Where, oh where, is the Essential phone?
Oops. Former Android chief Andy Rubin missed his own deadline on his ambitious phone.
Android creator Andy Rubin launches the Essential phone May 30, 2017.
On May 30, the father of Android promised that he'd ship his ambitious Android phone within 30 days. That was 37 days ago.
"It has to be a swing for the fences," Andy Rubin, now the father of wannabe disrupter Essential, said that day.
The $700 phone (which converts to about £550 or AU$940) wants to elbow its way in to an impacted smartphone market. The Essential PH-1 stands out for its slim bezels, 5.7-inch screen and magnetic modules, like a 360-degree camera, that will snap on to the phone. (Sounds familiar? Motorola phones like the recent Moto Z2 Play have magnetic Mods, too.)
We can confirm that CNET's two Essential orders haven't arrived. Essential didn't respond to a request for comment when we asked about the timeline.
Missing a deadline is common in the phone world, especially one that's self-imposed one like Rubin's. Schedules routinely slip with holdups to production and software tweaks. Sometimes, phones are delayed as they pass FCC and carrier approval. Ordinarily, companies only share ballpark timelines to avoid name-and-shame stories like this one.
But when a high-profile exec like Rubin makes a promise, we take note. Here's hoping that the delay means the Essential is getting some extra TLC that helps it avoid software bugs and compromised hardware, the kind that made last year's Samsung Galaxy Note 7 go boom.
The Essential phone will sell in the US first, either through Sprint or Essential's website.
Via Business Insider