ExpoPhil said in his observation of the new HP 9000 machine that it's every bit a CP 64S except in the improved firmware which makes printing smoother (avoids banding problems?) His quote is as follows:
"Something that does make a difference is the new firmware. It now has a 540 x 720 4 pass mode like the 100S, but the new firmware has altered somehow the firing of the heads to let it get a lot smoother print. I was quite astounded at the lines I couldn't see. I'm not sure my 64S ever printed like that."
My question is, are we 64S users going to get upgraded firmwares to fix problems (like worsening banding) that we have been complaining about. Or, is Seiko abandoning us. If so, should we not do something about it? I understand that a manufacturer is obligated to support a product for at least 5 years after discontinuing it.
I asked at the time, (and I'm not guaranteeing this is the truth of the matter) and it seems Seiko will still support it for another 5-7 years, but as far as firmware upgrades goes we're pretty much done. The impression I received was that Seiko would not provide any further firmware upgrades for 64S users.
If that's true (and I'm not guaranteeing it is), I would feel pretty annoyed. If they've come upon something that dramatically improves the speed and quality of an existing printer, but withold it to drive the sales of new machines - that would be good business for them but bad customer support.
