Should the Pyra charger be an optional extra?

[Mr_Loon]

It is of course just a minor part of the great Pyra Jigsaw but I believe consideration should be given to the question :

Should the Pyra charger be an optional extra?

IMHO it most certainly should, as I imagine a large number of people will already have a good quality charger capable of charging the Pyra (which charges via Micro USB at 2A iirc).

It's appreciated that there are some benefits to including a known good charger rather than an unknown device from a 3rd party. The negatives of making the inclusion of a charger a default choice outweigh the benefits from my perspective.

It would be good to see ED produce a poll asking whether customers think the charger should be an optional extra, but it would be good to have a bit of understanding of the following first :

Does the charger have to be 2A?

Would there be any problems caused, other than increased charging time, by using a 1.5A charger? (seems to be the most common one from my collection of USB chargers)

Are there any implications of using a device like this ,which determines itself what Amperage to supply, to charge the Pyra? (got one of these and it works great with any device I've used it with, including the Pandora)

 

[elw3]

Are there any implications of using a device like this ,which determines itself what Amperage to supply, to charge the Pyra? (got one of these and it works great with any device I've used it with, including the Pandora)

In short a charger always has more than the device needs because the device will force the power it needs through the cables. 

10A charger and a 2A -> perfect

2A charger  and a 10A device -> Toasted cables

Actually i like the idea that it comes without charger, we all have one, we all want it cheaper instead. 

 

[EvilDragon]

Based on experience, the charger would reduce the costs by about 3 EUR...

 

[Grench]

Re-posting this from the thread where this idea was last discussed:

Some simple economics of manufacturing and packaging.  Every time you allow a 'choice' to the end consumer it adds cost beyond the materials.  Don't assume that 100% of the material costs are avoided by giving an option to -not- include something in the box.

Example:  Assume that these chargers cost $5 each.  Adding a branch/decision point to the packaging (boxing) process might add $1 to ALL orders.  Assuming 1000 orders of which 20% (huge) of the customers opt to not get a charger, at that point it's a wash just to add the decision point WITHOUT giving the consumer any discount.

I.e. if they add an option to nix the charger, you're not going to be able to get the whole root cost of the charger back (if anything). 

 

[Wally]

I.e. if they add an option to nix the charger, you're not going to be able to get the whole root cost of the charger back (if anything). 

That's where someone else can get it instead. Personally i'd rather not throw away good electronics so ED might as well keep them in the price but have us note that we don't want them.

 

[Natsu]

Not really. I mean, it is nice to have an extra charger just in case.

 

[b_o_b]

I want a rock solid charger with a Pyra logo on it and I am ready to pay 3 Euros for it

 

[TrashyMG]

I don't see the point of not having one bundled. Especially for those that lose them on occasion. 

 

[Null]

A 2A charger for €3... yes please. If it turns out that I'm not going to use it for anything, then I can sell it for more than that.

 

[Grench]

Then there is the warranty and return side of this coin.  If ED ships a charger that he knows is solid with the device, it could cut down on returns from people who 'can't charge it' while trying to use an old 300 mA cell phone charger.

Hypothetical conversation...

Customer: "Pyra isn't charging."

ED: "Are you using a Pyra charger?"

Customer:  "I'm using one I got with my cell phone 10 years ago."

Seriously - there are a lot more important things to make model/package choices on.  Example:  Inclusion or exclusion of 4G or 3G hardware and regional requirements.

 

[Mr_Loon]

Based on experience, the charger would reduce the costs by about 3 EUR...

That's good of course, but from a personal perspective, it's not about the cost, it's about the waste, I've already got a couple of USB chargers sat at the back of my spare tech drawer and don't want to add another. I really don't like buying things I know I won't use. Doubt I'm alone with this sentiment.


All I say is it would be good to get a general indication as to the percentage who would / wouldn't want a charger then, if lots don't want one, to give the option on ordering : what sort of charger do you require, US / UK / EU / None.

 

[TrashyMG]

^ I will buy your Pyra Charger if you are that concerned about it.

 

[DaMummy]

without reading all the things posted here and just going by topic, no. but it should be optional to not get the charger too, while getting the charger being the default

 

[Saber]

Let's rally against the inclusion of a stylus too. I shudder to think how many bendy straws are sacrificed to make just one of those. 

 

[DrHAX]

To be honest. If the charger wasn't a wall wart style with a removable regular cable.. I'd be 100% behind it. that way i'd have very nice charger for my very nice expensive device.. (Seriously.. if the pyra functions  better then the pandora.. which really means it can watch and download youtube videos.. then it will become a laptop replacement for me.)

I've traveled luckily to Australia and at the time I only had my gateway laptop and a few battery powered devices. The thing is the system I had going didn't work.. (Adapter+converter) for my camera.. But my netbook worked with just a regular adapter. it seems most companies make the bricks the same to accept every range of electric voltage regardless of what country it goes to. So such a charger would really only require just purchasing a set number of default cables that plug.

I'm sure I'm sounding like a complete fool explaining this.. when everybody here probably knows what i'm talking about. But I feel a charger like this would work better because depending the cable.. We probably each have at least one, and if somebody wants shorter or longer lengths they just borrow one from a device they don't use or find that one you always have in the house that just one day magically appeared.. Probably exchanged by the bed gnomes for all of your missing left socks! :blink:

 

[ekianjo]

Based on experience, the charger would reduce the costs by about 3 EUR...

Let's include it then

 

[ekianjo]

That's good of course, but from a personal perspective, it's not about the cost, it's about the waste, I've already got a couple of USB chargers sat at the back of my spare tech drawer and don't want to add another. I really don't like buying things I know I won't use. Doubt I'm alone with this sentiment.

There are tons of USB devices out there and I prefer having one more charger than none. You are free to resell yours on ebay if you don't need it. 

 

[thatgui]

As Grench already pointed out, there are several drawbacks in including an obvious option to not ship an AC adapter. But as long as the demand of the Pyra won't be overwhelming, Pyra shipment will probably be done by ED or Askarus, with both of them probably having no problem at all, following a request in an order remark, to not include the charger.

I'm also not sure what a poll should eventually show: there are more then 4000 Pandoras in the wild, and even if we assume that only 10% of those people have interest in the Pyra, you are lucky if you get 50% of them voting on a poll regarding the Pyra. But I don't see any reason not just to start one, it surely won't hurt anybody.

 

[Mr_Loon]

Like many aspects of the Pyra it's hard to give good advice without having any real understanding of the expectations & desires for sales of the Pyra.

Perhaps ED can help here :

Does the attached picture show the sort of charger that will be shipped with Pyra along with a micro USB cable (see pic 2)?

Is it correct to assume that there will be 3 versions of the charger? i.e. for EU / UK / US plugs

^ I will buy your Pyra Charger if you are that concerned about it.

Will you extend that offer to any Pyra customer who has no need / desire for yet another USB charger plug?

I completely understand that most people will want the charger, the majority of those will also need it (i.e. not have a spare or two already). However if 10% are in my boat and would rather cut down on needless waste and save €3 into the bargain then that's worthy of consideration IMHO.

 

 

[TrashyMG]

Is it correct to assume that there will be 3 versions of the charger? i.e. for EU / UK / US plugs

My guess that or just one that has interchangeable plugs like the current Pandora charger has.