Superbook, a $3m Kickstarter product, delayed until June 2017

The laptop dock that promises to turn your Android smartphone into a fully functional laptop, Superbook, has been delayed until June 2017, the team behind it has announced. Superbook made its debut on Kickstarter where it raised nearly three million dollars in funding from more than 16,700 backers. That large number, the company says, is part of the reason for the delay.

The delay announcement was posted as an update on the Superbook Kickstarter page, where the team cites the unexpected number of backers as the reason for the delay. Explaining why the large number of backers proves tricky, the update says:

When you're manufacturing 20,000 instead of 200 units, there is very little room for iteration or failure. Each mistake could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more — and in the end, delay the process even more than necessary.

The team says they had 'no idea' that the Superbook campaign would end up so popular, and that more time is needed to develop all the items necessary to ship backers a complete and functional product. Superbook was originally slated to ship to backers this upcoming February, so the delay gives the team nearly an extra six months to work things out.

At this point, the company says that it will be paying all the VAT and customs costs in full for its backers, and that it has also encountered some challenges. Among them is the claim that vendors have increased quotes on component prices for the Superbook, as well as 'manufacturing experts' advising the team to modify the Superbook is some ways that makes manufacturing easier.

SOURCE: Kickstarter