Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!mailrus!iuvax!rutgers!paul.rutgers.edu!jac From: jac@paul.rutgers.edu (J. A. Chandross) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: Lasers cost cutting secret. Message-ID: Date: 1 Mar 89 02:31:07 GMT References: <8902281447.aa18108@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> <810@internal.Apple.COM> Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 19 lsr@Apple.COM (Larry Rosenstein) writes: > Some part of the cost of a product comes from its cost of development. I > don't know how this is allocated over the life of the product, but > presumably it declines as time goes by, and eventually becomes 0 (or close > to 0). > In addition, some part of the cost of a product goes towards future R&D. This isn't really appropriate to this group, but I'll contribute to the noise anyway. RCA made enough off the television patents developed by their David Sarnoff Research Lab to *PAY* for the total costs of running the lab forever (at least until they gave it to SRI) and *STILL* make other money off those patents. R&D does pay. Jonathan A. Chandross Internet: jac@paul.rutgers.edu Uucp: rutgers!jac@paul.rutgers.edu