Jonathan Goodish wrote:

I think that you're being disingenuous here.

Why, I never... !

I know plenty of folks who
aren't happy with the position they're now in with their 430s, for
example. I can give you plenty of example from years ago when I wasn't
completely satisfied with my Garmin products, because it was obvious
that Garmin did not intend to provide feature upgrades at a reasonable
price (in the portable market, this equated to a forklift upgrade for
Garmin products--how convenient.)

The G430/530 are the most popular, cost-effective, and reliable GA
devices of their kind built to date. But okay. (Shrug)

I continue to be amazed at the perception that Garmin's units don't run
software or run on some kind of operating system.

Whose perception is that?

Garmin's units do run
software, and that software has bugs.

No kidding... but the bugs generally aren't serious, and they're
usually addressed promptly. In 5 years of owning (and constantly using)
a 295, there's been precisely one time that a bug actually caused me to
reboot the unit. That bug was addressed in a firmware revision, by the
way. Folks running the CV rig will generally deal with quite a few more
"bugs."

I really don't hear that many
folks complaining about their AWM system "crapping out" anymore, but I'm
only a fairly recent user.

I hear it all the time... and read their forums, if you need more data
on that point.

And I have found modern Bluetooth systems to
be very reliable, without having to "mess with" or "manage" anything.

Consider yourself fortunate!

I
really don't understand where all of the alarming hype is coming from
surrounding these systems. I will admit that they aren't "one-touch"
systems and it does help to have an understanding of how they work, but
that's true for operating an aircraft as well.

What you're failing to recognize is that it helps to understand the
"appliance," the operating system, the specific hardware you're using
with the software, the Bluetooth setup, the configuration... these are
all pretty technical things to have to mess with compared to an
all-in-one box that requires NO special knowledge on the part of the
user. That's asking a lot of a marketplace which now has the choice
between the former and the latter.

As a guy who -- in a former life -- designed software interfaces, I
chuckle when I see gearheads frustrated that normal, everyday people
don't "RTFM." Frankly, the product should be good enough that most
folks can figure out the basic functionality WITHOUT having to RTFM.
Human nature won't change - we need devices which act as appliances
which don't require special study, care, and maintenance - all of which
apply to the CV product, like it or not.

There is still the perception that Honda and Toyota make the best cars,
but that isn't necessarily true anymore.

No?

Nevertheless, millions buy
them based on that perception, and will sing their praises despite the
fact that they have sometimes serious mechanical problems

Funny, I own two Honda automobiles and recently sold a Toyota Camry.
These are the best vehicles I've ever owned; the Accord I've owned for
six years; nothing but routine maintenance. The minivan (Odyssey) has
been perfect out of the gates. The Camry never required a lick of
special maintenance, either, and held an exceptionally high value upon
its resale.

(I once had a
Honda owner tell me that a failed brake master cylinder that cost $800
to replace was "just a minor maintenance issue.")

Okay.

I would rather deal
with actual facts of user experience, rather than the marketing hype.

Same here. The Garmin hype, I expect, will be borne out shortly with
plenty of positive user experiences... just like always.

Right now, I can find user experience both positive and negative for all
products, including Garmin's.

Maybe so, but there's a much better ratio of positive to negative in the
Garmin camp, than in the CV camp.

Best,

-Ryan