X10 has the design, the ability and the production tools for the CM15A - just because a factory closes that does not normally mean that tooling mysteriously disappears; if the tooling is AWOL then something much more sinister is going on.
All of that matters not a whit because X10 Depot has, indeed spoken, and thus he spake "We can make it, but you cannot afford it". He's saying the CM15A is too expensive to put into production, but an alternative is in the pipeline.
I understand that if all new tooling needs to be made then it's expensive.
I also understand that designing a new replacement, and making new tooling for that will be even more expensive - designers cost money, prototypes cost money, testing costs money, FCC licensing costs money and production costs is production costs.
I would not be at all surprised if the fabled CM15A replacement is a rebadged (
) version of one of the older interfaces - printing a sticker and slapping it on a FireCracker should be dirt cheap as far as production costs go and should enable a retail price that X10 deem suitable to for marketing.
I'm not asking for information as to the ins and outs of X10's business model, but I would like to say that anyone who sincerely believes that designing and building a brand new product is less expensive than putting an existing design into production is fooling no-one but themselves.
Perhaps X10 Home Automation division will be taking a leaf from the books of their tablet and IP camera departments - could the new X10 controller actually be an Insteon or Zwave controller with a shiny new badge?
Just sayin'
