Dragonfly
Project Update 01.26.15 – Part I
We have much
exciting news to report! Since the campaign ended, we have been working very
hard to get the Dragonfly ready & have added to our engineering team!
Engineering
Team Efforts: The
newly enhanced team led by Jeff, is currently working through the spec &
the bill of materials (BOM) & are in the process of ensuring all the
components specified for the Dragonfly are available in sufficient quantities
for mass production. With our engineering efforts well underway, we are finding
that the only significant issue to arise, is in fact component availability.
This is
something to be expected, as we are a small company competing with the likes of
Samsung & Apple for the very same components from the same vendors. However,
we are not daunted since we have been working with our contacts & enlisting
the substantial purchasing power of our manufacturing partner to aid us in
these efforts. In this regard, our engineers have also met with our manufacturer
to ensure that everyone is on the same page as we solidify our supply chain.
Timeline: As we move through the stages of the
Dragonfly development, we hope that everyone can understand that delays may
come up in a project of this magnitude. We are doing our best to keep everyone
informed & up to date with everything we are doing. The reason for the
delay in releasing a final timeline, is because we are working through the
aforementioned component (LCD & processor, etc.) availability issues. This
is slowing the engineering slightly, since it is of no use to engineer in
components that may not be available in sufficient quantities to us.
As with any
project, as you move forward & delve deeper into the development, sometimes
the original estimate can be off due to these types of unforeseen issues and
may cause delays in the schedule. This is sometimes referred to as the “Cone of
Uncertainty,” wherein you anticipate & try your best to factor in every
variable. With hardware though, there are so many component vendor related
variables that sometimes adjustments to the spec and/or timeline are
unavoidable.
The good news
is that we have a very experienced & seasoned team of professionals by our
side, to make sure that the Dragonfly program is moving forward as quickly and
efficiently as possible!