Sales of hardware are clearly mentioned in the contract, and thus will be paid out in dividends. It does not matter what you or anyone else thinks about how the money should be spent when the contract specifies what will be done.
You're absolutely right :
- Sales of hardware are clearly mentioned
- What anyone thinks does not matter, what the contract specifies must be enforced.
Strictly speaking, pre-orders are not sales*. According to the contract, pre-orders money should NOT be paid out in dividends, no matter what you or anyone else thinks.
*Here, you don't have to
buy a pre-order, you
place a pre-order. It's different from an option, by example. If Ken was selling
buy options on AM's future hardware, the money earned by selling the option would go into dividends.
Pre-order are not sales, they are from the buyer POV similar to a
buy promise, from the seller POV similar to a
sale guarantee.