I bought it because I figured out it's gonna be some crummy little Mediatek thing underneath the skin (and it is) running some form of Android (and it is) so I'm just sitting back to hack it back to be a real communicator ;)
EDIT: It's an MT6765 (Helios P35). It's got a known BootROM exploit. Won't be long until someone dumps it and cracks it open, though would be hilarious if a part2/part3 dump is just a factory stock ROM.
Selling underpowered toys at eye-popping prices has been Teenage Engineering's modus-operandi since the beginning. After the OP-1 price hike (and subsequent re-release at an even higher price), I don't think their target audience cares past this point. You either buy TE stuff for the brand recognition or you own a bunch of Behringer gear because you're poor.
I retract my previous statement. Indeed, toys are not the only expensive stuff they have for sale.
Hey look down there! The computer-1 case is on sale for $149, down from $249. How much profit you still think they're making, considering it's a DIY kit of bendable sheet metal?
SnazzyLabs bought their case a few years ago for a hackintosh project and did not review it favorably.
They send you a bunch of flat panels of metal you have to bend into shape yourself, and are supposedly very flimsy and can be easily bent even once the whole thing is assembled. They didn't even punch out the screw holes so you have to bore your own holes and screw through them manually. The USB-C port on the front uses a 3.0 header instead of 3.1. And it can't even fit a small formfactor GPU.
I bought that case and it’s not great quality and does not look as good as the picture. Also it is flat pack so you have to bend all the pieces and the toggle switch feels terrible. So definitely overpriced for what you get.
Yes. But the assembly experience and the wobbliness of the case are worse than a $70 mini-ITX options. I think even $70 would be half brand tax. As the quality to my mind puts this case among the cheapest of the cheapest.
People loooove to complain about TE pricing. OP-Z is $499, find me anything else that can sequence sound, video and DMX (on the go) like OP-Z can, there are exactly zero others. OP-1 for portable synths.... are people pulling a Deluge out on a flight? I've seen people compose a whole set with a OP-1, over 30 minutes, with nothing else... good luck doing that on a MC-101.
I own a Pocket Operator, my head's not in the sand about their cheaper offerings. The Pocket Operators are cheap toys though, you cannot tell me with a straight face that it's about to prop up your next EP. It's a mass-produced calculator PCB they forgot to make a case for, and sell at insane markup.
The same goes for the KO and indeed, the OP-Z. The OP-Z doesn't even have a screen, it has no business costing $499 for being a bunch of buttons with a USB-C plug.
> find me anything else that can sequence sound, video and DMX (on the go) like OP-Z can
How about the mandatory paired device it requires to sequence everything? That iPhone/iPad is certainly capable of doing that itself, alongside multiple things the OP-Z can't. Nevermind how far you'd get with a $300 laptop and $200 DAW.
You can't memorize how to use an OP-Z.......?? That aside, what company is making an OP-Z alternative?
What company is making pocket operator alternative? What company is making an OP-1 alternative...?
Right, that's what I thought.
On your laptop point, I'm going to be doing a show this weekend, OP-Z, OP-1, 170 and 400. I don't even know HOW I would do that without TE gear, $50k worth of Eurorack?
Honestly, while I agree there's a massive price discrepancy, I don't know that I even see Behringer as the "lower end" option anymore. The lowest end is a laptop and pirated VSTs. Behringer pedals? Yeah, those are because you're poor (or just don't care, I guess?) but synths? The K2 is better built than the MS20 mini, the Wasp reissue doesn't have a good equivilent I know of, and their 303 clone isn't any better or worse than the other similarly priced 303 options - and it's easily hackable.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I still think Behringer as a company is doing bad things to the music land scape and that they've done some pretty horrendous IP theft and racist stuff, but I don't think "because you're poor" is right either.
To the point though, yeah, no, TE absolutely won't get a black eye for this: Nobody cares, and hardly anyone but tech bros even know. It's no worse than their wooden choir thing.
why not? they clearly wanted to exploit AI hype in order to turn a profit, even if they did so indirectly. Why shouldn't that speak to their motives and trustworthiness?
if Apple started churning out guns, landmines, snakeoil, cancer cures, NFTs, and magic-AIs their reputation would falter.
Teenage Engineering isn't making guns, landmines, NFTs, or magic AI. Maybe I'm just not a deep thinker like you so I'm not making the connection but in my mind a company paid Teenage Engineering to design some hardware; Teenage Engineering designed the hardware. That is all there is to it. They made no promises about the functionality because that wasn't their job because it wasn't their product.
Apple might be able to get away with all that, their reality distortion field is unmatched, but I agree that teenage engineering might actually take a reputation hit if they are too liberal with their outsourcing.
Personally, the Vision Pro wasn’t really my cup of tea but I will be standing in line on day one at my local Apple Store for the Landmine Pro.
I highly doubt that. TE has a strong reputation and their involvement in another company's product outside of their normal business won't impact their sales regardless of whether or not R1 is a flop or a ruse.
This reminds me of how Playdate owners make it very obvious they don't use the thing in the way they retroactively justify their purchase by commenting on quirkiness or aesthetics at the expense of functionality or usability. I guess I get it but there's cheaper plastic toys out there.
I don't think that is retroactive, people bought it because it was different and looks cool and is quirky. I think it is a very fun device and has some great games for it. It isn't for everyone but it is a cool device for people that appreciate what Panic is doing with it.
Right, I remember reading that story, pretty cool but I had a hard time imagining the mechanics of the game at the time. Purchased, I'll give it a shot.
EDIT: It's an MT6765 (Helios P35). It's got a known BootROM exploit. Won't be long until someone dumps it and cracks it open, though would be hilarious if a part2/part3 dump is just a factory stock ROM.