RSdiver:
Quite frankly, the Suunto company should realize that serial interfaces have not been used in high end laptops for years....
That's the real point here. For how long has USB been around? But still Suunto sells its grotesquely over-priced
"PC Interface Cable" with a serial connector. To my (admittedly untutored) eye, its looks like a $15 bit of plastic and wire. So God knows what Suunto think they are up to (or rather, not up to) but seems to be yet another example of the "now we got the customers locked in, let's gouge them" marketing strategy and I've got a A$236 - yes folks, you read it right, A$236 - Amex bill for my interface cable to prove it. I know Australia is not a good place to buy this sort of stuff at the best of times but A$236 is ridiculous. Sadly, with a significant investment already made in the dive computer, your options are limited.
What a great way for Suunto to erode the value of its customer base.
And if that wasn't bad enough, their treatment of Mac users is unforgiveable. In addition to the connector, you need a Serial/USB converter, Virtual PC software and probably (since VPC is such a memory hog) additional memory. All of which turns the process of transferring simple flat files into an expensive and unnecessarily complex exercise. Contrast Suunto's approach with that of the digital camera manufacturers who've turned the entire connectivity issue into a non-issue with a current industry standard connector (USB and in some cases FireWire) to Mac or PC + software. No cost, no hassle which is how it should be.
And all of this is a shame because I love my Vytec and the Gekko before it. But when it comes to replacement time, I will have to give serious thought to looking elsewhere. Maybe there's something else out there that's every bit as good supplied by a manufacturer which treats its customers with respect and not contempt. Uwatec perhaps?