Commodore USA's Final Challenge to the Community

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The "final challenge" statement is patronizing from a company that's already made a whole hell of a lot of promises that were never reached, with PR that is beyond abhorrent, not to mention outright lies.  People I would not trust even if they were giving away super products, nevermind them making statements like "prepaid" this or that.

I'll support the NatAmi and FPGA Arcade guys directly, as well as the Morph and OS 4 guys, I'm afraid.

Fool me once, shame on me, etc... Good intentions paved the road to hell, etc... - and all that old cliche nonsense.

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They aren't being received much better on AW than they are here.

Perhaps the community got the hint when we were told by C-USA for a year now that "we aren't their target market" and insulted us, lol.

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Natami folks would be shooting themselves in the foot getting involved with C-USA, in my opinion.  They don't need them, and C-USA would just be trying to leech onto some credibility.  

They have got this far by getting their hands dirty soldering and testing, and made a good name for themselves and have products upcoming people are really looking forward to.  Same goes for Mike and crew.

C-USA being involved would be a black mark on an otherwise good record for those guys, lol.

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Why does a company with a "projected $30 million marketing budget" need anyone to prepay for their computers?

Was sort of my question as well.  Never got an answer, well - because it's all just another attention grab marketing scheme, lol.

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Glad someone else isn't blind to the whitewashing tactics with stuff like this, Haywire

Cheers!

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It hasn't been done already because what people want varies massively.

10 guys might want replacement A1000 mobos, 5 others A4000 replacement motherboards, 20 guys want Natami and 20 guys want FPGA Arcade, another 20 might want more affordable OS4 solutions, so on and so forth.  Simply can't make them all, and you'll hit this problem even if C-USA (or anyone else) was a trustworthy company that people would pony up money to in advance, lol.

I wonder how things worked out for this guy:

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kvku9/commodore_usa_has_my_money_i_have_no_computer/

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EDana:

It's not a "perfectly valid arrangement" from a company with their background.  Not in the least, and it wasn't their place to come in here acting as the savior of the Amiga after treating the entire community like absolute **** for YEARS.  There's reports of them taking pre order payment for current systems (see the Reddit link) and the purchaser hears nothing out of them and has to consider a lawyer or reversing charges on a credit card.  I think that gives people a whole HELL of a lot to keep in mind before any talk of pre payments on some new Amiga system, doesn't it?  Or am I to assume we should just ignore the reports that have been heard, and just take them at face value, lol.  Hard for a guy to get his money back if he is unhappy if he gets no answer on the "support line" like the Reddit fellow, no?

You know what would have went a long way, C-USA?  Saying "sorry" or simply giving real answers that have been asked for a long time.  Sorry for the threats, sorry for the spam, sorry for the fact a lot of promises have gone entirely undelivered, sorry for the fact you made very offbase and prejudiced slurs about people and the community.

Completely unwilling to answer any questions, and you wonder why no one wants anything to do with you.  I'll ask my top ones, again - you come here asking question, but are unwilling to answer any yourself.  The unwillingness to answer any questions simply tells me and others you are trolling for more publicity.  Now...

1 - when and were can I see/buy your product in a large retail chain?  I don't buy ANYTHING sight unseen.  Not from Apple, not from HP, and not from you - valid question, I'd love to see one.

2 - heat issues with the C64x, still an issue or has this been fixed?  Telling the customer "to buy a laptop cooler for it"or to crack the case and install fans is not acceptable, sorry.

3 -  when will your products get into the hands on independent reviewers, such as Engadget and other well known online review sites?

4 - ever consider sending a review machine to someone in the community, like a Mod here at A.org?  Being the big wheels that you are in the PC industry, you know all professional reviews are on a "loan" basis product wise, costing nothing more than shipping.  A company with confidence in their products should have had these machines written up in every mag on the planet by now.

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Dammy, C-USA is not Microsoft.  The idea you'd even remotely compare the two is appalling, regardless of your blind dedication to "the cause".  The Kinect (and your facts are misleading about what you stated about the pre-order factor involving MS directly in a funds down deposit with MS directly) is a completely invalid comparison, and C-USA is not Microsoft.  

MS has a worth of 44 billion dollars roughly, Dammy.  MS doesn't have a pack of insulting, roving fanboys working for free as their ad department.
MS had a revenue of 16 billion dollars, Q4 2011.  

They needed no pre-orders to develop the Kinect on a financial basis, and have never issued cockeyed "challenges" to the community in the guise of "helping".  There's a lot to bitch about when it comes to Microsoft, but the comparison of them and the Kinect and C-USA and this purported project
is insane.  Kinect took pre-orders for Kinect in the same way I can pre-order a video game from a vendor - a guarantee I will be able to obtain one when they become public and nothing more.  I pre-ordered Skyrim, Dammy, via a Best Buy.  Does that somehow imply that Bethesda Software, makers of said game - needed my pre-order to find game development?  If they did, joke is on them, cause all I did was give my name and the retailer saved me a copy for pick-up with no cash down.  Some stores did indeed ask for a deposit on Kinect, but to my knowledge MS themselves never asked for one thin dime to "reserve" one or otherwise fund anything.  I had plenty of friends "pre-order" a Kinect via retailers, which required a deposit in some cases, but never a pre-payment to MS and money going into escrow, lol.  A ridiculous comparison of situations, even for a fanboy, Dammy.

Microsoft has never come onto obscure hobby computer fan sites like A.org wanting to save the day, while simultaneously and blatantly insulting the community wholly at the same time.  I've never got death threats from Microsoft if I stated I disagreed with their business practices.  Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer has never hounded independent journalists, publically calling them homosexuals and asking about their sex lives if said writers gave them bad press.

Your C-USA/MS comparison isn't even as unplausible as an "apples vs. oranges" aspect.  It's like comparing Mars to Earth, entirely irrational and insane, lol.

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You were making comparisons that MS is reliant or otherwise soliciting or taking pre-orders and the associated funds to get products out the door or to otherwise make things "worth their while", Dammy.  That's false, and the "Challenge to the Community" from C-USA and a Best Buy taking pre-order funds to hold a Kinect when it arrives in store vs. a company with an abhorrent track record soliciting funds are two entirely different worlds.  With C-USA's track record, man - you just aren't going to have too many people believe they suddenly changed ways and now solely exist to make low volume gear at no profit.  You'd have better luck selling a glass of water to a drowning man, and all the statements of noble intentions for the community interest will not whitewash the PR nightmare of the past year or two.  But hey, that's why rugs were invented - so stuff can be swept under them, I suppose.  Guess when this doesn't pan out, the "Amiga scene is broken" and we'll once again not be your "target market".

PS:  No one from C-USA is answering the very basic questions that were asked of them.  Consider my mouth sewn shut the day I can read a review on any reputable website of their offerings, until then it's just more smoke and mirrors.  Send one to Engadget, simple enough.  Hell, bill me for the shipping costs on the 2 way shipping on the review unit.

A very simple request of people that otherwise swear their products are the best thing since sliced bread.  BTW, how are you enjoying your new C-USA VIC or 64, Dammy?  I would assume such an ardent devotee would have given his review if he owned one.  You do own one of these new Commodore machines, don't you?  Answer the question please.

And FWIW, I felt the same with the X1000 down payment/ beta tester scheme.

Last time I asked polite questions I was told "Hey guy, we don't owe you any such thing, don't buy our products, ****head" and banned from your forums, like many others were.  If you're going to spam product here, either answer some basic questions or have the decency of paying for ad space where you can preach the gospel to the choir without having us pesky "trolls" ruin your little grab bag of free advertising.  I got no issue seeing C-USA banner ads here, none - at least the ad revenue would help keep bills paid for A.org.

Said it before and will say it again, people using community forums as advertising dropsites and said community forums soliciting donations simply don't work side by side.  I love A.org, but why should I donate a thin dime when "the saviors" just use it for free press?  I'm not the only one in that boat.

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You didn't tell me how you were enjoying your C-USA products, Dammy....

Come on, the suspense is killing me, give us a review.  Which Best Buy did you get yours at, so I can make sure to go to that one and see one in person.

:roflmao:

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A company that had a sponsorship deal with Disney, a company that has ties to Motorola, a company that was going to have boxes of their systems on Best Buy shelves, a company with 30 million dollar budget.

Now understaffed - why?  Last I was told they were selling tens of thousands of the machines.  Doesn't add up, does it?  And this company that you readily admit is understaffed is coming here, wanting to do all sorts of engineering magic and gee whiz marketing inventiveness to bring what "WE* want via this Challenge, and they don't even have the staff to manage what they have now apparently, while it's being proposed as a pay up front deal?  The guy on Reddit paid up front too.  Maybe he also got threats when he asked questions, too.  Wonder if he ever got his machine, and if he had heat issues and was told to buy a laptop cooler too.  Maybe he was lucky like the other guy, and it arrived and the keyboard wasn't even hooked up and the wifi wouldn't work when it got warm.

Having faith and being "early supporters" are just fine, but 1 + 1 just isn't equaling 2 here on any of this, is it?  Eating the pablum on the spoon they are cramming in open mouths due to wishful thinking is one thing, ignoring the many obvious questions going unanswered and the sheer amount of contradiction is just too much to swallow, lol.

Wonder why the words "deposit" and "support" make people nervous, and why people mention the words "track record"?  Now where do I send my deposit!!?!?!!!  Note the phone number for Homecraft is still the same as Commodore USA.  With 30 million dollars, you'd think an extra phone line would have been doable.

http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/business-reviews/bathroom-fixtures-and-accessories-retailing/homecraft-in-fort-lauderdale-fl-23006396

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Already being done by the Natami and FPGArcade guys.

As grassroots as you're going to get, I'm waiting patiently on the FPGAarcade with daughterboard option to run my BBS.