Pandora Pricing - What Price Would You Pay?

[Mr B]

Wouldn't you think that if they thought more money was to be made in a different design they would have changed the design already?
If they thought at THIS time.. Yeah. Read again.

I had to chuckle a bit, because I read number 11. So really a different simpler design will make no change in the amount of problems that could go wrong with the current design.
QUOTE
11. Every solution breeds new problems.
QUOTE
3. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

This Law isn't fact, it is a statement that was made by some person that many people agree with.
Right. And some people claim the world is flat. Whats your next argument for proving that the point is none existant? A more complex device has more failiture points then a simple, and hence more possible ways to break down in.

If they sell successfully on the current design why would they make another?
Yeah, define successfully. Break even? Small profit? Richness beyond imagination? I doubt they can pass the level of small profit, but have no doubt that with a dedicated gaming device they could turn out alot more units.

"These are the things I like in a device and this is how the market is."
Actually, your guessing what features i want in a device, and assume things. There is a saying about assuming stuff, and the point of it is, your pretty much sure to get it wrong. My optimum design would be as simple as 8 buttons a D-pad, touchscreen, and 2 SD slots. No speakers, but headphone/speaker out. I don't think that would sell to well tho. See the difference?

"a tabletop, with a onscreen keyboard and gaming controls on each side of the screen would make the unit meet the demands of more people then the current design."
check the number of currently sold UMPC's, and compare it to the number of handheld gaming consoles. Then check the number of options, as in different units, available to each market. Figure out where you get the larger crowd for your marketshare.
B!

 

[closetwam]

Hi, I'm the new guy. Actually I've been lurking here for months but anyways, I'll pay $350 easy for the Pandora. It's the ultimate portable geek toy. I'll buy one as soon as they come out. I suck at C but when someone ports python I'll start to dev for it. I can't wait to see what kind of media players people develop/port to Pandora. It will kick any Apple media player to the dirt. The EeePC Is still too big for anyone with a blue collar job to carry around all day.

The Pandora goes in my pocket.

Pandora is the first product worthy of being called a Pocket PC in my opinion. It's not called that, due to trademark/copyright law, and because obviously Pandora sounds cooler, but you get what I'm trying to say. :blink:
I love that it's called "Pandora".. Once you get inside it, you can do all sorts of crazy stuff that has never been done on a machine this size before. I'm obviously excited. I think those who are concerned primarily with gaming are making a mistake if they think that the Pandora is too expensive. Seriously, sell your IPod and your PSP and save what else you need to buy the Pandora. Support something creative and exciting. It isn't just a brute powerhouse. It wasn't clumsily cobbled together to outperform all other handhelds in specs alone. A lot of thought has been put into the Pandora, and a lot of self from people who care about the subject of handheld devices and how they fit into our lives. Plus, maybe someday they'll add a phone to it and then I'll only need one device for reals. YES!

I-am-a-dork-thank-you-good-night

 

[javaJake]

Y'know, the one thing that would make me be willing to pay any price for the Pandora would be if I knew the it would put smug Macbook air owners in their place... all high & mighty with their computer that fits in a manila envelope, and BAM I whip out a UMPC that fits in my shirt pocket. :lol:

"Hello, I'm a Pandora."
"...and I'm a MacBook."

:lol:

 

[Rigor Mortis]

QUOTE
check the number of currently sold UMPC's, and compare it to the number of handheld gaming consoles. Then check the number of options, as in different units, available to each market. Figure out where you get the larger crowd for your marketshare.
B!

I wouldn't buy the Pandora if it was only a gaming console. I'd just hack my PSP. It's the UMPC features that make it unusual and interesting in the first place.

 

[lubidog]

I'm Sorry, Mr B. But you just sound SO arrogant.Read what you have written. You write that the Pandora has NO chance of success, and how sorry they are because they didn't follow what you told them.

Great, you can have your say and others who don't like it. We know that you and others preferred another design. But this was the chosen design, and most of us are happy with it! I don't know what success financially the Pandora will have, but I am not arrogantly saying one way or the other.

I know you will come back saying "I am not arrogant-you are because blah blah blah" but don't bother. I know you think the design is bad. I am excited, you are not. We will see who is right. Till then, let us discuss what we actually have. The arguments you are making are over.

The problem is, every time you enter a debate now you ruin it. This thread was actually interesting until this. Start a new thread, listing all these 'alternatives' you mentioned and you can debate with yourself until you go blind if you wish. I wanna go back to the topic we were discussing here please!

 

[Svartalf]

"Hello, I'm a Pandora."
"...and I'm a MacBook."

:lol:

Heh... If they did it akin to the joke ads Novell did for Brainshare where the PC and Mac (Looking similar to the actors doing the Mac ads...) encounter "Linux" (This really cute lady...) back a couple of years back, it'd be funny and it'd also work pretty well.

I wouldn't buy the Pandora if it was only a gaming console. I'd just hack my PSP. It's the UMPC features that make it unusual and interesting in the first place.

The fact that they're fusing BOTH capabilities into one unit in a way that appears to have the potential of bringing the best of both worlds without many of the drawbacks is why I'm interested.

I'm keen on seeing the LGP titles at least TRIED on the thing.
I'm keen on working at getting some really, really nifty UMPC stuff on it for the company I'm trying to get funded.

 

[Prophet]

The fact that they're fusing BOTH capabilities into one unit in a way that appears to have the potential of bringing the best of both worlds without many of the drawbacks is why I'm interested.

Exactly.

I've been wanting a true gaming/utility combo device since owning my first PocketPC (Casio Em-500) all those many years ago.The Zodiac was the closest thing we've had thus far. It wasn't perfect (far from it) but it was a nice ride for a while there. Pandora is very different, but just might do the trick.

And compared to many UMPC's, it's a steal at the proposed price. Alright, the screen is small... but the functionality seems like it should be pretty solid and useful.

And fun.

 

[Mr B]

I wouldn't buy the Pandora if it was only a gaming console. I'd just hack my PSP. It's the UMPC features that make it unusual and interesting in the first place.
So your saying you dont have any of the gamepark handhelds?

You write that the Pandora has NO chance of success, and how sorry they are because they didn't follow what you told them.
Nope. I say i think the current design will sell less then what i expect from a different design, and that i hope it still will sell well enough not to leave them in a bad situation.

I don't know what success financially the Pandora will have, but I am not arrogantly saying one way or the other.
Yeah, real arrogant saying "i think this wont fly" as compared to your "Your wrong!"

I know you will come back saying "I am not arrogant-you are because blah blah blah" but don't bother. I know you think the design is bad. I am excited, you are not. We will see who is right. Till then, let us discuss what we actually have. The arguments you are making are over.
And yet, you had to comment? Currently, all we got is opinions, and possible reasons for those opinions. We can talk about that. I've said why i think this design has less going for it over a simpler one, do feel free to motivate your opinion. Or don't, all depending on your own desire.

The problem is, every time you enter a debate now you ruin it. This thread was actually interesting until this. Start a new thread, listing all these 'alternatives' you mentioned and you can debate with yourself until you go blind if you wish. I wanna go back to the topic we were discussing here please!
Well, not much of the thread can be interesting, I'm on the first page, post 11 in this thread. No big loss then.
My second input in the thread was first on the 5'th page after enough issues had been put forth to actually make me bother with writing a post. But thats your point, right? Much easier to discredit arguments, and opinions when whoever gets discredited isn't allowed to respond. Your inability to accept other peoples views for what they are, might be more of the issue here.

I like to think that i'm reasonably well tuned in to all things video games and homebrew and I see some of his points as valid.
Some members just need to allow others the courtesy to express their opinions, without fear of retaliatory comments whether they like what they hear or not.

I agree with X68000.
Mr.B presents his opinions and doesn't represent them as anything more or less than opinions. So nothing wrong with that.
Just pointing out that regardless of what you think, I'm not the only one who think you might have a slight issue with someone else having opinions not matching yours.
(And no, your probably not the only one having the problem, but as I'm responding to you...Nothing personal.)
B!

 

[Alex.]

I've said why i think this design has less going for it over a simpler one, do feel free to motivate your opinion.

The clamshell's practicality and the keyboard's versatility have been discussed and praised here countless times. You aren't here to debate or discuss, you are here to purposefully pick on things that you know will not change (at least not in the near future) and that you know many people are in favour of, so as to give you reason to repeatedly complain about the same things for as long a time as possible, usually until you get banned. Then reregister, repeat, rinse, repeat, rinse, and repeat.

 

[MWeston]

I get what Mr. B is saying and it's cool with me. I guess what bothers people is that even when you disappear for a while, as soon as you start up again, the responses never change. I could cut and paste your responses into any topic and it wouldn't lose its context.

Even Timofonic's never ending posts for features that guarantee Pandora becomes the swiss army knife of electronics are different each time.

 

[Prophet]

MWeston,

You voted "I'd pay more than $350... Just get me one!" didn't you?

 

[C B Felterbush]

I agree with a little of what b has said, however I love the pandora the way it is.

One thing B, that you need to realize is it is not that your opinion is right or wrong, but rather the way you make your opinion know is wrong.

I think my step sister is fat, and some of my friends do some retarded shit.

If I am to make my opinions known to them I would have to do it very tactfully and still even then it may not go over so well. The point is how you make your opinions known can go a long way toward whether or not your views are well received. -CB

 

[Rigor Mortis]

I wouldn't buy the Pandora if it was only a gaming console. I'd just hack my PSP. It's the UMPC features that make it unusual and interesting in the first place.
So your saying you dont have any of the gamepark handhelds?

Of course I do. It's mildly difficult to use something effectively as a UMPC when it has neither a keyboard nor a touch screen. Sure, there's the F-200, but it's not out yet. Even then, clamshell + keyboard make the Pandora the clear winner

 

[MWeston]

MWeston,

You voted "I'd pay more than $350... Just get me one!" didn't you?


I honestly didn't.

I picked "up to $350" not because I want to line my pockets with cash but for the fact that a little extra makes it easier to fund larger production runs and meet any demands we might have which gets more systems out to more people who will write more code faster.

Of course the price will actually be as low as possible to offer it to as many people as possible so this poll isn't going to change anything just because 80 people said it's fine. It is just nice to see that 'most' of the people responding are easy going enough to tolerate a small change if something beyond our control happens in regards to production costs. It's a small group funding a big project. It's nice to see so many respect that.

 

[x68000]

Maybe it's time that we all just kiss and make up? I'm sure Lubidog will pucker up for you Mr B!

 

[Mr B]

If I am to make my opinions known to them I would have to do it very tactfully and still even then it may not go over so well. The point is how you make your opinions known can go a long way toward whether or not your views are well received.
I thought i did.QUOTE
You would have to be really persuasive to get me to buy a PSP for 55euro, which i in 5 mins with a razorblade, a soldering iron, and 7mm of wire can make play copies of retail games, and a wide array of emulators. This, thing, is overpriced already.
Short, to the point, and clearly stating that its my opinion.
Oh, and i doubt i mentioned hacking a PSP for a comparable device earlier. I could be wrong tho.
B!

Edit
And then there is the linguistics barrier to, of course. Not everyone speakes english nativly.
/Edit.

 

[Wertigon]

For what it's worth, my "limit" for the Pandora is 300 Euro (including VAT). What that would be in dollar, I don't know since the US market is that close to a depression.

 

[drachers]

Adding my voice to the chorus, I would pay up to about 250 british pounds for a no-compromise handheld with a *decent* replaceable battery. If space/cost still becomes an issue I would do away with the second card slot and the touchscreen. Although I can see why losing the touchscreen would hurt for a lot of Amiga emulator people, or people attempting to run a full linux install on it, or something.

 

[JakeK]

Rid touchscreen? Rid Dual SD slots? Shun him!

Just kidding, I know what you meant but touchscreen and dual SD slots from my understanding are 2 of the biggest features.

 

[bencoder]

Just to add a bit to this, I couldn't really afford the Pandora at £200 as it is unfortunately.

Theres been some discussion of the eee PC as a competitor but i think the Elonex ONE potentially offers more competition, it is just £100 or £120 with 300mhz x86 processor, 128/256mb ram and 1 or 2gb flash.

Again, no gaming controls or touch screen, but its at a much lower price and with pretty similar capabilities.. and you can take the screen off so you could plug in a seperate usb controller for games.

I think that gets my vote for next purchase, when I can afford to spend money again

Of course, I expect the Pandora will have a much bigger home brew community which is what this should be about, and is the main reason why I would want one.