'Instant Pandoras': The summary. READ FIRST!

[XxionxX]

[gruso edit]


This is the plan, as it has been explained to us:

• The intention of selling 'instant' $500 Pandoras is to pay for extra help on the assembly line, and double the daily output.
  
• While this does technically mean that instant buyers will be jumping the queue, the increased output should see all pre-orderers get their Pandoras faster.
  
• Instant Pandora numbers are limited. They will not eat into pre-order stock.
  
• If this extra income and production speedup does not happen now, the project may not last beyond Batch 2. The ordering page is up and open for business.
  

Please take discussion and debate to Craig's original megathread. This one will be kept clean, for quick reference.


[/gruso edit]


--------------- Original text ---------------


I hope this helps because there are a lot of hasty assumptions being made.


I know this was on the front page, but people seem to be missing some of these points. Thanks MarioPandio.

Hello everyone,


Rather than slowing down the delivery of your unit - it may well actually speed it up.


We can use that extra money to hire more people and build these units faster and reach batch2 sooner. You will still get your unit for below cost price, and due to the extra labour, faster. The extra units will come from batch2.


My suggestion is to possibly paint part of the more expensive units a different colour, maybe just in a subtle way, to make them a different edition, or change the internal sticker to red.


It's clear to me that if we don't make a move like this we will reach the end of batch2 later in the year and that will be the end of the Pandora project - we just won't have made any money and won't have enough with which to continue to a batch3. If we want to make this a serious business, and create the potential for a Pandora2, we need to make a move like this now rather than later.

Some people seem to think that this has not happened, and it has:

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.

We have discovered that 5 people can build 70 units more than twice as fast as 3 people.


This is due to the effect of a production line rather than each person doing several jobs.


So if we have 5 people rather than the current 3, we can produce 150+ units/day rather than the current ~70.


This means although we're selling more we are building more again.


I know it sounds strange but I've spent the last month working on this puzzle and this is the solution.

Let me know if something needs to be added. I tried to sum up the most important info in the 18 pages (and counting)


Edit: Also let me know if I am putting a spin on this news, I tried not to.


Edit2: I don't know if you removed this on purpose Gruso, but I'll put this here again: [oops, the fruits of both of us editing at once. all good. -Gruso]

Big thanks to I8NY for the image. (Note: Image created by I8NY based on his interpretation. Not an official image.)


Edit3: If you would like to Upgrade your pre-existing order you can email Jacquelyn at openpandorasales@gmail.com.


Ex: You paid $350 and want to pay the difference of $150.


Edit4: To the people who are wondering how many 'instant Pandoras' are going to be sold.

After some conversations with people today I'm pretty sure we can double the output.


We probably won't allow more than 100 premium Pandora consoles to be sold this week, we will then review it.

 

[emcee]

This is a bit closer to what I was asking for in the other thread, but its really just showing one side.


Anyone who even read just the first post of that other thread, should that the claim is that this will actually speed up production. But will it? A lot of people voiced very reasonable, and understandable doubts. (I've got about half the thread read at this point)

 

[XxionxX]

This is a bit closer to what I was asking for in the other thread, but its really just showing one side.


Anyone who even read just the first post of that other thread, should that the claim is that this will actually speed up production. But will it? A lot of people voiced very reasonable, and understandable doubts. (I've got about half the thread read at this point)

I know, but I was trying to get the news to people, not move the arguments. I also agree that some people have raised some good points, but they were not essential to understanding what is going on.

 

[emcee]

I know, but I was trying to get the news to people, not move the arguments. I also agree that some people have raised some good points, but they were not essential to understanding what is going on.

Some people in that thread legitimately didn't read anything, not even the very first post. But when someone shows up to express frustration with the situation after two years of waiting and missed deadlines, I don't think the correct response is "no, see, Craig said right here it will speed things up". I'm sure most everyone saw that, they just don't all believe it. That's the issue here, not lack of information.


And really, if someone couldn't make it three sentences in to the last thread, how will another help?


If I ever get through this other thread (not tonight, I have to go to bed), I, myself will post a highlights reel, if no one beats me to it.

 

[benji_stein]

This is a bit closer to what I was asking for in the other thread, but its really just showing one side.


Anyone who even read just the first post of that other thread, should that the claim is that this will actually speed up production. But will it? A lot of people voiced very reasonable, and understandable doubts. (I've got about half the thread read at this point)

I agree. So I'll throw in a link to my analysis.


I read the whole thread, and am still doing so. And while I can't say it's a "summary" I think it (hopefully) discusses the most pertinent issues the nay-sayers have. Until there are harder facts about the actual process of the 7-dayers, there's little we can do besides go round in circles.

 

[gruso]

I've just hidden a few posts to keep the thread nice and clean. Feel free to discuss our summary of the situation here, or link to your own summary as benji did. For general discussion of the issue, please head to the main thread:





[edit] frostedfires' summary of the situation:

After reading the whole thread, yes the whole thing I came to some conclusions:


Sure batch one has been waiting for +2years and finally production starts to smooth out but OPT is lacking funds. In order for them to "Survive" and continue making Pandora's and a future they need to step up and do something. They have been running on Our Pre-Order funds for years and the funds are starting to dwindle since the Pandora is costing more to produce than to sell. This 7 day order thing that the Team has come up with is a way for them to say alive and increase our community.


Bigger community = more software, more mods, more support, and more friends.


I believe the OPT is doing what they need to do to keep the Pandora alive and to help the Future. Sure there might be a little delay but who knows, the extra people working on building the Pandora's might save a lot of time. No one is a fortune teller but we all know that without this 7 day Pandora thing they made the Pandora's will come to a halt after Batch 2.


Please don't think of this news as a delay but as a way to increase our community and to help the OPT who has been at our sides doing all the dirty and hard work.

 

[XxionxX]

I almost put that here and you beat me to it. * snaps fingers *

 

[benji_stein]

Personally, I prefer Timstertoo's, and wardred's.

 

[doublebeta]

Idea: Add a poll - yes, to THIS thread - Approve/Disapprove(only vote if you're in batch1 - show usernames of those who vote(yes there's an option for this)).

 

[XxionxX]

Personally, I prefer Timstertoo's, and wardred's.

I read those too, they are also good I just passed them by when I was looking for the essential info :unsure: .

 

[vadsamoht]

Sorry, but can someone please put a disclaimer under that image - I really do think it's misleading. It gives the impression that the new hires will only be working one the 'instant' units (slightly speeding up production) instead of ALL people working on ALL units (greatly speeding up production). and/or the fact that the image is not an official one.

 

[dreamer]

^ for me that image doesn't make any sense at all.


What craig explained is that with 2 extra workers the output may be doubled due to the nature of assembly-line work-flow.


Now it looks like the output is exactly the same and all the workers can turn it down a notch.

 

[gruso]

@vadsamoht, disclaimer added.


@PokkitFox, I moved your post to the main thread. Didn't feel right about hiding or deleting your opinion.


@doublebeta, I think a poll would be little more than an exercise in curiosity at this stage.

 

[doublebeta]

@doublebeta, I think a poll would be little more than an exercise in curiosity at this stage.

Yeah, when I posted that I wasn't aware that it had *started* . Still, curiousity never actually killed the cat, it was the concrete that *was* 30M away in a downwards direction.

 

[darkborn]

OK, but poll about Premium price could be useful. When crowd lost all arguments, it becomes "but those rich kid will get Pandora at same time as I, 1st batcher and I can't stand it".


I think Premium price should not be constant, and maybe it should go up even more... so everybody's happy.

 

[laserbeams]

In agreement with vadsamoht and dreamer, I have attempted to make a better image based on these facts and educated assumptions:

• New, used, and refurbished pandoras regularly sell on eBay for more than $500. This shows demand that is not being met by supply.
  
• At least 1200 Pandoras are in the wild, leaving less than 2800 before the end of batch 1.
  
• Craig has stated that an extra two workers can increase output from 70 to 150 units per day.
  
• Thus, it would require more than 80 Instant Pandoras (I.P.) be purchased per day to delay anyone's preorder.
  
• Craig has stated that the Pandora project will be unable to continue without additional funds.
  
• The price difference between batch 1/2 and I.P. is approximately £100 based on a rough currency conversion.
  
• Minimum wage in the UK is approximately £1000/month based on a quick check. If OPT only sells one I.P. per day until production ends, and splits the extra £100 between the two new workers, they will make minimum wage based on a 5-day workweek. Anything more than 1 I.P. sold per day can be used to either pay the assembly workers or go towards furthering the OPT goals. One or two I.P. sold per day is thus a break-even on extra employee costs, but a quicker rush towards the end of the project. If OPT can sell more than that, they can make the Pandora profitable, and gives them a chance to really succeed, rather than just fulfill current obligations and risk forced cancellations.
  

This is my interpretation of what may happen (starting February 1 for simplicity):

TL;DR: If they can either sell or bump up 20 Pandoras at this price, they can afford to hire two extra assembly workers at minimum wage until the end of batch 1, and double progression speed through the queue, which minimizes cost, waiting, and fallout. Any more than about 20 sold, and the production will start to pay for itself, which it must, if it is to succeed.


Any delays in the providing of production materials will delay both new and old plans, so that can be ignored. And I'm not suggesting they don't pay a fair wage, but we all know costs are tight. If any of this is incorrect, please let me know and I will fix it or remove it, the last thing I want to do is spread misinformation. Thanks for reading.

 

[XxionxX]

This <100 orders per week limit (at least for this week) is an important fact that might have been helpful to mention yesterday. I never assumed that you were trying to screw over preorder customers, but there is definitely bad publicity being published elsewhere. From what's out there, I only read the Engadget story, but it has this to say at the end:

Still, those extra units have to come from somewhere, and if you've been standing in line for months, we imagine you won't happy to hear that some rich kid can just swoop in and buy your Pandora out from under you without a care in the world.

I think you or EvilDragon should spend some time to review all the third party coverage of this change for insinuations like this. You should contact them to politely state that:

• you're limiting sales to 100 for the first week, with similar numbers later, such that there will be at least a 60% increase in the rate of production for preorders versus if no $500 Pandoras were sold
  
• There's a horde of worried comments from people who think their preordered units are being sold out from under them, and it would be helpful if they published a correction that includes that information
  

Most people don't have time to follow the forums and figure this out for themselves, and it would probably be worth spending time on this for the resulting improvement in your image with these other communities who aren't hearing the whole story.

Another good summary.

 

[gruso]

Closing the thread now, as I'm about to link it from Pandorapress and I don't want bunch of cleanup work!


I think this thread has done the job it needs to anyway, thanks to all contributors. It will stay pinned for now.


Discussion continues here: