I can't comment on your statement as I don't know what Olympus has
said in 1980. I think the death of Olympus was due to the wrong
strategy of Olympus in mid-80', they made a P&S AF SLR camera instead
of a full feature creative photography tool. Olympus did get the right
way to escape from 35mm SLR system after the lost, the AF SLR market
is/was unable to accommodate the number of camera manufacturers. I
think Olympus at that time was much smaller than the other three, keep
competing with the big competitors need lots of funds so it was
impossible.
Another reason could be Olympus strategy - to be success you have to
be one of the first to enter the market. Just like the microscope, Pen
camera, the micro cassette, the digital camera... I don't think their
escape was because of loss of "face".
C.H.Ling
Brian Swale wrote:
>
> Hi Zuiks
>
> I wonder if some of the decline is due to a loss of "face" and the need to
> find
> another way forward for the Company.
>
> I remember (Must be another Grouch in the making if I start a statement with
> "I remember ...") when Olympus issued a statement either separately or in
> Vision Age, to the effect that they were going to dominate the 35mm field
> and sweep all before them. Must have been 1980 +/- a year or two.
>
> I thought at the time that this was a rather rash thing to say. Even then it
> seemed to me as an OM enthusiast, that Olympus were struggling to keep
> up with N+k+n and C+n+n and M+n+l+a, who were making great advances
> in certain directions. And the OM position never got any stronger despite that
> bold assertion.
>
> What do you do when you make a rash statement to all the world (including
> your competitors !!) about your future, then don't make it happen? It's a
> little
> difficult, I should think, and what direction do you turn your corporate face
> to
> hide the embarrassment?.
>
> I wonder if C.H. Ling and Kazuya Matsumoto would care to comment on
> what I have just written above? They would see these things with a bit more
> insight into the culture involved.
>
> Brian
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