do they really think they can force people to switch to their backs?
Obviously the answer is yes or they wouldn't have done it.
Hasselblad's share of the new MF DSLR body market must be at least twice their share of the MF back market. So Poulsen's challenge as CEO is crystal clear, leverage Hasselblad's body strength to lift their back business. He's chosen a pretty brutal route, but stripped of the emotion I'd judge his chances (pre Hy6) as very good. After all, what other choices did a photographer have?
Hasselblad V? Fond as I am of the V system I'd be the first to recognise it's in the digital dark ages and probably not long for this life.
Contax? And be faced with scouring Ebay for important accessories and urgently needed spare parts? No thanks.
Mamiya? No clarity or confidence regarding their future direction or stability.
Pentax? Where's the product?
Rolleiflex (pre Hy6)? Little US presence, a boutique Euro brand.
Sinar? Death by ticket shock.
Hasselblad H1/2? No doubt about it, ironically the H3D's biggest competitor actually sits in Poulsen's stable. But he's perfectly placed to progressively strangle that particular rival by cutting off the oxygen of new lenses and accessories.
So yes, no matter what we think of the morality, IMO Hasselblad had a very strong chance of just bullying their way to success.
Then along came the Hy6!
But even now Hasselblad will have a clean run at the market for at least six months until the Hy6 arrives. And selling anything in today's world is as much about marketing and distribution as about products, which means the Hy6 will still have a mountain to climb even when and if the cameras are rolling merrily off the production line.
Hasselblad may be reprehensible, but rationally I'd still rate their chances of growing the bottom line with the H3D as good. But I bet Poulsen's throwing some black looks at the Hy6's Photokina stand, because without them it would have been a banker's bet that he'd have succeed.
