I suspect the "5,127 prototypes" figure covers the entire development cycle to date, including 35 models and a highly successful business -- not 5,127 prototype

I suspect the "5,127 prototypes" figure covers the entire development cycle to date, including 35 models and a highly successful business -- not 5,127 prototypes in his garden shed before the DC01 went on sale! (That'd be some shed ...) Lest we forget, these days Dyson has a research, design and development centre with 350 engineers working for him: http://www.dyson.co.uk/insidedyson/article.asp?aID=dysonhq http://www.dyson.co.uk/insidedyson/article.asp?aID=dysonhq