Instant Pandora with a premium?

[gadgetoid]

OK, some of you already found this today, but : http://gbax.com/pandoraprivate.html


This will become linked from the main site, and obviously if there are too many orders I will stop it for a while.


Now, do I sleep or stay awake all day?

Now. Do I publish this link on Gadgetoid with my ( mostly positive ) thoughts?


It's in most of our interests for you to get hundreds of orders ASAP, so we can all celebrate and dance, happy in the knowledge that our Pandoras might be delivered a week sooner than they otherwise would have.


Edit: In the face of a £379.19 price tag with 24 hour special delivery, I'm feeling a lot better about having paid around £270. My gratitude goes out to anyone paying this price- you're doing the whole community a favour.

 

[richiz]

As a late first batcher, is it wrong that I feel like I've been pushed to the back of the queue?

##


Import Return_Old_Pandora


##Class to email OP for a refund


Import Buy_New_Pandora


##Class to purchase new pandora


Import Play_Duppy_Man_Video_&_Dance


##Class to dance to Duppy man


Main Queue jump technique:


Return_Old_Pandora():


Buy_new_Pandora():


Play_Duppy_Man_Video_&_Dance():


Sysexit():


End

 

[Creature XL]

OK, some of you already found this today, but : http://gbax.com/pandoraprivate.html


This will become linked from the main site, and obviously if there are too many orders I will stop it for a while.


Now, do I sleep or stay awake all day?

This is awesome. The Pandora would cost for a 456 EURO with delivery to Germany.


I paid 249 with delivery at EDs shop. So in essence, I can make 200EURO PLUS when I WOULD sell it.


Wow, that will teach my friends who said I am an idiot, try to make so much (relatively) money in two years.





PS:


Of course I won't sell it, but it is VERY tempting


I wish i had bought 5 or 10 back then

 

[Ollonk]

I don't approve of people line-jumping me because I can't afford to pay a premium, but I'm so far back in line that it doesn't really matter. If it means that the project can move forward more quickly, by all means do it.


Edit: I will be thoroughly pissed if anyone in batch 2 gets a Pandora before myself, however.

 

[Dead1nside]

*reverts to being bitter* No, after seeing the price plus VAT I'm not going to plump for the 7-day express queue.

 

[frostfall]

first off, this is my first post, but I'm a 2nd batcher (late August). I've seen the page craigix posted and I think the price in euro is still low for this kind of device...In europe(well in France/Belgium at least...), most company considere that for a device of 1$ in USA, it must be 1E in Europe. So devices like smartphones are quite expensive like 500E->600E. Here, for 364E I believe it's still cheaper than most of the smartphones/tablet and that it can do a lot more.


For the problem of new buyer having pandora before us : If nothing is done I will have my pandora later anyway. So we can discuss about how OPT could have more money and continue to do great things, but I don't think it's a good solution to do nothing and have OPT stop the pandora after the batch.


+ when the community is bigger, there are more programs available, new things done, games etc...If there's only 10000 pandora and no more, there will be far less interesting things to use with.


I understand the frustration about waiting 2 years and having a new buyer receiving his Pandora in only 7 days, but we must see that in a larger scale : if OPT stop the production we will all suffer the consequence.


Therefore, if craigix considere this is the best choice, I'm with him.

 

[dreamer]

This might have been answered already, but if I don't opt in, I'll still get my first batch stamp, right?

Yes, the more expensive units won't have the first batch stamp. They will have a red sticker which we're designing today.

That's all I wanted to hear! Now DO IT! (and get some sleep )


However, I don't think the "buy now, get in 7 days" is very feasible.


Make it 2 weeks and it's a lot more realistic.


Just hope the slashgear article doesn't overcrowd you guys too much, but then again: set it to 'sold out' when you feel you are at a max.

 

[gadgetoid]

I have an article summarising the facts of this whole process (or what I understand to be the facts) written and ready to publish as soon as it's official.


Craig: Any chance you can get me a picture of that sticker, or a picture of the a Pandora sporting that sticker when one's available?


Furthermore, when do you anticipate this starting?

In a decidedly interesting turn of events, Craig of OpenPandora fame has made the tough decision to <a href="http://gbax.com/pandoraprivate.html">make the Pandora available, outside of pre-order, at $500 (or about £379.19 delivered to UK customers) with a guaranteed 7-day delivery</a>.


This means you can <a href="http://gbax.com/pandoraprivate.html">buy a Pandora <strong>now</strong> and have it in your hands in 7 days</a>. This is a very good value proposition, given the rarity of this console coupled with the already extensive array of software and complete lack of direct competition.


From the page itself: <em>"Welcome to the Pandora order page. These units ship within 7 days. By buying one of these units you are supporting the OP project and open source development on ARM platforms and beyond."</em>


This is the first time that the Pandora has been available to order, instead of pre-order, excepting the refurbs which were sold on eBay. "One-nubber" units were also available to less gaming inclined pre-order customers in lieu of their pre-order, but sport only one working analogue nub instead of two.


These "high priced" "7-day" Pandora units will be available to all existing and new customers who want to drop down $500 (£380) price to get their hands on one. There's no mention yet on whether or not pre-order customers can pay extra to expedite their orders.


These Pandoras will also lack the "First Batch" stamp, even though they're theoretically part of what you would consider to be the "First Batch." They will sport an alternate red sticker as a token of the OpenPandora team's appreciation, and all "First Batch" pre-order customers will continue to receive Pandoras labelled as such. Yes, it doesn't technically make sense, but it does mean that pre-order customers still have a way of distinguishing themselves from the late-coming, or more financially solvent 7-day-ordering crowd.


Spare parts, batteries, stylii, cases and power supplies are also available for purchase, in addition to a "dev fund" donation option for the decidedly more charitable buyer.


The OpenPandora project has been a roller-coaster, both for the people behind it and the supportive pre-order customers who have hung onto every word from the team and dished out criticism, but more importantly, support in liberal doses.


Part of me wants to say I have mixed feelings about the up-front sale of higher priced Pandoras before all pre-orders have been fulfilled, but in actual fact this very endeavour is designed to speed up pre-order fulfilment by bringing in the funds to hire more assembly-line staff. It's a great, and brave idea, made even more so by the fact it's been openly publicised, critiqued and supported by the community before it's official launch.


I, for one, am an avid supporter of this initiative. More short-term Pandora sales will mean I get my Pandora faster, and the same applies to other pre-order customers. If someone else gets theirs in the interim, through these higher-priced 7-day orders, then they'll serve to enrich the community. It's a win-win situation.


It's worth stressing that the whole point of this initiative is so <strong>pre-order customers should get their units faster.</strong> Nobody should be losing out, nobody should be further delayed and <strong>Craig has committed to shutting down the order page if the number of orders gets too high.</strong>

 

[skeezix]

The question to me is ..


The bottleneck is still CC knocking them out; adding more $$ is nice, OP needs to turn a profit and claw back some of the unanticipated losses etc, but .. if you can't crank up CC's production rate, then you are by definition slowing down batch 1, right?


Originally this was posted as being for batch2, but the page is already up and looks like its a go-live-soon thing, so its during batch1 production.


If CC is still popping out a few hundred units a week, and you get 300 (or 1000, or whatever) 7-day orders, then what? You have to cap it off so you don't over promise for one, but then what happens to the batch 1 preorders .. they lose another week.


Or can CC step up if needed? (historically they've done good work, but are as unreliable as can be; they've been good the last couple months though, so who knows.)


jeff

 

[mmielke]

Circuit Co, who is doing their job, has proven not to be as reliable as their claims have proven. As I see it, assembly isn't necessarily the problem, it's the boards.

You base this on what? the progress over Christmas? Spending the past 4 weeks in Craig's assembly plant? Give the team some credit and accept that this isn't a community run sim-city game.

Base what on what? I'm giving OP full credit for doing a commendable job, as I do not think THEIR claims are misleading. Circuit CO gains partial credit for producing a fraction (half?) the boards that they claim to have. Correct me if I am wrong here, but assembly itself isn't nearly as bad as the other issues. The older nub, wi-fi, etc problems have been rectified. As for the premium Pandoras: Go right ahead, as the eBay sales show adecent profit margin. I'd personally like a metallic gold Pandora as shown in an earlier thread regarding color choices. I can't afford it, though. I'm definitely looking forward to my Pandora (2nd Batch, end of September 2010), and I hope this speed boost works out!


What were the numbers regarding how long this will take to set up, the extra number of Pandoras built using this increased revenue, the actual rate at which boards are produced and shipped, and the difference between how many Pandoras are assembled for premium customers and normal preorderers? Actually, how long does shipping cases by boat take, versus shipping airmail from Texas to the UK?

 

[craigix]

The orders are coming in already. We can now get serious about building these quickly.


Next week we want to build 500+, I want you to see the difference this will make now we can pay for more people to help.


Thank you to everyone who is placing orders for these, you're allowing OP to start growing fast.

 

[Blue Protoman]

Best of luck to you, Craig.

 

[laer899]

Lots of people getting very childish here because they don't seem to realise that they have been lucky that the project has made it this far.

Indeed. The psychology of someone getting their shiny new toy before we get ours is certain to bring out the inner child. It's irritating, but on the flip side it's also, potentially, a very good plan which will see us getting our Pandoras sooner.


I, for one, support any initiative which will see me getting my Pandora sooner. Particularly if it doesn't involve me spending any more money to make it happen. Who knows, one of those $500 7-day Pandora buyers could be a developer, who will bring out something we'd all appreciate. With the kind of bank to just buy a $500 Pandora off the cuff, they're probably not likely to be a whiny teenage nuisance who doesn't contribute to the community and wants ROMs and wants them yesterday.


People need to focus on the positives, which Craig has clearly explained god-knows how many times, and quit with the childish "omg they're getting it before me waaah waaah" mentality.


1) People. Your Pandora will still have "First Batch" written on it.


2) If this works (which it should) you will get it sooner.


3) You don't have to spend any money to make no. 2 happen.


4) Every new Pandora owner enriches the community as a whole, and every penny gives OpenPandora a little more room to breathe, not to mention spend time working on the software!

I completely agree with this post!


I simply cannot fathom why anyone on this board could be opposed to this idea, given that the above is true. If you think about it everyone ends up winning. The fact that Craigx consults the community shows gumption in my opinion as well. The reality is that with more revenue the team can speed things up. Not only can the team speed up production(you get your pandora faster), it would also mean a larger community. Another caveat that we may want to consider is that the pandora is in a race against time. The demand for this item will only decrease as newer, shinier "alternatives" come to market (ie. Nintendo 3DS, Sony NGP/PSP). I would think pandora development would take a hit as possible/current developers may choose focus on these as well as any other newer tech. I really fail to understand how this proposal, if the premises of which hold, could not be anything but great for everyone all around.

 

[astrok]

Hello,


Will these be new or recycled Pandoras? Also, are you max'd out on these ones or are there some still available this quickly?


TIA

 

[Dead1nside]

I'm still mulling over the idea. If it helps the production of the Pandora and OP, then clearly it's a good thing, so I hope it works out well. As a fellow preorderer though, it is emotional to see anybody in any shape or form get to enjoy it before you, that's the point of a queue. However I'm not so recalcitrant as to call it a bad move before we've seen the results. What I would say is that I would have preferred more questions answered, more opinions given by key members of the community and OP (I sent off a bunch of emails needlessly, because the proper information wasn't laid out in front of me, so I apologise for the spam). But I look forward to hearing exciting news soon, and hopefully we'll _all_ not have to wait that long.


A special thank you to all of you who've ported software to the Pandora, made your own programs and games, and worked tirelessly on emulators all for the enjoyment of the community, it keeps me going, it keeps me excited about this project. A massive thank you to Craig and the rest of OP for having the balls to put this into production, and stick with it. It is s a testament that in a good few ways, it still is revolutionary.

 

[Eridger]

OK, some of you already found this today, but : http://gbax.com/pandoraprivate.html


This will become linked from the main site, and obviously if there are too many orders I will stop it for a while.

So if I ordered this now, what am I getting, other than a red label and a Pandora? I assume you decided against painting the unit? Cause I'm totally ready to slap down another $120 on this thing right now.

 

[wermy]

I've only ready through page 5, and it looks like this deal is already happening so it may be too late to express my opinion, but here it is anyway:


First of all, I'm all for assuring the long-term success of the Pandora project. If that means charging more for it, then by all means do it. However, I'm not sure letting people leap-frog the queue is the right thing to do.


Here's my concern: Craig says people will get their units faster, because they'll make units much quicker. Is the speed they put Pandoras together really the bottleneck, though? Isn't waiting for CC to produce and ship boards a bigger issue?


What happens if they do this $500 for a pandora within a week deal (which it looks like they already are), and they sell like hotcakes (which could happen, seeing as eBay Pandoras sell for crazy amounts all the time)? Won't they then be obligated to get out pandoras to the new customers first, thus pushing back customers like me? Let's say they get 250 boards one week, and get 150 orders from $500 people (which again could happen, especially with it being advertised on sites like Slashgear). That's only 100 units going out to people like me who are still waiting.


I could EASILY see this pushing my order back by a couple months again, making me seriously consider just canceling and waiting for the Xperia Play. I'm pretty bummed about all this.


Edit: For the record, I'm about 1800 in craig's queue, ordered May 2009, and have been a huge supporter of this project. But this just seems like a big slap in the face for people like me (not to mention the day-one order-ers who still don't have theirs).

 

[Bosbeetle]

It all depends on how much of these $500 units they are going to release.

 

[Grench]

The orders are coming in already. We can now get serious about building these quickly.


Next week we want to build 500+, I want you to see the difference this will make now we can pay for more people to help.


Thank you to everyone who is placing orders for these, you're allowing OP to start growing fast.

So for those of us who have been waiting with the project for 2 years...


Someone with a new 7 day unit is going to show up while we're still empty handed. OK - we supported the project from the start. I'm OK with that.


How long will this situation go on for though?


With the additional employees building units:


When do you see crossing the 1000 (order number not unit count) mark from your own store's pre-order queue?


When do you see crossing the 2000 (order number not unit count) mark from your own store's pre-order queue?


I was going to make a more refined and further out list, but stopped. This project gets in trouble when it's too specific or looks too far out.


Back to waiting.


Thank you.

 

[wermy]

It all depends on how much of these $500 units they are going to release.

That's a good point. I'd be much more comfortable with the idea if they capped the number of $500 ones they'd sell. For example, they could figure out how many they need to sell to cover the cost of hiring new people, and limit it to that (if only for the first batch, to get those customers served).