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| Many of you offer very good points, but your missing many things.
The companies are in it to make money so they can employ engineers, research and development, field research and reliability testing, network a dealer group, advertise, buy insurance, heat their buildings, ensure employees have health insurance (thanks for nothing President Obama) etc...
Some of you have hired employees, many have not. You know what it costs to employ a quality employee, especially engineers, computer software code writers, sales and marketing people, customer support staffing, dealers need to make money. What is the average cost of an employee at Trimble, JD, Agleader? I bet it is even more than you estimate it to be. Now if you want to cut the cost of the auto steer system, tell me where you make the cuts because as a farmer I want a quality product, I want it to work, and when it doesn't I want support. Which employees do I cut?
Oh and I didn't even cover insurance. Some clown falls a sleep and kills a neighbors crop or wrecks his equipment who gets the blame? Or what if the equipment malfunctions and causes injury, I am sure insurance is not cheep.
Now on top of all that, if that company were in Mn. Thanks to our wonderful bleeding heart government, and money you have left over you can send most of it to St. Paul and Washington if the way of taxes and they can decide what is best to do with the profits that remain.
As for the drone argument, lets say that it is $1000.00. They build them on an assembly line in China by the millions for less than $50.00 lets say. Labor is minimal, and they sell to every boys between 10 and 50 years old. What is the market potential? When it fails, what do you do with it? Do you call China and ask for a technician to meet you in the field so you can farm?
Look at cell phones, what do you think it cost to build a Apple 5 phone? Everyone complains about dropped calls and yet we continue to purchase $75.00 cell plans by the millions. Its not the cost of the phone, its the cost of the service. Which I think is a rip off. I pay to much for what it does, but I won't be without one.
Edited by MnDirtturner 2/23/2014 09:45
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They are charging too much for auto steer
