Is this article about the Nikon D600 true?

http://kenrockwell.com/...camera.htm

I wouldn't rate much that Ken Rockwell says - bloke's an idiot.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

So, who cares?

Using a mono body to build different camera subsets is one way to keep the costs down.

Nikon holds that patent on the auto-focus scheme, VR and other parts of those cameras, so why would they be expected to re-invent the "wheel"?

I'm sure that Mr. Rockwell had the same response when GM, Ford and Chrysler standardized their engines using the same basic building blocks for them and then later for the basic chassis for a range of similar size automobiles. This is part of the process of keeping the costs down as a products technology and features increase.

It may come to you as a surprise, but the cost of making cameras or any other product is reduced when the same parts are used in many different models of the same brand.

Have you actually held all three cameras in your hands? The D600, D800 and D4 certainly feel different in my hands. As far as the layout of the menus, standardization makes is much eaiser for a photographer, using two cameras, to switch from one to another and still have the layout of the cameras menu and important "buttons" be similar.

Just look at the top of those cameras. The D600 has a similar shooting mode knob as entry level Nikon dSLR cropped frame cameras. The D4 and D800 have buttons there for making quick changes. The Nikon D4 for making changes is the flash mode, metering mode and bracketing mode. The D800, has buttons to make changes in the resolution, bracketing mode, ISO and white balance, similar to the old Nikon D300.

When you look at the backs of those cameras, you see something that I would not consider identical in any way but for the button array to the left of the LCD.

No, I think that Mr. Rockwell wrote his version of "Much to Do About Nothing" in this piece.

I find it very practical that Nikon uses many of the same wiring harnesses, electronics and other ancillary parts in its cameras. This is not only what keeps the cost of ownership down, but makes repairs less expensive.

I recently sent my old Nikon D300 in for a focusing problem that was intermittent after I was hammered by a football player when I was shooting on the sidelines.

They replaced the shutter, focusing assembly and base plate as well as fine tuned the auto-focus and did a thorough job of cleaning the camera inside and out for under $250. If each model of the Nikon camera bodies used unique parts, that camera repair could have been over three times that. On the repair side of camera support, being able to stock only minimal numbers of replacement parts, reduces overhead and assures that older cameras like the nearly 7 year old D300 can still be repaired, let a lone at a super low price. The cost to replace the shutter on my Leica M series camera cost over $450.

Probably true. Most manufacturers of anything use the same (or similar) guts inside to save on costs. I bet every Smart Phone or TV has the same basic works inside.
The differences usually come in the exterior build quality and additional features that one model has over another.