[Arm-netbook] 110 preorders for alpha-level boards

[lkcl luke]

just thought that people might like to know that we crossed the 110
mark for alpha-level preorders a few days ago.  this is assuming a few
things:

a) that there are NREs of $2,000
b) that the cost of the components per board are around $30
c) that everyone provided valid contact details
d) that everyone who submitted preorders still wants one

i've moved a number of the preorders that didn't have email addresses
or any kind of contact method to the not_valid folder already.

anyway: assuming that those conditions are still valid, the number of
people prepared to pay up to $48.18 is 110.  the order_processing.py
program http://rhombus-tech.net/allwinner_a10/order_processing.py has
an algorithm that starts off at $0.001, works out how many people
accept that price, then from that quantity of people works out a cost
(dividing the NREs across that number), then works out how many people
would accept _that_ price, repeat until twice round the loop gives the
same number of people.

a few weeks ago it was about 45 people and around $80, but there seems
to have been some magic figure ($50 or so) which dropped in an extra
50 people.

what we _don't_ know until we hear back from the factory is: what's
the _actual_ cost of components (in qty 100), and what we haven't
decided is how much profit the CIC should make, or whether to give
people the option to put in what they can afford.

also, a bit of news: we've been advised by the factory to contact a
supplier that supplies the "big name" companies, for connectors.  we
discovered in a phone call this morning that they must use completely
different internal part numbers from externally-published ones,
because they didn't recognise _any_ of the part numbers given.  so....
*sigh* we had to send them 12 datasheets for them to look at, pass
around to the staff and see if they can find equivalents, and then get
us pricing.

pricing using "no-brand" parts will be _significantly_ cheaper than
using branded parts.

bottom line: there is NO pricing estimates... YET.  the above exercise
is thus theoretical until we have hard numbers.

funfunfun.

l.