What a mess! The sad thing is that this to me makes them come across as a bit clueless or a bit like they're in headless-chicken mode, in a panic about not meeting the target.
Would I want to invest in someone that I'm seeing panic to not meeting their goal with a constantly shifting expectation?
Their shambolic handling of this campaign does not instill confidence in their ability to manage a $32m investment.
I think the campaign is just fine. I don't think these updates are unscheduled, and I don't think they're panicking about not meeting the target.
Even if they come pitifully short of the target (they will), they'll have generated a lot of publicity and been one of the most successful crowdfunded projects ever in terms of pledges. I don't think Mark Shuttleworth will be heartbroken about that.
If they had the hardware available right now, for that price, in my country so I don't have to pay import taxes and 25% VAT on top of it, yeah I'd buy one.
What happened to good old pre-orders as crowdfunding?
Would I want to invest in someone that I'm seeing panic to not meeting their goal with a constantly shifting expectation?
Their shambolic handling of this campaign does not instill confidence in their ability to manage a $32m investment.