Thread: Neo900 - finally a successor of N900
View Single Post
Estel's Avatar
Estel is offline Estel
2013-09-17 , 23:32
Posts: 5,028 | Thanked: 8,613 times | Joined on Mar 2011
#478
Originally Posted by joerg_rw View Post
we will start some kickstarter or other means to raise funds for developing prototypes. The goal for such fundraiser will be ~10k .. 15k EUR, and it's not yet decided if and how this will already be a (partial, 15%?) preorder as well. There's a certain minimal but non-zero risk that by circumstances we have no control about (components show fatal defects, known as Silicon Errors, etc) the project still may fail during that phase, so this is kind of venture capital anyway.
(...)
let's hope 200 preorders come in, we start "Mass" Production, and 4..6 weeks later the devices should be ready to ship.
Now, for the first time since I realized it is not joke, you've made me a little afraid about project future.

While it's certainly understandable from developers point of view - most people don't have a clue, how much money goes while designing such things, even if it's "only" about replacing components and adding/changing few of them, then building prototypes - but, won't raising a 10k-15k EUR *donations* (as you said, not counted as pre-order, or counted only in small part) become a real problem?

Generally, we can expect donating people to be roughly the same ~200 group of ones going to pre-order. Even, if we add another 200 of people interested in project but unable to buy in first batch (yet willing to donate few bucks for prototypes), it is, in 15k case, a 75 EUR per person. That without even considering, that people unable to order in first batch and donating "for love of idea" will probably give less.

So, it means that most financially-able people would need do donate ~100 EUR on "uncertain" stage of development, then pay ~700 EUR afterwards. While not impossible, isn't it too step price curve? Making pre-donated money to actually *count* toward pre-order later would help a lot, for sure (although, I get that you need those money as extra things, for actually making prototype).

Again, I don't think that it is *objectively* too much for such project. I'm just afraid that for most people, despite love for idea, it may end up being *subjectively* too pricey. Now, it makes me feel like a****le, but even myself, I'm not sure if I would be able to donate such sum in early stage, instead, ending up with "just" pre-ordering during MP pre-order campaign.

Now, despite as****e feeling, I think it's better to rise such concern, instead of hurray-optimism and empty money promises now, and lack of donation later. Of course, I really hope, that I'm wrong and Neo900 fan base is richer in average, making this 10k -15k EUR donation goal not-so-much of an effort. After all, canonical asked for 32M$ for their Ubuntu Edge phone...

Just thinking at loud, here.

/Estel
__________________
N900's aluminum backcover / body replacement
-
N900's HDMI-Out
-
Camera cover MOD
-
Measure battery's real capacity on-device
-
TrueCrypt 7.1 | ereswap | bnf
-
Hardware's mods research is costly. To support my work, please consider donating. Thank You!
Last edited by Estel; 2013-09-17 at 23:35.
 

The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Estel For This Useful Post: