Kanoa won’t ship its $300 earphones to customers who pre-ordered them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Gw3tErUSM

So you want to use a part in a design. Maybe...I dunno...check how much stock you can purchase in a short period of time with little notice? If say, your core processor is on a 14-week lead time at every factory that makes them, maybe you'd want to do a limited run to start with?

It doesn't sound like this company made it that far, though. Did they even have a final product? I can't quite tell from the article, but it sounds like 'no.'

I think I would put it as hardware development is different. And it's the differences that burn folks used to software.

However, even as an experienced "hardware" designer, the BANE of my existence is anything having the word "mechanical" associated with it.

I'm so good, I can design electronics that anticipates the failure modes (For example: Want good soldermark coverage? Never use the default green ink.). I can get 100 fully populated boards in about 7 days for about $5K. If I go to China, I can get about 1000 in 3 weeks for the same price.

Cases? Clips to hold a component? Packaging? If SLA isn't good enough (and it's rare that it is), God help you, you are about to need it.

Dealing with mechanical engineering feels like stepping back into 1953. And not even that good. Back in 1953, lots of people knew how to operate milling machines, lathes, etc. so you could get a small number of parts made for a small amount of money fairly quickly from somebody out of their garage.

Nowadays? Anything that touches mechanicals is chunks of $5K NRE and 6-8 weeks.

I'm an electrical engineer by background but have had to learn TIG welding, CNC machining, injection mold design, and a whole host of other plastic and metal manufacturing techniques simply because I can't afford to be shelling out $10K up front every time I want to prototype something.

I'm really hoping that SLS will evolve now that the patents have all expired. I would pay real money for a machine that lets me torch mechanical engineers and machine shops/injection molders.

(Side note: I have had the pleasure of working with a few very good machine shops and injection molders. They are wonderful, but they tend to be quite expensive. It is almost a tautology: a good shop is at 100% production capacity and a shop not at 100% capacity is, by definition, not a good shop. The fact that such shops are at 100% capacity means that they don't want to waste production time on a client who wants a maximum of 1000 units.)

What seems to be the biggest failure with most of these companies is setting the expectations right. It also seems like a subset have good intentions, but lack the experience and/or ability to execute. And an even a smaller subset are actual fraud.

Edit: I would think that if it's proven fraud then some other form of legal action should be taken. It'd be interesting to see if that should be on Kickstarter or not. Perhaps they should step in on such cases to protect their customers.

I've done it because of a product that seems to actually fit my needs or because it is neat. The one i'm waiting on right now is a 3D printer with laser engraving and carving abilities. If it does a little of what it says it does, it'll be well worth it. Worth it enough to risk the money. At this point, even if I don't get the product, I've had months of ideas pouring into my artsy head and will probably find other ways to do similar things, so I've already benefited.

And sure it is a risk, just by nature. I know I could lose the money, so I don't use money I need to live. It is the same rule I use for gambling, either at the rare casino visit or when playing lottery (the hope tax). The odds are better with this, though, and honestly my spouse and I would spend just as much going to a casino and blowing our money there. Not getting the stuff isn't happy, but in the end isn't a big deal.

If that sort of risk doesn't sit comfortably with you, then it is going to seem silly.