Will The Pandora Ever Arrive?

[matzesu]

thats the problem: when whe ship the pandora first to the devs, than is ist not fair but they can finsished theur hb games, when whe ship it first to the first preorders, than it is fair, but he can only play the build in games (solitär, mineswheeper) bekause the devs dont have theur pandora to finsihd theur games.. :unsure:

 

[Enverex]

There aren't -that- many devs though, maybe 20 tops (I mean actual devs that are bothered about getting one asap) so that still leaves 85 customers for the first 105 batch.

 

[gp2.eXe]

There aren't -that- many devs though, maybe 20 tops (I mean actual devs that are bothered about getting one asap) so that still leaves 85 customers for the first 105 batch.

Shouldn't that be 80? I'm pretty sure each member of the OP Team will want a final Pandora for their own.

 

[Phawx]

I am pretty sure I am in the first three hundred for pre-orders. So I will have to wait for the bigger batch anyway. It would suck if I was in the first 100, because I ordered three of them and I don't think it would be all that fair to have three of them, when everyone is clamoring to get theirs.

The idea is still first come, first serve right? As an example:

When I placed my pre-order last year, 249 people ordered before me. I ordered three. I should be number 250, 251 and 252 in line, yes?

 

[centrlink]

Given the history and perpetual disappointments, were I a betting man, I'd say there's a fair chance it will never see the light of day (and perhaps even less likely is a second batch) - but then again, if your expectations are low, you can only be pleasantly surprised
I'll certainly buy one and sing its virtues if it ever gets born, but I'm certainly not counting on it.
Cheers
Simon

Were you willing to wager any money on that?

I'm guessing you already have - $330 US to be precise ;-P

I pre-ordered and had my cc order cancelled - and as I recall, ETA was Sept 2008 (and that was after several delays). Given it is nearly Sept 2009, I think I'm entitled to at least a modicum of scepticism

With respect, the Pandora boards have been an absolutely endless search for positives - I admire people's faith and almost religious zeal - but the fact is that at some point, reality sets in

So I'm a realist - but an optimist Despite the fact we are way down the track, and despite the fact that it is not as technologically advanced as it was (almost) 2 years ago when it was touted - I'll buy one if it comes to pass. I am certain, however, that the Pandora project folks who may have been very quick to criticise those who made the GP32 and GP2X for delays/design problems/quality problems etc etc have a great deal more respect than they perhaps did in the past

Cheers
Simon

 

[Iorgy77]

I dont think September 2008 was ever a possible delivery date, the pre orders took place in late September 08 with the possibility of getting them by Novemeber/December 08. This is not including any promised dates before the pre order like April/may 2008.

OP can really only blame so much on the banks imo, they really dropped the ball on this. I can understand many people willing to wait until its ready, but I also cant blame anyone for cancelling their order. For those not in the scene, who dont hang around on the forums and know the devs involved, this looks like a big scam. Considering the last official email I got from OP advises me that the first pandoras will ship in Dec 2008. It is not that difficult to email customers letting them know what the hell is going on...

 

[pelrun]

OP can really only blame so much on the banks imo, they really dropped the ball on this.

It wasn't just the banks. The financial crisis hit all the manufacturers as well, so getting all the parts took months. And other unforseen things, like the nub designers going out of business and taking a large chunk of OP's cash with it, forcing them to pay for the nubs twice.

Of course, OP's always been overly optimistic on their estimates, but it's not all their fault.

 

[bzar]

OP can really only blame so much on the banks imo, they really dropped the ball on this.

It wasn't just the banks. The financial crisis hit all the manufacturers as well, so getting all the parts took months. And other unforseen things, like the nub designers going out of business and taking a large chunk of OP's cash with it, forcing them to pay for the nubs twice.

Of course, OP's always been overly optimistic on their estimates, but it's not all their fault.

Wasn't there someone documenting the history of pandora? Somehow it sounds like its going to be "A Series of Unfortunate Events - How Many Things Can Go Wrong In Making a Product"

 

[EvilDragon]

Wasn't there someone documenting the history of pandora? Somehow it sounds like its going to be "A Series of Unfortunate Events - How Many Things Can Go Wrong In Making a Product"

That's definately a good title, yep
I will never forget how many times I've just been shortly before a heart-attack (and I guess it's the same for the rest of the team).

Still, seeing that now it's just before mass production makes me think: It WAS worth it. One of the most interesting experiences in my whole life!

 

[Vorporeal]

Don't get too comfy yet and jinx everything!

 

[Enverex]

Wasn't there someone documenting the history of pandora? Somehow it sounds like its going to be "A Series of Unfortunate Events - How Many Things Can Go Wrong In Making a Product"

That's definately a good title, yep
I will never forget how many times I've just been shortly before a heart-attack (and I guess it's the same for the rest of the team).

Still, seeing that now it's just before mass production makes me think: It WAS worth it. One of the most interesting experiences in my whole life!

Quite a few batches left to go yet though...

 

[EvilDragon]

Don't get too comfy yet and jinx everything!

Nope, don't you worry. Though the major things are done, both the case design and the board design is finished. There's not too much that can go wrong now.

 

[CoMiKe]

Nope, don't you worry. Though the major things are done, both the case design and the board design is finished. There's not too much that can go wrong now.

Sure you thought that before... you never know.

 

[j.pickens]

Nope, don't you worry. Though the major things are done, both the case design and the board design is finished. There's not too much that can go wrong now.

Find something made of wood, and give it a knock for me, Thanks.

 

[greendots]

...
Nope, don't you worry. Though the major things are done, both the case design and the board design is finished. There's not too much that can go wrong now.

Could you elaborate on this? I thought the company making the case molds needed the MP board first to do final adjustments. I thought only non-critical parts of the of the case could have molds created at this time.

 

[WizardStan]

Could you elaborate on this? I thought the company making the case molds needed the MP board first to do final adjustments. I thought only non-critical parts of the of the case could have molds created at this time.

They finished the boards a couple weeks ago, I believe. Extrapolating from that, at least one (and probably a handful) of boards would have been sent to the mould manufacturer. If they haven't gotten them by now, then the Pandora team still hasn't learned from past shipping mistakes, and I may take that as a very bad omen.

 

[Vorporeal]

...
Nope, don't you worry. Though the major things are done, both the case design and the board design is finished. There's not too much that can go wrong now.

Could you elaborate on this? I thought the company making the case molds needed the MP board first to do final adjustments. I thought only non-critical parts of the of the case could have molds created at this time.

Chances are that they could send (sent?) a PCB (possibly even an unpopulated one) to the case manufacturer as soon as it came off the MP line, without doing the stress testing. That means that the shipping (and possibly also some of the final checks) could be done at the same time that the first 105 are being tested.

 

[VRAndy]

An unpopulated one wouldn't work. They need to check if it fits in all dimensions.

 

[gruso]

The first 105 are populated. Other than that, I believe Vorporeal is correct.

 

[j.pickens]

It should now be long enough since the MP boards were populated for Craigx, MWeston, or Evildragon to give us some more information.

1. Have any of the MP boards been shipped from Texas?
2. If so, has a board been shipped to the case mold maker in China?
3. If not, why not?

Simple questions, I would appreciate a response.
Thanks,
j.