There’s already been quite a bit of ink spilled over the demise of the CrunchPad but I thought I’d add a few drops. My opinion is this: the CrunchPad was a testament to the power of online media and a fascinating study in the ability of new media to enact real changes on the real world. While the product faltered, it’s fascinating that the project went as far as it did given the forces arrayed against it.
Think about what happened: if we reduce this to its component parts you have some dudes in California who talked to some dudes in Singapore and who agreed to work together on a piece of hardware. I’ve seen the prototypes and the thing worked and worked well. Most hardware manufacturers can barely take each others meetings let alone coordinate a massive project while separated by a culture and an ocean.
I won’t speak on the problems with Fusion Garage but up until a few hours ago the entire TC/CG team expected to see the CrunchPad at some point in our lives. This is a massive change in this industry. A few years ago a blogger couldn’t get a press pass to CES let alone enough attention to build out a massive and mass-market hardware project.
Other organizations should learn from this or ignore it at their peril. It would behoove the New York Times, for example, to build something like the CrunchPad for consumption of the newspaper. They won’t do it because it is seemingly off-mission. This is what separates new media from old – the acceptance of risk. You can inject that instinct into old media but, as Devin wrote, “old” media can’t make the same mistakes we can.
Trust me: I’m not patting TC on the back here. I had very little to do with the design of this thing and I was as excited – and incredulous – as you were in regards to this product. It was great being part of the organization that began it and it’s sad to see it go.
Michael wanted to make a CrunchPad. It very nearly happened. This marks a sea change in what our media can accomplish as well as a testament to the good will it has engendered in its readership. In the end, a harsh accident intruded. This is an important distinction because from where I sit this clearly wasn’t a case of harsh reality striking down this project but something far stranger.
So goodnight, sweet CrunchPad. Some day your time will come.
Still want. C’mon guys! Negotiations can’t be closed forever. Get some stinking lawyers in here and settle this thing. My couch won’t surf itself.
it didnt look ergonomic either
“Trust me: I’m not patting TC on the back here. I had very little to do with the design of this thing and I was as excited – and incredulous – as you were in regards to this product. It was great being part of the organization that began it and it’s sad to see it go.”
It’s okay you’re a writer and its normal that you somehow give opinions that seems begs the intention that your leaning in the side of TC.
Though, we are still hoping that somehow the crunchpad would push through and make it’s way to combine with the Chrome OS.
http://bit.ly/google-chrome-os-best-or-worst-judge-it
Suck up to your boss on your own time.
Pathetic.
He is on his time. Not yours. Go find something else to do.
I can’t believe they did this, terrible news
+1
I’ve decided that this is all a bunch of BS. No one gives up an undertaking like the Crunchpad this easily. We haven’t heard the whole story.
+10
Absolutely–hopefully TC’s legal team will aggressively respond to the Fusion Garage and Chandra Rathakrishnan. Rathakrishnan’s behavior is inexcusable, and should face harsh consequences.
I just figured the post was to also put pressure on the Fusion company, to maybe avoid bad press and come back to the table.
Well, all I can say is that a day or two ago I didn’t know “Fusion Garage” from a hole-in-the-wall, and now I feel anger well up every time I even see those words together.
The fact that they completely deleted the blog on their site, instead of posting their side of the story, makes them look very, very bad.
+11
Death of crunchpad may be a small loss for Arrington, but it is a huge loss for consumers in general. Read more why we needed Crunchpad so badly..http://truvoipbuzz.com/2009/11/why-we-needed-the-crunchpad-so-badly-opinion/
http://truvoipbuzz.com/2009/11/why-we-needed-the-crunchpad-so-badly-opinion/
I think I’d rather read it here at TechCrunch… you know, the makers of the friggin’ device.
I think if its such a wonderful combination of features, it’ll happen whether or not a single team fails to deliver
I think that’s why you guys need to partner with Silicon Valley Company to create CrunchPad not with Indian CEO. Silicon Valley Company a lot of reliable and responsible since they know if they got sue, they will be in big trouble
Then it certainly would never have hit the $300 range.
But isn’t it better than total failure. :)
It was a Singapore based company I think…why bring out the ethnicity? The recent economic downturn was brought about by “reliable” and “responsible” American CEOs…
You’re the one bringing race into the discussion. You are assuming that his comment was about ethnicity, when it was clearly about regional division. This is a very valid business observation. Please stop imposing your personal insecurities onto others.
but a significant portion of the silicon valley companies were started by Indians
here goes the racist again..steve mf research where chandra sekar is from..he was born and educated in singapore..and came to US thereafter..steve mf did u know that?..of course not being the racist u r..for mf like u only name is good enough..and what silicon valley are u talking about..there is more concentration of indians in the silicon valley than any other part of America..steve mf, did u get that?
also chandra is natively from Sri Lanka and he does not look like indian nor his name is. Rathakrishnan is name given in Sri Lanka. Indian version is Radhakrishnan. This is a big difference.
definition of vaporware. it doesnt matter though, crunchpad would have probably infringed some patents
true. c’mon techcrunch it’s ok to be drama queens about just about anything, but a non-existing product?
how much $$$ has MA invested in this again?
Sounds like you’re attempting to be funny, but come across as envious.
Sounds like you’re uninformed or have an odd definition of when a prototype becomes a product.
Sounds like you do not understand the differences between companies vs. individuals, nor why $ alone would not be the sole issue here.
Basically, you sound like you’re 20 and ‘know everything;’ I appreciate your scrappy-ness, if that’s any consolation :)
> Sounds like you’re attempting to be funny, but come across as envious.
what he said came up funny to me (at least)!
>Sounds like you’re uninformed or have an odd definition of when a prototype becomes a product.
product become a product when it is available to customers. this was just a prototype. further, up to my knowledge there was NO massive production of this thing started == prototype.
Sounds like you are cocky with ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude, but at the end you just sound like a clown!!
jOHN: I assure you I am the driver of the clown car :)
All you had to do was back up your statements of fact by refuting what I said, but all you had was ad hominem attacks. We obviously live in alternate realities,
wow we have a d!ckhead here who speaks his mind using his “logic”… but oups, this is not your logic-home boarding school
go home..
I mean seriously, do you try to speak your mind like that?
and, That’s why you became a loser…
(oh did I make a funny conclusion out of my small premise?) Sorry logic boy, I really did that on a purpose.. :D
Magnum, if you call people loosers all of sudden, how should we call your father then?
ps. do you cure it somewhere??
coldbrew: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prototype
are you seriously that lazy?
I am deeply sorry – i never meant to be funny , i thought “Drama queen” is kinda generic term (I apologize again, English is not my native).
Plus i ‘m delighted to know it’s an actual product. Can you let me know where i can see one? (i ‘m not really sure i want to buy it if it’s heavier than i expect it or if the screen is not bright enough or if it’s difficult to hold). Despite my sketchy english, i know the word prototype, and i myself have lots of “products” in that stage.
I think my question was clear: how much money has MA invested in this project?
Granted, $$ is never the sole issue, but since I know that lawyers are not particularly good at building electronic circuits, sorting out manufacturing details and programming the user interface, i assumed that MA had invested money in building and time in marketing the project.
p.s. i wish i was again 20, and I always know only one thing, that i know nothing
It’s not about the money. It’s about making something for the thrill of making something. Lots of parts of the CrunchPad were going to be open sourced, anyway.
“It’s about making something for the thrill of making something.”
That’s bull… I am sure that line is often used in the New York Times and other dying old media. No company will get involved with the prospect of losing money.
My guess is that too many major players are going into the same market and the Crunchpad was doomed from the get go and the investors got nervous.
Open-Source is used by companies to eliminate dev costs. Source code is open-sourced to get a bunch of R&D and dev work for free. So I believe MA was open-sourcing to reduce production costs.
It is a good idea, but you can see the writing on the wall. Amazon, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, and Google are going into this market. TechCrunch may be able to write about them, but you have no chance against those economies of scale.
“It’s not about the money. It’s about making something for the thrill of making something.”
hahahahahaha, thanks for the laugh. 1999 is calling you.
@Stu and @Rob – Uh Twitter anyone? And every other startup in SV who is burning through VC cash and going nowhere fast.
@David Perel – If you think that Twitter isn’t about making money, then you might look into something in the lawn mowing field. There isn’t a single VC backed startup on the planet “burning through cash” who is doing it for the “thrill”. That is moronic. Wake up from the pipe dream.
boohoo to you…
I wonder if this is Techcrunch’s way of negotiating. Calling it an end of a product while the other company has its future invested in this. Obviously they are going to get nervous and want to negotiate things.
+1 to that! A fundamental reason why I love the internet. Opportunity and the ability to cut down restrictions. I won’t say it’s equal opportunity, but it’s more so than before. People that should rise, will rise.
The ink spilled on the birth and death of this project indicate very real interest in what the CrunchPad could have been. I had hoped to add the CrunchPad to my gadgets roster, and today’s news was disappointing, of course. I could be an idealist and hope Mike and team could take their business elsewhere, but that sounds near-impossible.
Plus, you could argue that the drama surrounding the product will be entertaining in the coming weeks…
The plot already has a greedy villain, the hero who had noble goals, and lots of money at stake.
Next episode: “The Shocking Response from FusionGarage”
geez that sounds awesome. Can i pre-order it?
lol, +1
I fail to see your connection between a device and the new media. Product design across oceans is nothing new and is not a function of new media. Companies such as Sony, Panasonic, Apple, Dell, etc… have been doing it for years. The fact that a blogger did it is also not relevant. This blogger had the resources (money mainly) to do it. Whether or not that money came from Investors or from his own pocket makes no difference much less the fact that he was a blogger. History is full of people who had good ideas, got financing, and started companies to achieve their dream.
The Crunchpad, while most likely a cool device, would have had an uphill battle regardless of who dreamt it up. It would need to compete with the likes of Apple (upcoming tablet), Kindle & other ebook readers (why should the NY Times go through the process of creating a device when other devices exist that provide the functionality that they want to provide – I get the NY Times on my Kindle DX every day), smartphones, and Netbooks. All of these technologies would serve as a competitor to the Crunchpad regardless of how cool it is. Just the Apple competition itself would be enough to kill a product (just look at the Zune – great device by all accounts but finding it impossible to fight the iPod).
Will there be a time for the Crunchpad? Theoretically, yes. When the Apple tablet will be released for a cool $800, the Crunchpad’s price point will be key (assuming it is as cool and as polished as Apple’s tablet). But for that device to come out, you do not need a blogger to come up with the idea or drive it forward. You need an entrepreneur to come up with the idea and execute it. That is what Michael is to the Crunchpad.
New media had nothing to do with it other than give Michael the resources needed (financially) to pull it off. This was no study in how new media can enact real world changes. It simply showed that a good idea with enough financial support behind it can take flight…
“It simply showed that a good idea with enough financial support behind it can take flight…”
…..and fail spectacularly.
What BS. This just PROVES how new media failed. Where is the Crunchpad? It’s not coming! There’s no ’sea change’ here. Geez. It’s vaporware to increase your readership. No more. No less.
You just make the assumption that everyone who writes some articles on the internet can go out and build hardware.
Guess what… there is a reason why computer manufacturers should build machines, why software manufactures should code and why bloggers should write. No one can excel at it all.
+1
I was wondering the same thing during this article. His points are entirely undercut by the fact that the CrunchPad failed.
+1 Bingo!
Sock puppets do not make a good argument. They create the opposite of your intended result, weakening your original complaint about conspiracies.
Did you even read the original article on why it hasn’t worked out?
OhPlease: If you had read Arrington’s orginal post you would realize they had a team in Singapore with good experience/acess to large touch screens, an ODM in Taiwan (unnamed, presumably notable) , component suppliers with interest (i.e. Intel), and retail distribution partners (not to mention TC’s marketing reach). It wasn’t one person, and none of the TC bloggers were probably involved more than the sales or some marketing folks in typical hardware companies.
The fine details still aren’t even clear, but you seem quite sure of yourself and very passionate about this topic. Almost like you feel threatened as an engineer. Not to worry, it’s the greedy folks on the business side that typically f#$k up the deals anyway.
> there is a reason why computer manufacturers should build machines, why software manufactures should code and why bloggers should write. No one can excel at it all
and online bookstore should sell books online, yes? :)
Apple makes hardware and software. And sells content. So shut up.
Could you guys do a post-mortem of the whole issue and post an article on how such incidents can be prevented. What type of contract needs to be made to avoid such a issue would be helpful to all entrepreneurs
what has to happen is that arrington has to not be involved. that dude is walking bad karma, earned out of years of pissing people off with his arrogance.
It proves again that the barriers to innovation are most often political, not technical.
+1
+2
+4 MIL
The idea needs a revamp with the same entrepreneurial team (admit it! They went far!) and a different hardware/software team.
PERIOD!
Now come back and give me my CrunchPad!
There is only one solution: resolve the matter amicably and immediately.
If this goes to court and a temporary order to halt development/sales is obtained, the tablet will not come out in time for it to matter to the market. Both sides will ultimately lose, but especially Fusion Garage’s share holders.
I would encourage anyone who is upset by these actions to sign the petition “Without Arrington I Wont Buy A CrunchPad” at http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/CrunchPad/
Get bent. Arrington left a big part of the story out which we don’t yet know.
Right, a manufacturer is going to pull something like this and freeze production. Arrington went to law school, I’m sure he took the proper precautions with regards to intellectual rights going into this.
Vaporware failure.
Yes! An internet petition! I was worried there wouldn’t be anything I could do to save the CrunchPad, but at least now I can tap into the power of my fellow internet denziens.
CrunchPad, worry not – we’ll save you, just as we did with Iran before you.
Such naivete. I can’t take everything Arrington says at face value. Check, verify and most importantly, wait for the real news. It is definitely a bad situation, no doubt, but let’s just see what happens.
Vaporware. Anyone can think about building stuff, talk to people about building stuff. The hard part is getting to market, which is where VaporPad crashed and burned.
Sea change my ass.
It was (and still is) vapor ware . . . the CrunchPad never mattered.
All of these technologies would serve as a competitor to the Crunchpad regardless of how cool it is. Just the Apple competition itself would be enough to kill a product (just look at the Zune – great device by all accounts but finding it impossible to fight the iPod).
nuff said what the fuck was mike thinking when he wanted to go against apple and amazon
@Lee
Well said…
and its surprising to see you TC/CG guys cry out like little girls…haven’t you learned anything from your 1000s of startup posts…you are not the first ones to face an obstacle…and all it takes is a couple of weeks of tough email exchange to make you give it up?
I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, but ‘old media’ companies like Disney have been designing and selling hardware with their branding, and various content tie-ins for many years. As a rule, you ‘new-media’ guys usually rake them over the coals for not sticking to what they know, and leaving hardware to the hardware guys.
But hey, if you feel like salving the sting of this complete failure with a little hubris ointment, then go on believing that your company failing to release a product is some major turning point in the history of the world.
Fun to watch Crunch toot its own horn and call job well done while declaring “old media” inept… Over a product that doesn’t exist. You guys sure won this round.
“our media can accomplish” ? your job is to inform us.
and
I dnt mean this out of cruelty but welcome to the world experienced by 500+ startups this year. you succeeded on the easy parts. nothing counts until you have working product in customers hands, they are paying for it and everything is repeatable & scalable
p.s. ibankers went through the same thing in the first iteration
It is a sad sad day. If I could I would put a devious curse on the greedy buggers who trumped this beautiful marvel. I have been looking forward to the CrunchPad like no other tech. I guess the Vega tablet will have to be my new focus… any other contenders coming (aside from Apple) ?
Awwwww its too bad it didn’t happen… I wanted one, too!
*Starts playing Mozart’s Requiem*
The fact that blogging could engender such a strong sense of anticipation about an idea is pretty new. I don’t see a mainstream journalist taking the risk of using his medium to try to build hype for a project he is starting, it just doesn’t seem like something a journalist should do. But blogging is different because you’re almost expected to blaze your own trail and try to get people to follow you. The CrunchPad saga really has shown the true power of participatory media. If anything, it will make the next CrunchPad-style project all the more popular.
While I agree that Arrington can come of as a bit self-important from time to time, so does Steve Jobs. No before all your rabid Apple fans and Arrington haters tear me apart for that comparison – tell me, how is it really that different?
Yes, Steve Jobs is light years ahead of Mike Arrington in terms of being a visionary and an influence on the industry. But all the same, he still sounds like a pompous ass when he gets up on stage, Keynote after Keynote, talking about how revolutionary everything is that he unveils, even if it’s a shitty camera added to an iPod that should of had one a long time ago.
Maybe I’ve just drank the koolaid on this one, but I don’t think it was vaporware. I do think there is more to the story than what we’re hearing, though. I just wish these TechCrunch and CrunchGear articles would cut out the theatrics and sensationalism over what is gong on and just give us more information. And oh yeah, same goes for the Keynotes…..
How is it different? What about: Steve Jobs delivers and changes the industry while Michael Arrington… DOESN’T!?
Arrington might have a successful blog, but please let’s not get ridiculous with the comparisons.
Steve Jobs also has the stones to get the job done.
I think Mikey and his merry crew of ‘globalization’ types are kinda like the Eloi in the _Time Machine_.
Let’s find out tho’.
“Real artists ship.” – Steve Jobs
Saying that a company like the New York Time should build a device like the CrunchPad is like saying a company like WMG should build a device like the iPod. In other words, it’s a stupid sentiment.
The bottom line is, TC got rolled. Whether or not TC has proper legal protection is something to be seen, but it doesn’t negate the fact that the project was a failure and all your DIY blogger/new media ideals are nothing but a bunch of bullshit.
This article is almost as bad as reading a piece by MG Siegler, in which he declares old media dead because there was some unverified celebrity rumor that appeared on Twitter before appearing on any major media outlets. Get a grip.
Honestly, I feel for TC, and the circumstances seem like they suck. But this post is DOA.
The NYT owns a large number of printing presses as well as sophisticated distribution channels to get their paper and ink product to their customers. Why is it so odd to think they’d contract a design house, get an ODM, and take a product to market?
Legally, the trademark issue is not even worth debating. Very few people know what the TC-backed Crunchpad team contributed and/or shared openly (there was a reason TC was withholding coverage). So, nobody knows.
Siegler? Celebrities? Twitter? Somehow, I missed the relevance. Please stop the hyperbole and use facts, or shut up.
“Please stop the hyperbole and use facts, or shut up.”
Do you say the same to the writers here? In any case … fact:
The CrunchPad doesn’t exist. How can it then be a testament to the power of anything? Further, even if the product existed, it would still be a failure in my eyes, as the original mission statement called for an open source endeavor; an endeavor quickly abandoned once Arrington saw the $ in his eyes.
What we have here is a well known hype machine (TC) burning the candle at both ends. In other words, they bought into their own bullshit and got bent over backwards.
Also, your statement about the NYT is ridiculous. Paper products aren’t similar to digital products in the way they are constructed, consumed, and marketed. Again, the NYT making an e-reader is equivalent to WMG making an mp3 player. If you can’t see the problems inherent in that, I imagine you wear very thick glasses.
Yeah, I saw the “prototype” of the purported ‘CrunchPad’ on that crufty from a year ago blog at fusiongarage.com/blog and it looked like it was running on a tube tv / Apple II.
Of course that page has been removed now.
Sorry, but I think Mikey done got punked by a yob 18+ hours away:
http://mindtaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/dear-mikey-welcome-to-real.html
ouch dude, ouch!
Shows that making something is a lot harder than writing about something.
There’s an insightful post by Limor Fried (of Adafruit fame). She points out that Arrington & Co. made a fundamental mistake of picking the price point before actually having a manufacturable design in hand. When the design was ready to go out the door, meeting the target price probably left little margin (and profit), and thus a strong incentive to cut out some of the principles to get a return on the investment.
This sounds awfully plausible. Any CrunchPad insiders care to comment?
Yes major companies like Ikea are spiraling towards financial ruin when they determine price ranges for items before they produce them.
The CrunchPad may have become a flop, but it is an item that there is a market for, but there aren’t any numbers and statistics that prove it. Think of the OLPC’s XO. Without that, netbooks may not be as popular as they are now. Without the CrunchPad’s hype and subsequent failure, there will be more delay in a proven market interest in these devices.
Sometimes we need people to jump off cliffs in order to prove there is a need to get across the chasm.
Yes, setting a price goal for furniture and seeing if it is achievable by maximizing the efficiencies of diecut pressboard is exactly the same as being an ODM of a software/hardware device using third party components that evolve at an astronomical rate. Exactly the same.
“Yes major companies like Ikea are spiraling towards financial ruin when they determine price ranges for items before they produce them.”
those companies arn’t “major” for nothing. being major allows them to excert the kind of leverage on supliers that allows them to detarmain the price points of thier products in advance.
EPIC FAIL.
I remember Charlie Rose asked Arrington if he had investors for this project, and Arrington said, “I’m not going to answer that.” Rose asked why and Arrington said, “Because I don’t want to.”
If you really wanted this thing to be built, you should have gotten 3 or 4 mil. VCs would have given it to Arrington, and come hell or high water, it would have seen the light of day.
Truer words were never spoken. JVs always fail.
Arrington should still do this, bypass whatever IP is shared as of now by designing around it, and go at it alone with the backing of some of the cash rich valley VCs that surely are aware of the potential for this product.
It was about the process, doing things his way, not just getting a product out there at any price
-10. Arrington’s name would have got him in the dor, but to get a good deal from a VC even he needs to show them something marketable, not vaporware. Just after the launch would have been the right time.
Um… He built several working prototypes. What are you talking about? That is not vaporware.
Arrington also already stated that it was “not about the money” for him in his posts. If that is the case, and there is no reason to doubt it, then he would not be worried about maximizing his financial position in a VC deal.
Unfortunately I do agree with “david” that it is more likely that he was concerned about control. It look like he traded one risk for another in his go-to-market strategy. Hopefully it didn’t burn him…
Cause I want a d*mn Crunchpad!!!
…BUT psyched you guys tried, as that is what it is all about!
Now try again!
product looked like an iphone on steroids. inevitable evolution.
The Crunch Pad was nothing more than a publicity stunt and an ego trip for M.A.
Good god. As far as the world is concerned, you had a couple of blog posts about a mythical tablet. Get over yourselves, drama queens.
Hey do you know who landed second on the moon? exactly
Dude I totally had a plan to build a rocket to go to the moon but some Indians ripped off my IP. WAAAAAAAHH
Pete Conrad and Alan Bean.
Duh.
Bottom line: for a guy(s) who have made a career out of commenting on the prospects of other ventures, who are so often wrong, who don’t really care about the damage done by being wrong, and whos very work often dooms other startups before they get a chance to iterate – for those guys to go out and fail so epically – that is poetry.
Maybe you’ll think twice the next time you unload the snark.
Please go read about Arrington’s history. “This ain’t his first radio.”
To make it easy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Arrington
Hint: CTRL+F “founder”
rodeo*
F!
+1
I’m really curious why nobody’s commented on this SmartPad that’s been shipping for months:
http://www.eletroworld.cn/nb/SmartQ_7.htm
Seems like it could have been the base for a good Crunchpad reference design, or just rebadged as the Crunchpad with a different software suite.
No, it doesn’t have a capacitive screen or Web cam. But it’s $190-200 USD retail. That’s pretty amazing.
There’s much more at that site regarding net tablets, all which are awesome (thanks for the reference).
The price is not retail, its wholesale, however.
“Our company, Guangzhou Eletroworld Trading Co. Ltd was establish in 2004.Through online wholesale shop, we offers international buyers low wholesale prices on a wide range of consumer electronics, from mobile internet device to mini netbook, and bluetooth mobile phone to MP4 players and electronic gadgets. ”
I agree the thing about rebranding.
Maybe Arrington should just go with one of these chinese white label producers, and rebrand the product as Crunchpad, because these products seem to have most of what he was trying to do.
No offense, but Johnathan, with regard to the “Smartpad” (SmartQ-7):
7″ screen + 800 X480 resolution = YAWN CITY.
Nuff said. The more expensive ARCHOS 9 or Converged Devices’ Vega look WAY more interesting to me.
I am still holding out hope for Arrington’s Crunchpad, at the $300 price point.
I hear the PR wheels a turn’n. Good work TC! Way to build some buzz.
Gawd, what a load of self-serving tripe.
The product didn’t even ship and now it appears DOA. And yet this failure is somehow a shiny example of New Media’s victory…over, er, something or other.
Besides, newspapers (er, sorry, Old Media) are working on a similar tablet project–just ask Hearst–and have been for some time. And guess what? Their product is currently vaporware as well.
But, hey, those Old Media guys are, like, totally uncool, you know?
This is the story of most startups, just read Paul Graham’s essays. This is, after all, the story of bad people. Michael made an honest effort to build something great (as he did with TC), and failed because of bad people – nameless shareholders of that dreadful “Singaporean” company (though the people behind it come from other country).
Without knowing, I guarantee that these people come from a culture and past of deceiving and misleading. This isn’t their first time letting someone down.
Should Michael had his partners checked by more vigorous due diligence, the outcome was different. It was also different if the CrunchPad was made here in the U.S. or in Japan. Manufacturing in certain countries require enormous resources just to protect yourself against this culture, local lawlessness, corruption, and non-enforceable international IP laws.
But, Michael wins. He lives in the better country, doing better things and serves his community better by exercising transparency, accountability and respect of the rule of law.
What these “shareholders” did just keep their people (again, its not Singapore we’re talking about) stuck. They will kill their mothers for an extra buck – these are subhumans.
We’re better than that.
Yeah nice, ’silent’, ’subtle’ comments. ‘Ben’, let’s take a trip down to the land of $100M+ ripped off, IP flouting, IMEI number-less cell phones. This sort of argument track does nothing but expose your racist bias and destroys any credibility you might have hoped to hold on to.
What’s your point? That’s how it *is* in S’pore and the 3rd world.
South Asians are the lowest on the totem pole in those places for a VERY GOOD REASON.
You can be naive and candyass it all you want.
The lesson will be learned. Repeatedly. Until it sinks in. If Mikey wanted the CrunchPad developed right he should have done it locally or in NE Asia, where US contract law or the UCC is recognized.
-Drunken Economist
http://mindtaker.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/drunk_economist
john, since you have a more direct line to mike than i ever will can you ask him about the “open source” plans of the crunchpad?
mike said many times that the project was an open source project (the hardware and the software) – where are the files, the schematics, the source code, the PCB files, etc? is it correct to assume that “fusion garage” is not going to release any source or continue this project as an open source (software/hardware project)? if that’s the case it seems like “open source” was used again just to get good will and marketing and not really put any value in.
chumby, buglabs are companies that have been covered here and both are open source and both have actual source code, files, schematics and more you can download right now.
+1, show us the source :)
karma
The CrunchPad changed the face of media in much the same way that Duke Nukem Forever changed the face of videogames.
Eh, that’s a slight exaggeration, and really not a fair analogy. For one thing, this thing was announced when, in 2008? Duke Nukem Forever was announced in 1997. Also, this project is deadpooled. Duke Nukem Forever has never formally announced its deadpooling and never will, hence the word, “Forever.”
Yes, Duke Nukem Forever is still in development. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Nukem_Forever
John:
” … some dudes in California who talked to some dudes in Singapore and who agreed to work together on a piece of hardware.”
An organization writes a spec and hires an engineering/development firm to design it and produce a prototype. This was neither a “massive project” nor anything out of the ordinary — this is how things get done in the real world, over and over, day in and day out. There are people who make a living doing this.
And close doesn’t cut it. Either it ships with a part number and a price or it doesn’t exist. Arrington and friends likely learned a lot but in the end there is no CrunchPad.
wait wait! crunchpad lives. it will be coming out next year, by Apple.
How come only TC related people have held one, seen one? DO we have an independent voice that can confirm it actually existed?
Michael is our Moses. Where is our Joshua.
I was also a huge fan of the Crunchpad, but come on.
“…if we reduce this to its component parts you have some dudes in California who talked to some dudes in Singapore and who agreed to work together on a piece of hardware. I’ve seen the prototypes and the thing worked and worked well.”
So, an entrepreneur wanted to make something, and he almost did. Let’s make a made-for-TV movie.
You really think that’s a big deal? Companies are doing this every few months and succeeding – large and small…we did it with the HP Touchsmart 3 years ago: http://bit.ly/81ogve (except that was Cupertino, China, and India)
I agree – the Crunchpad was supercool, but this post inflates its importance to a ridiculous extent.
I have to say, TC becomes increasingly silly each day. There’s 1 decent news item for every 30 I skip. Meanwhile it’s rants and ramblings like a crazy person. Sh-tmydadsays might as well toss out a tech link every fifth post, and I’ll switch to that… but it will be funny.
Classic example of going out of your core business and getting slaughtered.
What does a blog (and a poorly written one at that) know about making computer hardware anwway?
Now they can concentrate on what they’re really good at……prognosticating on when Twitter’s cafeteria will start serving nachos.
Seriously, this post is ridiculous.
I think you journalist / writers are lacking business sense.
Really, getting a product built to specifications is not hard.
The hard part is product development. Coming up with the specs, and functionality and then fitting that into a portable usable design. You guys did great on that part.
Getting it built by a manufacturer is not hard. You just need to be patient and go through the QA process.
Where TC fucked up is lack of business savvy. Really you guys should have had iron clad agreements with your vendors regarding IP and ownership. There should have been NO SHARED IP
The way you handled it from a business perspective was odd.
Also check out this dudes profile on crunch gear:
Chandra is the the Founder & CEO of Fusion Garage. Chandra was born and educated in Singapore and has an Advanced Diploma in Computer Science (Oxford University) He deferred his Bachelor of Science at Monash University to start his previous startup
He has no degree yet the second line of his bio mentions (oxford university)
Guys – you should have seen this one coming…
Just admit it. The CrunchPad was not even near completion. You don’t have anything to prove it, except some concept Photoshop images…
This doesn’t prove anything, except for that making good hardware is REALLY hard and it’s not just a hobby you can do on the side.
Good luck next time!
Um, there are videos of the product on YouTube.
What is wrong with you people? Sheesh, there are a lot of people talking out of their hind parts in these comments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP-0Nce5oTQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEni3OmohP8
Methinks Arrington is wishing a lifetime friend would have “stolen” the “IP” of this post before Biggs hit publish.
What does “It very nearly happened. ” means in English Language?
John,
You do a good job of Hollywood-style storytelling but it’s a bit dishonest IMO.
You can talk about how close this came to being a reality, etc. etc. etc. but the truth is that this fell apart because basic business issues weren’t addressed. From Michael’s post, it’s seems like the relationship between TC and FG was a mess. Each party was investing money, IP wasn’t assigned assigned or licensed to one party, etc. etc. etc. This is basic stuff man. How can you run a viable hardware business like this? You can’t, obviously! Who owns what needs to be clearly defined, if there’s investment by both parties the business should be structured right off the bat to reflect the investments, etc. etc. etc. You don’t save this stuff for later!
Having something designed or manufactured overseas is something that many businesses have been doing for decades successfully. So why spin this as some almost-fairytale story?
It’s a sad story about what happens when “entrepreneurs” forget that the devil is in the details and don’t dot their i’s and cross their t’s.
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