<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
On 12/30/2011 06:59 PM, Gerald A wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:CALoJWN1eBfvm7Kv3K_20DTTd_1NAt3kUphzKM1iR-5vLmmHpuQ@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite"><br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 9:12 AM, Dr. H.
Nikolaus Schaller <span dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:hns@goldelico.com">hns@goldelico.com</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
The other strategy is the one taken by Apple. They have a very
low<br>
marketing budget compared to other companies. And the media
are<br>
still happy to report every small move at no cost...<br>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>... which is because Apple is super secretive, so even
"rumors" become big news.<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>While this is a great strategy, it becomes difficult to
achieve if you are trying to have everything "open".</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>What I think is lost in all of this is the question: Who is
the intended customer?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I've seen some people talk about linux geeks, etc etc.
However, at least for the first rev of the GTA04,</div>
<div>it's _hardware_ geeks, and hardcore ones at that, which is
the focus.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>There are lots of unix-heads that would love a phone that is
"free-er" then Android or Apple let you be.</div>
<div>But having to buy a phone, then cannibalize it with another
kit you buy? It's definitely outside the</div>
<div>mainstream.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Now, it's not that I don't want this project to succeed. I
think it's a great cause -- I was one of the early</div>
<div>GTA01 (neo) buyers.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>For me, I don't have time right now to assemble a Freerunner
and a GTA04 to get a working phone</div>
<div>"with possibilities". I want the completed package, then end
result. The neo was shipped with the slogan</div>
<div>"some assembly required", which gave you the right idea. I
thought that it just needed a good software</div>
<div>stack to make things great. (I still do).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>What might work is having people invest, rather then "buy"
something. That's something I could wrap</div>
<div>my head around. "Make the open phone happen -- Invest now".
Don't make it complicated or expensive.</div>
<div>"$10 in one 'block'" kind of thing. Maybe 40 blocks would
allow the "investor" to see a completed phone,</div>
<div>if one was to ever be produced. Make the risks clear -- the
"open phone" might never come to market,</div>
<div>but if we get 5000 blocks sold, we then have the muscle to
negotiate with the big boys.</div>
<div>
<br>
</div>
<div>The issue here is what is in it for the "little guy", and I'd
be a bit fuzzy. 40 blocks gets a phone, but</div>
<div>what if I buy 2? Do I get the use of a phone for a week? :P I
also don't know the legal side of calling</div>
<div>it an "investment" (rather then a donation or a purchase).
But this would be simpler to "market", and</div>
<div>would have better funding potential then selling the kit.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>As an aside -- if I have extra cash, I might be willing to
buy a kit or two -- but they would either end up</div>
<div>as donations to others, or as a dust collector. So it's not
that I'm not willing to put money into it. But </div>
<div>I also realize that one or two more kits won't make this
happen in isolation.</div>
<div>
<br>
</div>
<div>Thanks</div>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<br>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Openmoko community mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:community@lists.openmoko.org">community@lists.openmoko.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community">http://lists.openmoko.org/mailman/listinfo/community</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
My thoughts too, set up a kind of micro credit, where people can
lent money, lets say 100 euro, and with that money build the
phones.<br>
Once the phones are made, more developers can develop different
aspects of the phone and people will see the GTA04 become more
mature.<br>
I think success stories with video clips on youtube will convince
more people to buy a GTA04 then good stories on paper.<br>
And the microcreditters can either get their money back once all
phones are sold, or can get a 110 euro discount when they buy a
GTA04.<br>
<br>
Just my thoughts..<br>
<br>
Kind regards,<br>
Ed<br>
<br>
PS<br>
i guess you must be Dutch to come up with a micro credit plan in
west-europe ;-)<br>
<br>
<br>
</body>
</html>