I don't believe that "higher quality at a price" is what photographers want (car choice is different), they realize that they will have that (and the innovations that the interview suggests) sooner or later with DSLRs too... After all, only less than a decade ago, they couldn't have D800E's quality with any DMF and they where still making great pictures... Just my 2 cts...
Agreed but the real issue is what MFD will offer later down the road, not what it offered 10 yrs ago or today. To survive MFD will have to continue offering something that no other camera offers. So far this has been the case and that's why MFD is still around and thriving.
The comparison with automobiles continues to be valid in this context. Today a Lexus, Acura or Infinity offers much of what was found exclusively on Bentleys and other high end luxury cars a few yrs ago. Still, Bentley is still going strong, stronger than ever in fact, in part because they continue to offer new and exclusive features found nowhere else, and in part because ownership of a high end luxury car is a statement about one' s social status. For example the 2013 Mulsanne comes with a built in wifi hotspot able to connect 8 individual devices. No other car offers this as a standard feature to my knowledge. Will they later down the road? It is very likely, but right now if you want that feature you have to get a Mulsanne or install it yourself. If you can afford the Mulsanne and like Bentleys you'll buy the car. If you can't afford it you'll learn to live without it, go to public wifi hotspots equipped locations when you travel or install it yourself in your vehicle. Eventually need and income define ownership and use of such items.
In the end the question is not whether one can find the same features on lower priced cameras or cars down the road. The question is where do you get these features today. When one purchases a high end luxury product one does so because one can afford it and one wants access to the very best, with the most exclusive features, and with a limited availability. It's really a lesson in marketing.
MFD is a luxury product. As such its marketing follows the rules of luxury products. Exclusive features, limited availability, price-limited access, high perceived value, superlative quality, acceptance in an elite community are some of the reasons that drives their purchase.
Because the purchase of luxury products is linked to income, I expect the purchase of MFD to increase as the economy recovers.
The first challenge with understanding this marketing approach is that it is very difficult to find out, or guess. which features will be present on luxury items down the road. If you can, chances are you are designing, creating and selling luxury items rather than talking about their upcoming demise!
The second challenge is to put ourselves in the shoes of the target audience. Even though we may not be able to afford these products, there are people buying them every day. Understanding why they buy is key to understanding why luxury brands stay in business and why they continue to prosper.