Educated guess: It’s a mass-produced “beta” unit. It’s the same GF everyone else will get(hopefully) but it’ll be one of the first off the initial production before ramping up to full assembly numbers, not a possibly frankenstiened Beta that some people are currently using now to experiment on and test specific behaviors.
Thinking gaming software: Alpha-ware is all tested in house for basic/core functionality. Betas are tested by limited numbers in and out of house for the benefit of having more idiots/testers doing bad/inappropriate/specific things to your product. Pre-release would be a release candidate that very well is what will go “gold”(masters approved to make all other units from) as long as no show-stopping flaw is found.
So happy to read this. I’m truly believing that’ll ship a quality unit instead of a unit at some promised time!! So exciting to be a part of a company I know will be a case study for years to come!
I love these updates and really enjoy being able to focus on the positive. I totally understand how hard it is to convey big improvements that appear small.
I look forward to this with great anticipation! It may have taken time, but you haven’t disappointed.
I want all the @staff to know that there are many of us that believe in you. That is why we are here.
Glowforge started a revolution in the way we think about the laser. A revolution in the way we think about the possibilities. This simple but effective add inspired thousands.
We’ll finalize the plans next month, but here’s what we have in mind.
The beta units are units that we will repossess because we know we can make them better. The pre-release units may have small differences from production units - they may get a more thorough inspection, use parts from a different wholesale supplier, etc - but we think they’re as good as production units will be.
If we do make a change before moving to production that we think will improve quality, though, we’ll offer to replace them with production units at no cost.
If you want one, fill out the beta application. If you don’t want one, don’t worry - you’ll have a chance to defer for a full production unit if you’re next in line.
Music to my ears.
Looks like our belief in your effort it will pay off, selling for considerably more than we paid for it.
For me, my own personal laser at this price was a dream realized.
Thank you for that opportunity Dan!.. And salute to the team for making this all it can be.
Thank you for this update! I know that it’s time consuming, and that you have to be very careful about what you choose to share and how you phrase it … but it’s definitely worth the effort. These periodic check ins really help to maintain trust and interest.
If you only start shipping pre-release units at the end of November I don’t see how there is time for people to receive them and give feedback to allow production of thousands of units in December. The end of November is the start of December, so can we already know that the December shipping target will not be met?
“If you want one, fill out the beta application6. If you don’t want one, don’t worry - you’ll have a chance to defer for a full production unit if you’re next in line.”
Do you gamble and accept a “Pre Release unit” or risk waiting for who knows how long for a official production unit?
If you opt out and there are no issues how long will you now have to wait because of all the people behind you opted in?
Dan,
If we get a “pre-release unit” and it has issues to the point where you must replace it with a production unit can we opt for a refund instead?
I don’t believe they’re looking for public feedback on the pre-release units before moving to production. I get the impression that everyone who applied for a beta (US) will get a pre-release unit. The line will be going to full production for the pre release units and they’ll be doing any last minute tweaks to small things like torque settings, screw manufacturers etc… But only if necessary. This will be based on feedback from the manufacturer. If nothing needed they’ll be identical to the actual production models. So I view it as full production ramping up end of November. I’m one of first in line so I’m good with waiting the extra week is my guess.
The end of November is the start of December, so can we already know that the December shipping target will not be met?
I suppose it’s possible to very quickly know if the release candidate is actually ready for release. But that means any bump, the smallest of pebbles in the road, blows the timeline. It’s silly to try and be so specific. Under-promise, over-deliver. Set those expectations and nobody’s going to complain. If they’d said January and ended up shipping in December, everybody’d cheer. The other way around, they risk losing customers.
Geordi La Forge: Yeah, well, I told the Captain I’d have this analysis done in an hour.
Scotty: How long will it really take?
Geordi La Forge: An hour!
Scotty: Oh, you didn’t tell him how long it would ‘really’ take, did ya?
Geordi La Forge: Well, of course I did.
Scotty: Oh, laddie. You’ve got a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker.