I huge difference. WORKING PROTOTYPE. That is all.
The product BFL sold never existed. Not even in prototype form. It was nothing more than an extremely poor estimate.
A) How do you know a prototype never existed?
B) They do exist (Look up Inaba's post history).
C) The values may have moved around slightly, but they're not too far off from original estimates.
D) I'm approaching the conclusion that a lot of the people with these same rhetorical arguments have little or no product design and implementation knowledge let-alone experience.
You know how prototypes get created? A guy with an idea, business plan and preliminary work-up of the design backed by tabulated and analysed data goes hunting for investors. Investors like the what the guy's proposing and throw money (within reason) at the creator until a prototype is created. The prototype is then tested and the design is revised multiple times until a satisfactory final product is created. It is then marketed, sold and returns are collected and distributed amongst the parties involved. It seems that in this case the "investors" were guys like you and me who liked what they saw and jumped at a pre-order. These pre-orders provided the capital to get the prototype created and developed so that the *first* of many design revisions could begin.
I realize shipping dates have been promised and missed, and I'll concede that BFL fucked up in that regard. But what do you want? Do you want them to adhere to some arbitrary date and send out garbage? Or would you rather wait to get a product that performs close to what you've been promised.
People keep saying they're a scam and a fraud and it's been proven by a third party that is in fact *not* a fraud. So quit it with this bullshit. Quit fucking with every thread where someone wants to discuss technical details because you guys can't get the design process through your thick skulls.
From: http://www.landsnail.com/apple/local/garage/apple.html
"When he was in eighth grade, Steve Jobs, later the co-founder of Apple Computer, telephoned William Hewlett, president of Hewlett-Packard. "Bill answered, and I said, 'Hi, you know, uh, I'm 12 years old and I'm trying to build a frequency counter,' " Jobs recalls. Hewlett, a symbol of entrepreneurial success in the Santa Clara Valley, chatted graciously with Jobs for 20 minutes. When it was over, the kid got not only the Hewlett-Packard parts he needed but a summer job at the company as well."
Sounds a lot like investment on an idea despite the lack of a "working prototype" doesn't it?
