I tried to get ST to make a small change that I thought was useful. And this is the short version of the lecture I got.
'ST designs sensors with the expectation that it will sell in the many, many millions of units and tries not to enter into markets where the volume is low. Even small changes cost in the millions of dollars and unless one has the sales to justify such an investment, ST would rather spend it's time doing something else.'
ST can sell these sensors inexpensively because the cell-phone industry buys them in huge quantities. They are designed speciifcally for that market.
But other customers want them, so ST makes them available.
Unfortunately, unless you have a need for huge quantities of parts, ST will probably look to other projects.
That being said, if your product has the potential to change the world, please contact your ST sales rep.
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