2 Months..... umm, weeks to go (2012-02-06)

[elwing]

wow, lot of drama.


I'm a 4th day preorder, and I'd just like to say I'm cool with waiting a few more weeks as long as they're being made.


Well done ED for getting everything moving.

godmil, the problem is that, seen the previous progress, we're not speaking of weeks, but month or even years...

 

[Maquis196]

I agree with jtk. I'll glady pay the difference between what I've paid and what it would cost now to support the project. I've only been waiting about 2yrs and a couple more weeks don't bother me. What bothers me is me paying less for a superior product!


(This is the part where I dream of an open home console ala ps3 - I can dream can't I ).


@ ED: This might have been mentioned before but is there scope to sue that Texas company? Even if just to recover costs (after legal fees). They really screwed you (and by extension us). Bloody companies.

 

[angus454]

I've been waiting years too, and I'll wait a few more months w/o any problems. Hang in there people!

 

[EvilDragon]

godmil, the problem is that, seen the previous progress, we're not speaking of weeks, but month or even years...

Years?

@ ED: This might have been mentioned before but is there scope to sue that Texas company? Even if just to recover costs (after legal fees). They really screwed you (and by extension us). Bloody companies.

Well, Craig had the contract with them, so I don't know what he did so far.


I cannot sue them personally.

 

[Caine]

ED, the wait for those TV out cables is getting too ridiculous. Especially since you still appear to be in the "looking for a company" stage.


I am leaning more and more to just canceling them. Can you make any reasonable estimate for them at all?

 

[zoranc]

Well, Craig had the contract with them, so I don't know what he did so far.


I cannot sue them personally.

Following the whole discussion it VERY interesting to know what he did and what he is planing to do on this particular subject!

 

[fahrstuhl]

EvilDragon,


Will you be willing to sell the new board alone for a self-upgrade? If so how much for the new board alone?


I wouldn't mind 'upgrading' but I don't want to be without my Pandora.

Yes, that would also be fine with me.


Do you want to send back your old PCB to me, or do you want to keep it?

I would want to keep the old PCB, but others may want to return it.


Can we get a estimate on the price for both options?


Thanks!

I'm interested in this, too.


Although it'd probably be more social to allow my old PCB to be refurbished... I guess I should get a BeagleBoard or a PandaBoard instead of a PandoraWithoutCaseAndAllTheHardwareInputsThatMakeItAwesomeBoard.

 

[EvilDragon]

ED, the wait for those TV out cables is getting too ridiculous. Especially since you still appear to be in the "looking for a company" stage.


I am leaning more and more to just canceling them. Can you make any reasonable estimate for them at all?

How can I give an estimation when we're still waiting for positive replies from companies?


We've asked for quotations with different companies and are still waiting.

 

[Matthias_H]

We've asked for quotations with different companies and are still waiting.

=> mail

 

[EvilDragon]

We've asked for quotations with different companies and are still waiting.

=> mail

Thanks a lot


I'll ask them

 

[Grench]

EvilDragon,


Will you be willing to sell the new board alone for a self-upgrade? If so how much for the new board alone?


I wouldn't mind 'upgrading' but I don't want to be without my Pandora.

Yes, that would also be fine with me.


Do you want to send back your old PCB to me, or do you want to keep it?

This sounds better to me too. This is how they sell some auto part replacements in the US.


The customer pays a price for the unit (cost of the new part) plus a core charge (value of the old part).


The customer swaps them out and returns the core.


The store inspects the core - and if it is functional for their purpose, issues a refund for the core charge.


I'd still like to see an upgrade option where we can get a faster CPU too for another 75EUR (or thereabouts). I use mine heavily for desktop usage - muti-tasking, etc... More RAM and more CPU would both be good things.


Thank you,


Grench

Can't agree with the faster CPU- it'd cause an explosion of drama that would suck these boards into a singularity of seething nerd rage... however, I'd love to see a price on ordering just a board as I, too, wouldn't want to be without my Pandora but would appreciate a little more RAM.


Unfortunately I also need some pretty serious TLC in the case department... so I'm constantly tending back towards the "wheee just buy another Pandora" idea.

I see the faster CPU as inevitable. If priced appropriately so that it covers tossing a CPU from the old stock in a 'sell these bulk on Ebay bucket', it would give an option for those of us doing desktop stuff to have that little edge needed for multitasking. There is a whole other thread on this discussion though.

 

[spiralofhope]

I see the faster CPU as inevitable. If priced appropriately so that it covers tossing a CPU from the old stock in a 'sell these bulk on Ebay bucket', it would give an option for those of us doing desktop stuff to have that little edge needed for multitasking. There is a whole other thread on this discussion though.

Once I get my Pandora, I'll be saving up for a future revision.

 

[gadgetoid]

I see the faster CPU as inevitable. If priced appropriately so that it covers tossing a CPU from the old stock in a 'sell these bulk on Ebay bucket', it would give an option for those of us doing desktop stuff to have that little edge needed for multitasking. There is a whole other thread on this discussion though.

You're probably right. Although I'd imagine it's inevitable simply because, like the RAM, it'll be too difficult to get hold of the old components in any significant number.


Makes me wonder how long I should wait before considering a new Pandora.

 

[innos]

heres an idea how to deliver old_preorders faster:

• kick the ones who started bitchin off the list. its a win-win situation!
  

Hear hear, like, +1.

 

[double7]

I would be put to shame for candy crying.

if you don't mind with waiting an other time, and this time after the new orders, so wait as long as you can cheer yourself with your unwavering legendary patience, but accept that we are not obliged to be as you.

I do mind waiting another time, more that you'll be able to understand, which is my fault, because my way is less extroverted. I left the german board for month because i was completely un-amused by the situation. The stalker helped me to keep track of the milestones. One of the milestones was that OP ltd. got busted. At this stage crying was appropriate. But i didn't. I'm a man facing reality and ED act in the same way to find a possible solution.

and my question was destinated to ED, my "candy crying" reaction was in response of your interference on my question.

I didn't see ED answering our question. Why? As far as i remember the first batchers got a surprise with their units. Maybe ED don't want to reveal that he has something in mind? Because if he would say it it's no surprise any longer? What could you do if he doesn't answer? If you stay angry and there would be a surprise your anger was without reason. Just relax and complain later if there is no surprise. ;-)

people will have it without waiting as long as us.

What do you want? You don't have to be like me. It's your right to reveal yourself as an envious kid. Others shouldn't have candy is the variant 1 of the possible pandora rebirth situation, declare bankruptcy and show others the middle finger.


Thanks to ED this didn't happen. Our boat didn't sink. But we are too exhausted for rowing. New people came and kept rowing for us. They will step on the beach at first. This is fair. (And i still do not like waiting!)

(This is the part where I dream of an open home console ala ps3 - I can dream can't I ).

Yes, you can. But reality will kick your dreams. There is a discusion that next gen console games will be bond to the console after installation, like pc games got their account bonding. No more second hand games. The next step will be video halls and the gamer does not own the game nor hardware to play on. In long term, why not setup a gaming flatrate? Pay 10 per Month and play what you like on any system?

 

[elwing]

godmil, the problem is that, seen the previous progress, we're not speaking of weeks, but month or even years...

Years?

sorry, but so far history tells i'm right... you've given us reason why we had theses delays, you told us you are confident, but there's no more guarantee than before... call me pessimist if you want...

 

[Link]

Yes, you can. But reality will kick your dreams. There is a discusion that next gen console games will be bond to the console after installation, like pc games got their account bonding. No more second hand games. The next step will be video halls and the gamer does not own the game nor hardware to play on. In long term, why not setup a gaming flatrate? Pay 10 per Month and play what you like on any system?

I often wondered about this myself, something like Spotify, but for gaming.

 

[F_Slim]

sorry, but so far history tells i'm right... you've given us reason why we had theses delays, you told us you are confident, but there's no more guarantee than before... call me pessimist if you want...

You, sir, are a pessimist!


Actually I would never call myself an optimist either, but "it didn't work before, so it will never work" is an attitude that would have destroyed me long ago. And since we are under entirely different conditions now, there is no ground for such an attitude either, unless your position is "nothing will ever work out, no matter what" ...

 

[elwing]

"it didn't work before, so it will never work"

it's not exactly that... it will work, but when is another problem... generally, if somewthing can go wrong, it will go wrong, and i'm not disapointed by the pandora production on that point... a volcanic eruption???

 

[ledow]

The volcano was a single one-off incident in 2010. I don't think it "miraculous" that the week or so delay it caused (only in air shipping) didn't really put a huge dint in the economy of businesses country-wide. And almost all of the *real* problems were somehow down to mismanagement, cutting corners, failing to check details, etc.


OP is plagued more by communication and planning problems than anything else. ED seems to be doing a better job picking up the pieces, but that only begs the question why he wasn't doing it three years ago or why it was allowed to get into that state? Since OP started, many more larger and smaller projects have got off the ground and made a success with managing all of the same kinds of problems. I find it quite hilarious that Raspberry Pi, for instance, is so much closer to full-scale production than OP is. Different devices, yes, but same problems overcome by overall better control on a device generating much less profit (and using the same kinds of components, even down to those ball-grid arrays or whatever they're called, and writing off UK manufacturing as too expensive, etc.). Sure, OP have actually technically delivered more units but it seems to me that RPi is actually much closer to a viable business and hasn't had to beg for money and upgrades at every single stage.


If RPi gets to mass-market, and instantly-fulfilled orders quicker than OP, I will have quite a chuckle to myself.