Not the quality of the products but lack of knowledge about them
The people turning out consumer electronics seem to have gotten away from some minor details to cut the costs of doing business. Minor to some and very major to others.
Here is a list of products purchased recently that show these minor problems
Programmable coffee pot with no instructions how to use it but was given a web address to go to for info. What do you do if you don’t have access to the web.
Microwave oven that had a recipe book with it but no manual on how to use it.
Electric programmable shaver no instructions on how to set it up.
Midi Keyboard no power supply, no instructions but a link to the internet to find out how to connect it to the computer to use it as a midi. No cable to connect to the computer either.
Multi boxes of software that had no automatic upload to vista and infact although said Vista capable would not run well with Vista, but then what actually does. Once again no instructions how to use the software but a slip of paper included to show you how to install the software.
Here once gotten to the internet to download a PDF manual file you find that there is no real instruction on how to make the software work. Multi software that described things on the software that were not actually there but did find out that if you purchased the upgrade then the software which was supposed to be full versions according to the boxes would then work.
Free offers made that you found out actually cost you money if you accepted them.
Found out on the two midi capable keyboards that I purchased which both said on the boxes plainly marked no extras needed to work with the computer both needed midi cables and a interface to work.
Then also found out that they needed midi software also not included to work with the computer.
Purchased the interface, naturally no instructions, no power supply, no cables.
Told I would have to go elsewhere to find the cables and power supply. Still have no instruction manual.
Found a power supply with multi tips and could be cut back to the amps needed not to burn the system out.
Next found a place that had two sets of midi cables in the entire store and I both sets.
At least there was in and out on the interface so I knew where to place the cables to connect to the midis.
When hooked to the interface and the computer found out that while I could run the sound from the midi to the computer it was only the sound bank that it would pick up not the key and it shut down the speakers for the computer meaning I had to go out and get a adapter for my earphones to hook up to the interface.
Since I was not able to get my new midi software to pick up the keys just the sound bank I used the software keyboard to work with the midi instruments on the keyboard to compose with.
After a few tries I got the hang of the keyboard on the screen and created a short music piece then went to save it. No save on the file side of the tool bar. Went to the PDF manual I had download and it said save, no save to use.
Finally I typed in a question on Google how to save my composition and found out it was export that had to be used. I had figured this out myself before only what I saw coming up was export to wave or MP3 file but no place to export it to . I then went to device to export it to which then led to drive to export it to then finally to folder to export it to. Once I found this out it was easy for me to save the next file of which I had to by trial and error figure out how to change the tempo, reverb, echo change instruments. Still don’t know how correctly set the screen to show the bars of music but figured out if I move a instrument to the right on the screen I can expand the page so I can make the composition longer.
Finally did find out by exploration only where to turn on the keyboard itself so I could actually play the midi rather then to use the software keyboard. If I am whom am fairly capable at making software work and hooking up equipment had these many problems imagine how those that actually believe what is said on the box must be going thru.
The only reason for this mess is to simply cut the costs.
When you do something like this it just kills your market because what the customer wants is something you just plug in turn on and works every time. Not something you have to search for info on how to hook it up, make it work and have to buy parts for it that should have been included with the equipment or at least stated on the outside of the box it was not included.
William Oldecam Hoehne
Editor MBN
A Newsvideoweb company.
September 7 2009
(C) MBN 2009