Digital BW, The Print

On 20 Sep 2004 at 14:53, Stephen Billard wrote:

> Actually, no, these are BS reasons. Those businesses which wish to sell to
> the metric market make metric products. Those who are satisfied with the US
> niche make products for that marked. I said in a different post, but repeat
> it here. There is a lot more to marketing to diverse cultures and countries
> than the measurements that are used. Those other expenses far outweigh the
> savings you have quoted. 

Around 90% of  the products you use today, are made elsewhere, and most of those 
products are made using metric sized parts, and are made with metric sized tools.  I 
remember having a set of metric tools in 1975, because every bolt, nut, and 
component on my Japanize made bicycle was metric.  Your camera has been 
metric for years as well.   Look at your lenses, for example, the focal length is 50 
mm, not 2 inches.  Mostly due to the fact that cameras were made in metric 
countries like Japan and Germany.  

> Companies will either decide to go the extra costs for this diversity or
> they will forgo the markets. The bottom line is that the market place makes
> these decisions, not idealists.
> 

Many things are metric, and you don't know it, until you look at odd sized 
measurements, like a toaster that is 6 11/16 x 8 5/8 x 5 1/2 because it's actually 
17cm x 22cm x 14cm converted and then rounded.  

W