Beat The GMAT

maihuna · Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:38 am

A product’s design can be more
valuable than the product itself. With the
advent of the personal computer in the
1970s, the computer-manufacturing
sector, an industry then dominated by
those giants able to afford incredibly
specialized knowledge and to produce
equally expensive products, suddenly
found its brightest lights shining in the
garages of clever engineers.

Based on the information given above, which of the following was an advantage possessed by large computer manufacturers prior to the emergence of small computer-makers?

Their ability to produce expensive products

The substantial resources at their disposal

Their ability to adapt quickly to changes in the computer industry

The high quality computers they were able to produce

Their development of the earliest personal computer prototypes

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2010gmat · Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:33 am

an industry then dominated by
those giants able to afford incredibly
specialized knowledge and to produce
equally expensive products

IMO B

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gmatmachoman · Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:37 pm

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mehravikas · Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:25 pm

I think it should be A

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2010gmat · Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:50 pm

my line of reasoning was:

giants able to afford incredibly
specialized knowledge and to produce
equally expensive products ...

to afford specialized knowledge and produce expensive products a company would need substantial resources at disposal...the availability of these resources was an dvantage...

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sadullaevd · Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:46 am

IMO A,

In order to have an advantage, you need to have resources at disposal, there fore A.

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gmatv09 · Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:55 am

IMO B

an industry then dominated by those giants able to afford incredibly specialized knowledge and to produce equally expensive products

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bonvivz · Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:55 am

I think its B, as
A talks about the ability to produce expensive products, what about "afford incredibly
specialized knowledge" so its B.

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KICKGMATASS123 · Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:53 pm

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sanp_l · Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:47 pm

“A product’s design can be more valuable than the product itself”.
I would go for Option E. It has to be something about the design as stated in the first sentence. It is stated that “suddenly found its brightest lights shining in the garages of clever engineers” in the text which hints towards the replication efforts of the prototype.

A and B relate to expensive products and resources. C also has nothing to do with design or product. D is all about the product.