On Thu, 02 Aug 2001 18:30:13 -0000, Dan wrote:
>Kevin wrote:

>> I found that pc9 is newer than pc5, but pc9 is cheaper than pc5.
>>
>> What is their difference? Is pc5 better than pc9

>Good question. I waited and bought a PC9. I think the PC5 is just
>overpriced relative to the current competition so when they new one came
>out they had to price it more competitively . You'll see at discount
>shops the prices are rather similar between the two.
>
>The PC9 is reportedly lighter and has better battery life. I have no idea
>what other things differ. I'd be interested to hear.

Each succeeding model in the Sony line appears to be cheaper
than the preceeding (i.e., VX-2000 cheaper than VX-1000;
TRV17 cheaper than TRV11; PC9 cheaper than PC5, which was
cheaper than PC1). In the case of the PC9, its outer casing
is mostly plastic as opposed to the PC1's mostly metal - and
as internal parts production goes up, I suppose production
costs per unit go down. Also, only guessing, but it does
seem that there must be a large profit margin built into
these, and as competition increases and Mini-DV becomes more
popular, prices drop and margins become smaller (and
development costs are also being paid off...).