Will Keysight upgrade the 2000, 3000T X-Series Oscilloscopes within a few months

[eeguy]

It looks like these InfiniVision scopes have been around for a few years. Heard anything about possible upgrade in the near future?

[Pinkus]

The moment they will tell you this, their sales will drop as people will wait purchasing a scope.
So...... you will not get such an information before the new product is ready to hit the market.
However, as the T series is quite new, I doubt we will see a new 2000/3000 series pendant from Keysight in the next 12-18 months.

[Faith]

As I like to say; "new equipment doesn't suddenly make old equipment useless."

There are many excellent oscilloscopes on the market already be it from Keysight or otherwise so there isn't really much of a point in worrying about whether or not something is going to be superseded because it's inevitable that whatever you buy from whomever will already have a replacement design in the works.

Ultimately there's a lot more to lose (in terms of time and productivity) not having the tools you need versus potentially missing out on whatever the "latest and greatest" has to offer.

[nctnico]

If you wait there will always be something better. IMHO the short memories on the 2000 and 3000 series makes them kind of obsolete. Keysight focussed way too much on insane waveform/s rates rather than adding something which is actually useful: more memory. If you can spend a couple of $k then I'd look at Lecroy's Wavesurfer 3000 series.

[JPortici]

though they did offer the MSO variant at the same price of the DSO for quite some time. that might indicate something (clearing out?)

[Wuerstchenhund]

It looks like these InfiniVision scopes have been around for a few years. Heard anything about possible upgrade in the near future?

unlikely, if anything we might see some slight refresh without any major changes (i.e. sample memory will remain the same).

DSOX2k, DSOX3k and DSOX4k (and their MSO variants) still sell very well. The DSOX6004 doesn't, though (but that shouldn't really surprise anyone considering in what scope class Keysight tries to compete with essentially a blown-up entry-level scope). Many corporate customers tend to buy single-source, so they get all test gear from Keysight (and no other manufacturer has a similarly wide ranged portfolio), and that includes scopes even though they might not offer the best bang for the buck. Also, corporate customers pay nowhere near RRP for their kit.

Also, don't forget that the DSOX3000T only came out in 2014, where it replaced the DSOX3000A. Giving the DSOX2kA the same update would very likely make it too expensive, and the DSOX4kA already has what the DSOX3kT got (the DSOX3kT is pretty much a DSOX4kA with smaller screen). There isn't a lot room for further updates.


It's true that from a technical point of view they are getting a bit long in the tooth (the tiny sample memory is a problem), and the excessive high waveform rates haven't shown to be such a massive advantage as Agilent/Keysight claimed in their marketing blah. But the limitations are mostly due to Keysight's architecture and with that there's always a trade-off between memory size and update rate, which they already decreased from 8M to 4M when moving from the DSO6k/7k to the DSOX to get these superhigh update rates. That means all they could do is going back to where the old DSO6k/7k scopes were. Not a lot to justify investing in setting up a new product.

And as long as the InfiniVision scopes sell well there's no need for Keysight to invest in a successor. And as someone else said, even if they had plans then they're not going to make them public before launch date to protect their existing sales.

As someone already said, there are lots of scopes out there. If the DSOX isn't what you want then buy something else. And if you insist on Keysight then you'll probbaly have to live with what they're offering. That's how it works.

BTW: the DSOX (which I think came out in 2011) isn't really *that* old. Just look at Tek, who sells pretty much the same outdated scope design in slight variations for more than a decade.

[Wuerstchenhund]

though they did offer the MSO variant at the same price of the DSO for quite some time. that might indicate something (clearing out?)

No, that's just one of their regular promos that come and go.

[JPortici]

though they did offer the MSO variant at the same price of the DSO for quite some time. that might indicate something (clearing out?)

No, that's just one of their regular promos that come and go.

i see. while i still was a student i used to work in (electronics) retail and you should know, for consumer level stuff every sale is just to empty the stock usually, the more the discount the more you should stay away from it

[Wuerstchenhund]

though they did offer the MSO variant at the same price of the DSO for quite some time. that might indicate something (clearing out?)

No, that's just one of their regular promos that come and go.

i see. while i still was a student i used to work in (electronics) retail and you should know, for consumer level stuff every sale is just to empty the stock usually, the more the discount the more you should stay away from it

It's somewhat different for test gear. Manufacturers come up with promos when they believe they need to push their product a little, or when a competitor comes out with a promo which they want to match. Promos are rarely related to product changes.

Promos aren't good value in my opinion because they usually prohibit the use of any other form of discounts, and you can usually get the same options included at a better price when trying to haggle.

Also, just because a new model of scope came out doesn't mean the predecessor gets sold at huge discounts (just look at DSO6k/7k prices when the DSOX came out). Usually the old model is kept in the portfolio for a while to keep certain customers happy, until it's sold out.

[eeguy]

though they did offer the MSO variant at the same price of the DSO for quite some time. that might indicate something (clearing out?)

Yes it is still on until next year. Have they ever offered promotions such as more bandwidth, more software enabled functions, upgrading from 2 to 4 channels at the same cost? If so, how often?

In the computer industry, manufacturers upgrade every year. How about the scope industry?

I have looked at videos of rigol, Keysight and GW Instek scopes. I seem to look the Keysight's UI the most.

[nctnico]

Don't let looks fool you! For my Agilent DSO7104A I really need the manual to operate it while the same functions are self explainatory on my GW Instek GDS-2204E. Setting the decoding thresholds is a good example.

[Keysight DanielBogdanoff]

It looks like these InfiniVision scopes have been around for a few years. Heard anything about possible upgrade in the near future?

DSOX2k, DSOX3k and DSOX4k (and their MSO variants) still sell very well. The DSOX6004 doesn't, though (but that shouldn't really surprise anyone considering in what scope class Keysight tries to compete with essentially a blown-up entry-level scope).

The 6000 X-Series had a bit of a slow start, but it does pretty well. It starts at 1 GHz instead of 200 MHz or lower like the rest of the InfiniiVision family, so a lot of people rule it out from the beginning because they don't want that much bandwidth.

And as long as the InfiniVision scopes sell well there's no need for Keysight to invest in a successor.

We definitely are investing in the future of scopes, if we wait until sales slow down to start a new ASIC we'll be in serious trouble. I'm also definitely not hinting at anything here, to design a custom ASIC and build a scope around it takes a long time.

[eeguy]

Do oscilloscope companies such as Keysight offer Christmas/Boxing Day Sales?

[AR]

This is obviously a question for Keysight , how long does it take to go from concept to new product in the market.

[TheSteve]

Do oscilloscope companies such as Keysight offer Christmas/Boxing Day Sales?

It is pretty safe to say no, they don't.

If you want a Keysight product the simple solution is to buy a used one off of ebay/craigslist/a test equipment reseller etc. The 2000 and 3000 series scopes are great and have a 3/5 year warranty. So most used ones(but not all) will still have factory warranty. I bought my DSOX3014A from the Keysight ebay store for the same price the average one goes for used. If you buy it used for a fair price the value isn't dropping very fast and someone else has already eaten the major depreciation.

[Keysight DanielBogdanoff]

Do oscilloscope companies such as Keysight offer Christmas/Boxing Day Sales?

Generally we don't. We trend towards longer promotions instead of 1-day sale event type activities. It's significantly easier to implement this type of thing when you aren't selling products through a distributor.

[Wuerstchenhund]

The 6000 X-Series had a bit of a slow start, but it does pretty well. It starts at 1 GHz instead of 200 MHz or lower like the rest of the InfiniiVision family, so a lot of people rule it out from the beginning because they don't want that much bandwidth.

I'm very sure it's more like people rule them out because they offer very little in a scope class where customers expect a lot more. Which is the reason Keysight offered pretty huge incentive specifically to the DSOX6004 to anyone who would aks (and evn those that didn't).

And as long as the InfiniVision scopes sell well there's no need for Keysight to invest in a successor.

We definitely are investing in the future of scopes, if we wait until sales slow down to start a new ASIC we'll be in serious trouble. I'm also definitely not hinting at anything here, to design a custom ASIC and build a scope around it takes a long time.

Indeed. I also didn't want to suggest that KS would sit on their hands or twiddling thumbs, which would be silly (i'd fully expect you to be already work on the foundation for the next generation scopes), what I meant was that there is little point in coming up with a successor if the existing product still sells well.

[Wuerstchenhund]

If you want a Keysight product the simple solution is to buy a used one off of ebay/craigslist/a test equipment reseller etc. The 2000 and 3000 series scopes are great and have a 3/5 year warranty. So most used ones(but not all) will still have factory warranty. I bought my DSOX3014A from the Keysight ebay store for the same price the average one goes for used. If you buy it used for a fair price the value isn't dropping very fast and someone else has already eaten the major depreciation.

I fully agree, you can save a lot of money with a used instrument.

As to warranty, be careful, I think it's only CertiPrime instruments that carry the full warranty, everything else comes with I think 30 days only. You can still buy additional warranty (KS calls it a 'repair agreement') as you can do for any KS instrument that is still in mainstream support, but that costs extra (but usually a lot less than people assume).

For younger Agilent/Keysight stuff, just look for a good offer on ebay (not sure I'd trust Craig's List, and test equipment resellers usually want insane amounts for their stuff), buy a repair agreement, and you've got pretty much the same protection as for a new product at a much lower price.

I've done this for lots of Agilent/Keysight gear, including my personal 33522B AWG and E3632A PSU.

[nfmax]

I combined a 'special offer' on the APPBNDL software options bundle with a CertiPrime deal on a distributor's ex-demo Agilent MSOX2024, when the branding changed to Keysight. Five years warranty. There really is no need to pay full list price unless you want to. This situation is a right PITA - it would be much better if everyone quoted more realistic prices, as they do at the hobbyist scope level, but I guess we are stuck with it now.

[EEVblog]

I'd be very surprised if they haven't been working on the Megazoon V (or whatever) for many years now.
But this stuff takes a long time to get to market. I think in another thread the average time between Megazoom releases has been 7 years? So still some way to go yet I suspect.
"Within a few months"? I doubt it, I suspect their sales are still reasonably solid.
And as Wuerstchenhund said, the 3000T was the upgrade to the 3000, although that may have been a bit of a stop-gap model maybe?

[eeguy]

I heard some bad experiences buying used equipment. If I am going to buy a scope, it will be brand new one. In case of buying the 2000, 3000T X-Series, when would be the best time to do so? The current offer on Keysight's website is buying the MSO at the cost of DSO if the scope is the 3K series or above. I am not sure if I will use the logic analyzer. What kind of software would be good to get? Can those software be included for free as a deal? Will there be education discount for those who buy it in North America? I guess I can wait for about half a year but no longer than that.  When was the 3000T released?

[Wuerstchenhund]

I heard some bad experiences buying used equipment.

I heard some pretty bad experiences buying new gear, too. That doesn't mean it's the norm.

Believe me, I buy a lot (and I mean, really a lot) test gear each year, in excess of $100k, and a lot of that is used. The occasions where I had problems I can count on one hand.

If I am going to buy a scope, it will be brand new one.

Why not. Just be prepared to pay a lot more then.

In case of buying the 2000, 3000T X-Series, when would be the best time to do so?

The best time is when you need the scope. Buy too late and you waste valuable time, buy too soon and you're sitting on dead capital.

The current offer on Keysight's website is buying the MSO at the cost of DSO if the scope is the 3K series or above. I am not sure if I will use the logic analyzer.

Then just don't use it. If they give you MSO for free, what's wrong with that?

What kind of software would be good to get?

The kind of software that you will be using on your projects. You should know yourself which one that is.

Can those software be included for free as a deal?

Ask keysight. If you pay RRP for the scope I'm sure they'll throw all kind of options in the basket.

When was the 3000T released?

As I said already, in 2014.

[nctnico]

I heard some bad experiences buying used equipment.

I heard some pretty bad experiences buying new gear, too. That doesn't mean it's the norm.

I agree. I think I have just as many bad experiences with new gear and used gear. Still I think buying something used needs more care by reading about common issues, recalls, etc. It is just like buying a car. You can buy used but you need to look under the hood and know what to look for. OTOH a new car can be a Monday morning model and quit working out every new moon. Depending on the seller's idea of service it may need some arm wrestling to get what is yours.

[eeguy]

The current offer on Keysight's website is buying the MSO at the cost of DSO if the scope is the 3K series or above. I am not sure if I will use the logic analyzer.

I hope that they could have another offer that suits more of my needs. For example, Tetronix has an offer of more bandwidth.

[Wuerstchenhund]

The current offer on Keysight's website is buying the MSO at the cost of DSO if the scope is the 3K series or above. I am not sure if I will use the logic analyzer.

I hope that they could have another offer that suits more of my needs. For example, Tetronix has an offer of more bandwidth.

Why don't you buy the Tektronix then?