening?) were to put do a
little research into the mechanics and economics of commissioning offshore
manufacturing runs, establishing distribution channels, venture finance,
etc. etc., I'll bet we could put together a commercially-viable cottage
production entity that could easily undercut IBM and the OEM suppliers on
things like drive units, memory packages, batteries, expansion units.
Myself I wouldn't care if such a thing were wildly profitable or not but it
would be fun and, dammit, where the hell else am I gonna get a port
replicator with built-in SCSI?

Perhaps I'm naive about the realities of the rough-and-tumble hardware
industry to think such a thing possible but there are good precedents in
other sectors.  In the late 70's a group of climbing enthusiasts in
Vancouver became frustrated with the overpriced, technically-outmoded
outdoor gear available from the dominant manufacturers, and started spec'ing
out their own gear and commissioning small runs from various (predominantly
East-Asian) job shops.  The stuff was intended for their own use but it was
so cheaply priced (near-zero overheads, mfg on bid) and in tune with the
up-to-the-minute technical demands of the adventure-sport community (they
could go from design to delivered good in a matter of weeks, unlike the
dinosaur companies) that outside demand rapidly picked up.  Now the Mountain
Equipment Co-Operative is the #1 specialty mfr/retailer of outdoor gear in
Canada, while still member-owned and operated.  [Disclaimer:  I am a member
and satisfied customer!]

The point is that a small group of enthusiasts *can* move a market if they
have a bit of technical expertise, a lot of unmet needs, and an entrenched
supplier community that is fat, slow-moving, and greedy.  Any of this sound
familiar?

I would say of all the Intel notebooks the Thinkpad best lends itself to
supporting a specialist third-party supplier.  Just guessing, but between
the 360/750/755 there are probably more units in existence than any other
technically-consistent x86 portable "family".  And IBM shows no signs of
abandoning this successful architecture, what with (most) accessories being
announced and sold to this day being forwards/backwards compatible
throughout the line.  And then there's the Trackpoint II/III, the only
*real* Trackpoint, which for me cinches the future of the line.

So, any thoughts on this fantasy?  Bring me back to earth, someone, PLEASE!

Best,

Tim Vetter
Frankfurt

vetter@hookup.net
uwe@odb.rhein-main.de