Yeah well one thing about a piece of equipment like the MPC - to me it's not really worth it in the long run.
Sure, lots of people have an MPC, but it's not for everyone. If you look at the price of an MPC and compare it to the price of a computer, the computer kicks its ass. You can do so much with the computer and then some, that you can't do with the MPC, unless you have external gear hooked into it.
I'm not bashing the MPC, it's a great piece of gear, but I think the main reason why everyone buys an MPC or an SP-1200 is because everyone else does. It's the "hiphop" thing to do I guess. Fuck it, just use whatever you're comfortable with.
And if Akai comes out with a newer model (MPC 4000), then think before you react. It may not be worth it, especially since they're most likely going to charge a shit load for it.
But that's just my 2 cents, rambling on, since I'm wasted right now.
later.