None of the big manufacturers want to support end user software for economic reasons.
Their customer is the licensed professional and they will do everything legally possible to protect the profitability of those retailing their products.
Both perfectly correct. Nothing wrong with that. It’s part of a tiered distribution model. It applies to phone manufacturers, washing machine manufactures etc etc too.
You are well intentioned, but the rest of your post drifts off into La-La land.
English, I am really new to all of this. About 6 weeks ago I just could not understand my kids in the car on a two hour drive to a zoo. Here I am fixing that. What I see are three markets: 1) Vanilla sales of new aids from audiologists, 2) supposedly unsupported sales of new aids on the internet and 3) internet sales of refurbished aids. Number 2 and 3 are supported by the hearing aid manufacturers. The manufacturers could end 2 in a heart beat but do not. The manufacturers claim to only sell to audiologists, but frankly they are clearly lieing. I can order any aid I want right now and I am sitting in my bathtub. The manufacturers know that and are going to ship another shipment of aids to the internet stores tomorrow.
Its also true that iPFG is freely available, even when you read the fine print. Also think about refurbished aids. Whoever is refurbishing is loading phonaks algorithms. Look this is one dirty business from what I can tell.
I have spoken to the manufacturers about these aids that appear on ebay etc.
Most seem to be bought by registered suppliers … who then slip them into the ‘grey market’.
Some very low end aids seem to be Third World model BTEs which make their way back to the West.
The Internet aids are often from minor Italian and American manufacturers who supply both retail & Web suppliers. These aids are OK - but certainly nowhere near as advanced as the top retail-only products.
I have no idea where ‘reburbished’ aids come from - maybe dealers putting returns etc into the grey market?
Also, maybe some of these aids have been stolen. For example, I know that many aids disappear from the NHS stock cupboards.
Whatever you think, the major manufacturers are certainly not keen to have their aids swilling about the Web being sold by ‘unusual’ suppliers.
I run a mail order hearing aids parts business … and my supply contracts INSIST that I do NOT supply aids via the Web … just sundries. I would be an ideal outlet for mail order aids for the key manufacturers - but they clearly have no interest in Web aid sales.
However with so many ‘official’ aid suppliers globally it’s no great surprise to see a few aids being sold on the Web etc.
Look this is one dirty business from what I can tell.
Any business has its ‘dark corners’. Why should the hearing aid sector be any different? No conspiracy theories needed.
Every industry has some type of grey market. Doesn’t mean it’s a dirty industry but a few dirty people can dirty up anything.
About the manufacturers, they all want to sell as many hearing aids as they can. All the big ones have decided it is in their best interests to supply to retail channels where the end consumer gets the personal support of a licensed professional. They also realize some people want just a product and someone will figure out ways to get the product into a grey market, ebay, internet sales situation.
How vigorously the manufacturers pursue those outlets varies. I would say Starkey, Resound, Phonak pursue those 100%. Oticon, maybe 97%, and Siemens, maybe 90%. So it would be possible for a person to find some high end aids through other channels while the manufacturers insist you must go through a professional.
I can’t find Target. IFPG 2.6 does not have a selection for audeo Bs. Is there an IFPG update?
Look into the DIY forum area.
I’ve seen seen posts from several people offering different opinions on the ability of early versions of Target to update themselves.
Has anyone recently had an installed version earlier than Target 5.0 (i.e. 3.3) update itself to 5.? or 6.?
Thanks
SB
Anything under Target 5 won’t be able to be updated above Target 5.
How can I obtain Target so that I can program myself? I cant seem to find any working links or anything on ebay etc.