Sauercrowd

Yesterday evening I received the following email:

Project Update #92: iExpander - an expansion device for your iPhone by Charlie Corry

Status Update posted by Charlie Corry (Creator)

Hi everyone,

I had hoped to be able to give everyone a production schedule by now but am still waiting for the quote from the Engineering & Contract Assembly company to tell us the lead-time and cost to make the minor tweaks to get the product production-ready. They have been working in it for 3.5 weeks. We have followed up numerous times and cannot get a commitment from them on a date. As you know, the samples worked but while we were testing them, we did find some things that need to be fixed for the final production run. As soon as we get the dates, I will let you all know.

On other note regarding updates in general: Some of you have stated your desire not to be included on these updates any longer. I would gladly oblige but there is no way for me to take anyone off the email list. The Kickstarter system automatically sends all updates to the email address on file. The only thing I can suggest is setting up your email to automatically send these updates to spam or trash.

Charlie


This email was the trigger to publish a blog that I had already started drafting two months ago:

The other day Der Spiegel published an article about crowdfunding, stressing that some people had lost lots of money when projects did not materialize. Naturally, these people are mad, or as we say in German, they are sauer (sour), so the Spiegel article was titled Sauercrowd. The title alone is worth writing a blog about my experience with Kickstarter projects and their crowdfunding.

Red Baron likes crowdfunding and has several times supported tolle Ideen (great ideas). I invested in many startups, admittedly with mixed success. I never used some of the gadgets I pledged for, paid for, and received. However, others turned out to be rather practical, so I adopted them, but one of the projects never materialized. Well, shit happens. So here comes what will explain the email above:

My worst case is (possibly was) the so-called iExpander that was supposed to expand "the iPhone's Memory, Camera and Battery Life. Expandable SD Memory, Great Low Light Images & 2X Battery Life!" for the iPhone 4 and later for the iPhone 5!

Front of the iExpander ©Charlie Corry

Back of the iExpander©

The Kickstarter launch was on September 15, 2012, and the funding ended on October 25, with my US $75 included. I shall skip some steps and only mention the scheduled production start on November 22 and the beginning of shipping of the iExpander to Kickstarter backers on December 6, 2012. A tight schedule indeed that was never honored. Yet even now, I am still receiving sporadic emails. Here is #89 to all backers, dated August 26, 2016:

Hi everyone,

Here is the message we received this morning from the Texas design team:

"We have the 2 boards tested and operational. They are being packed up today for shipment tomorrow! No kidding..."

I hope they work for us when we get them. I will advise when we have tested them. Thanks.

Charlie

No kidding. From all that I have read over the years, it seems that the project people are steadily crawling backward when I have already acquired the iPhone 7 plus*. Charlie, not giving up, is fighting an honorable rearguard action.
*The only reason is that the dual camera will allow me to take quality photos in lectures from slide projections.

As a masochist, I look forward to receiving more "progress" reports on the iExpander. But what will I do with a device for my iPhone 5, which I long ditched, when the iExpander eventually arrives?

*