they have a branding problem - they are starting to being perceived like a snobby brand with ridiculously overpriced products sold as a status symbol - a Balanciaga of creative tech basically
so they are trying to put out some cheap good value products to signal a return of the original hacker ethos
thomascountz · 22m ago
Being called "...a Balanciaga of creative tech" isn't a "branding problem," if it is, in fact, the brand.
We may or may not agree about it being a brand we'd buy, of even if it's an accurate description, but there's little doubt for me that TE has an identifiably unique and profitable brand.
kristopolous · 22m ago
I never saw them in any other way. High end brands with conspicuous design have existed in tech for at least 100 years, and before that, there were ornate luxury tools.
Fancy cars, televisions and audio equipment for instance.
monster_truck · 39m ago
This is a naive take, borderlining on bait. They are not 'trying', they have by and large succeeded. Both the PO and KO series devices are fantastic value for their respective prices.
If you consider something like the TX-6 an overpriced status symbol, you have clearly never tried to make a 6 channel stereo mixer this small with these specs. And if you can't imagine a use for something so small and portable, then it simply isn't for you.
wahnfrieden · 1h ago
They’ve always had those two tiers of pricing/products. That’s a read from a decade ago
isoprophlex · 48m ago
Browsing through their store I see only the "overpriced balenciaga-tier bullshit" category though...
The pocket operators and the EP-133 sampler are fairly priced.
judge123 · 18m ago
I'm genuinely torn on this. On one hand, I love the DIY vibe. On the other, isn't paying $195 for a flat-pack metal box the most anti-DIY thing ever?
userbinator · 45m ago
Free as in speech or beer...?
I wonder if they used static-dissipative/ESD-safe plastic, as pure polypropylene is good insulator and easily builds up a static charge. There's a reason nearly all computer cases are conductive.
dmos62 · 41m ago
Wouldn't the power supply ground all static?
ludicrousdispla · 18m ago
Probably not guaranteed, I've often wondered why my clothes out of the dryer have a static charge when the dryer is plugged into a grounded outlet.
barkingcat · 19m ago
this case is conductive, precisely so the excess charge can be grounded by the power supply by being in touch/contact with the psu metallic casing.
the psu is grounded, but the static has no way of getting to ground (via psu) if the case itself is non-conductive.
al_borland · 1h ago
Sold Out.
I was expected this to be a 3D print design people could grab for free.
bsimpson · 1h ago
At the bottom of the page, it looks like this is a giveaway for August, and that there were OP-1 giveaways in June and July. The OP-1 is their flagship synthesizer.
Makes me wonder if this is starting a press cycle for something they'll release for sale in the nearish future.
plasticbugs · 1h ago
Not giveaways, but it was instead a "name your own price" discount that allowed you to pay as little as $1399 and as much as $9999 (your choice) for an OP-1. What's bizarre is throughout the month of July, the OP-1 Field was completely SOLD OUT. And it felt pretty galling to their customers they would have this "name your price" promotion continue into July with the same device as the previous month - most people expected them to switch up which item would get the discount. No one was able to purchase an OP-1 from July 1 - July 31 at any price on their site.
synack · 1h ago
Looking at the build PDF, you'd need a pretty large printer to do a single piece like that. Would need to split it into a few panels and have some sort of joinery or fasteners to make it fit on most consumer printers.
nine_k · 1h ago
It's not for printing, it's for cutting out of a thick sheet of plastic, as much as I understand.
senectus1 · 44m ago
i mean... this should be a thing.
hmmm now you have me thinking.
uoaei · 1h ago
Has anyone tried using this with a Framework mainboard?
so they are trying to put out some cheap good value products to signal a return of the original hacker ethos
We may or may not agree about it being a brand we'd buy, of even if it's an accurate description, but there's little doubt for me that TE has an identifiably unique and profitable brand.
Fancy cars, televisions and audio equipment for instance.
If you consider something like the TX-6 an overpriced status symbol, you have clearly never tried to make a 6 channel stereo mixer this small with these specs. And if you can't imagine a use for something so small and portable, then it simply isn't for you.
I wonder if they used static-dissipative/ESD-safe plastic, as pure polypropylene is good insulator and easily builds up a static charge. There's a reason nearly all computer cases are conductive.
the psu is grounded, but the static has no way of getting to ground (via psu) if the case itself is non-conductive.
I was expected this to be a 3D print design people could grab for free.
Makes me wonder if this is starting a press cycle for something they'll release for sale in the nearish future.
hmmm now you have me thinking.