Maybe it's because aside from video game systems or anything made by Apple, I'm not used to buying gadgets the moment they hit the market. So, I was a bit thrown by the launch of Canon's T1i Digital SLR camera because I had absolutely no idea when and where I would be able to get my hands on it.
As a bit of backstory, at some point over the last few months I had arbitrarily decided it was time to get a digital SLR. I'd previously been content with my digital point and shoot camera as well as the variety of analogue cameras I own, but I decided that on occasion it would be nice to have a camera that I could use inconspicuously in low light without making people pose for a flash. Also, I liked the idea of not always having to be picky about what I shot, so as not to waste film.
After a bit of research I had initially decided on the Canon Rebel XSi, but in one of those strokes of luck I saw an ad for the T1i before I'd gone out and gotten the XSi, and was spared the grief frequently suffered by iPod buyers where they buy the current generation iPod only to have Apple announce days later, out of nowhere that a way more kickass model was about to hit the stores tomorrow.
Now when it comes to electronics, I'm used to two kinds of product launches. The first, i'll call the video game method. This is where a company announces months in advance that a new product will be coming out, on the theory that you will plan your next few months on being able to camp out at the electronics store to be the first to get it, (which tends to happen most with video game systems). The second method I'll call the Apple method, where as described above, the company waits till the product is days away from hitting shelves before announcing it so as not to undercut sales of the existing product line.
Canon opted for neither of these, instead going for a rather vague release date for the T1i. When I first saw the T1i advertised, it was during the Kentucky Derby, which I assumed meant that Canon either had it in stores already, or had a particular date in mind so that I could eagerly be waiting outside of Best Buy, drooling with anticipation on said date. Instead the website merely stated that it would be available in early May. I scoured various websites and blogs, and nobody could offer a more specific date. Best Buy listed the camera only as being available for pre-order but didn't say when it would ship. Amazon.com didn't even have a direct listing for it for weeks, but just listings for third party shops who presumably also didn't have it in stock but were taking pre-orders.
Granted, digital SLRs aren't the sort of products that hoards of customers will be beating down the door for, and I was already sold on getting the T1i when it was announced, so there wasn't any danger of me getting a Nikon just because the T1i wasn't available yet. Still, for a product that was being as heavily promoted as the T1i, and generating so much buzz among photographers, it seemed that a clear release date would have helped generate a good amount of buzz for Canon.
After all, what sold me on the T1i was the fact that it had features that were normally found on higher end professional models available at a consumer price, such as the ability to shoot 1080p video and a 3 inch monitor with a resolution so clear, I didn't even believe it was possible on something so small.
Had I known exactly when it would have been out, I might have gotten it on day one. But since it sort of just trickled into stores, I don't feel such an urgency for it. I mean I have every intention of buying one, but the fervor has died down, so I feel more like I'll get it in my own time.
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