Flatbed scanner a dying breed?

[History Fan]

I've noticed browsing thru retail stores like BestBuy, Circuit City and
CompUSA that flatbed scanners are nearly impossible to find nowadays. At
least in my area. The trend seems to be towards all-in-one machines, i.e.
printer, scanner and fax.

 

[Barry Watzman]

For the mass market, that's true, but I don't think that they are really
dying out, however I think you will find fewer of them at retail. Much
more of a "specialty item" than they used to be.

 

[Brendan R. Wehrung]

I've noticed browsing thru retail stores like BestBuy, Circuit City and
CompUSA that flatbed scanners are nearly impossible to find nowadays. At
least in my area. The trend seems to be towards all-in-one machines, i.e.
printer, scanner and fax.

That's both good and bad. The cheap flatbed has been subsumed into the
all-in-one, and overall scanner quality has improved. This leaves the
field open for mid-price and high-end scanners for those who really need
the quality. Of course, Best Buy, City and CompUSA are not places to look
for high-end equipment.

Me, I'n satisfied (so far) with what came with my Canon MP600.

Brendan

 

[Jasper Witt]

"History Fan"

I've noticed browsing thru retail stores like BestBuy, Circuit City and
CompUSA that flatbed scanners are nearly impossible to find nowadays. At
least in my area. The trend seems to be towards all-in-one machines, i.e.
printer, scanner and fax.

We've used those "all-in-one" machines at work. They are not as good as the
medium priced flat bed scanners or printers. The HP "all-in-one" machines
that we used at work are are disposable (they work only for a short time
then throw them away).

As far as Best Buy, I don't buy there because there are by far better
alternatives to that store.