*One hundred* boards (I read somewhere that it's actually half(!) of their planned initial production volume since they have ordered some 200+ CPU's) *sold* to consumers (but: "Note that you will NOT be considered an end-user if you are allowed into the betatest program"), with a hefty *750 EUR prepayment*(!! Do they never learn?), for a product still lacking the necessary onboard hardware drivers (OS4 USB drivers has been "almost working" for how many years now?).
If what they wanted would have been some help with beta testing, they could have provided a select few handfuls of competent "power users" with the product (by lending it to them, or giving it to them as a reward for their beta testing work), and the link to the bugzilla tracker, and they would be done! They probably already have a list of people they could have turned to since before.
This is nothing but a 75,000+ EUR fundraiser targeted to the broad public. They obviously need money (which is a bit troublesome in my eyes). So they sell their undeveloped thing by prepayment and the condition that you won't be treated as a consumer, you sign away your right to complain about the product, and they can sue you if you still do it in public. What a scheme...
(EDIT: I added a plus sign after the 200 number above, in order to prevent people from calling me a blatant liar. Of course my point still remains though; had they wanted aid in beta testing the thing, they could simply have provided boards to the usual beta testers. But this *enormous* volume, in combination that they are *selling* the boards, in combination with *pre-payment*, clearly suggests that this is something else than a beta tester program.)
