How to bring forward the community?

[Al Johnson]

On Tuesday 28 February 2012 21:22:40 Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller wrote:
> Am 28.02.2012 um 09:47 schrieb Davide Scaini:
> > I think that the success of spark [1] explains the "failure" of GTA04.
> > My 2 cents
> > d
> > 
> > [1] http://aseigo.blogspot.com/2012/02/spark-pre-orders-closed.html
> 
> May be,  but I am not sure.
> 
> A 7 inch tablet (and much worse pixel per inch) without UMTS and no
> GPS and other gimmicks is not really a smartphone platform like the GTA04...
> The price of 200 EUR/USD is indeed good and I still wonder how they can
> make it such cheap. Except if they produce thousands of units.

It's no secret the same hardware is widely sold as an android device for ~half 
that. From http://aseigo.blogspot.com/2012/02/spark-answers.html

Q: Is the Spark based on the Zenithink C71?
A: Yes. The Internet is a clever bunch indeed. Took people all of about 5 
minutes to figure that one out. :)

Q: Does that mean I will be able to install Plasma Active on a C71 device I 
purchased elsewhere?
A: Yes, that's all in the spirit of openness. However, if you break it, you 
get to keep both pieces. :) Keep in mind that by purchasing a Spark you will 
help drive development of Plasma Active, Mer and the push towards an open ARM 
ecosystem.

Q: There are no GPL compliant sources for the C71, right?
A: We are aware of this, and we've been working on it. It's been one of the 
hardest things to accomplish in the entire project.

> Does anyone know how many units have been subscribed in total?

There's no exact figure given, but the link in the grandparent suggests 
thousands.

> And when it is planned to become available?

Q: When will Spark start shipping?
A: We expect to start shipping Sparks to you starting in May 2012. We have a 
lot of pieces to coordinate, and not just technical issues like the OS image 
and the content add-on store, but things like packaging design, manufacturing, 
shipping, import, retail channel coordination. So far we're on track, but I 
don't want to offer a more precise date than "May" until we pull the trigger 
on production.

> Nikolaus