The thing that I hoped wouldn’t happen has happened. The news has just arrived from MWM that Phase is delayed yet again, and you’re not going to see your alleged needle killer until the end of March.
There’s a press release with all the reasons why:
PHASE SHIPPING DATE – MARCH 2019
Hello All:
We have definitive news direct from our factory regarding Phase production and shipping:
PHASE DELIVERY SCHEDULE
- FEBRUARY 25: the factory reopens, and production starts again.
- MARCH 8: Phase production finishes. Package preparation and shipment to the warehouse.
- MARCH 22: Start of Phase deliveries to customers (everyone who pre-ordered will receive their Phase in the following days).
Why is it delayed to March?
As mentioned in the previous update, there was a slight chance we would be delayed to March due to the factory closing for Chinese New Year. Unfortunately, this is the case for Phase’s production which means it will resume at the end of February when the factory reopens.
Many apologies for this last delay. We are as eager as all of you to start shipping Phase. This news is hard to receive, but encouraging now that we have official dates from our factory. We are getting closer and closer! This is the final stretch and soon everyone will be able to enjoy Phase.
Many, many thanks for your continued patience and support. We will look to update you with more news over the coming weeks.
Best,
Phase Team
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
Here is my own perspective on how products are launched. Pioneer DJ for example designs, develops, manufactures, and ships with barely a murmur that they’ve got new product. At 8am, PR goes out, we media types all talk about it, and you can be sure that it’s in the shops next week, or sometimes even today.
But Pioneer DJ is a large and very well-oiled machine with decades of experience, an established manufacturer, distribution, and supply chain, and a boatload of cash. MWM however is relatively new, small, and lacking in all of the above traits that are necessary to deliver products to market in a timely manner.
They have a product that is with, no sense of hyperbole, revolutionary in more ways than one. But they had no idea if traditionally conservative DJs would embrace the concept of wireless DVS, especially given the hate that wireless technology gets from our ironically technology hungry horde. So they had to put it out there as an idea, and then a prototype, and finally have enough confidence to start pre-orders.
And then the lack of hardware manufacturing experience kicked in, and has been the defining story of Phase ever since. I’m being very forgiving, as I genuinely want Phase to be delivered and find a natural place in the DJ gear food chain. But this further delay knocks my confidence even more, especially having lost a solid amount of cash after a similar stream of excuses on a Kickstarter project.
I would hope that any clever sorts wanting to put new hotness out into the market will learn lessons from this. After a monumental amount of support from DJs for Phase, the failure to deliver is negating any feeling of good will. Again, it’s all about the people and how you treat them.
AND WHEN IT ARRIVES?
I haven’t even touched it yet, or seen anything outside of carefully controlled demos, so I have no real idea if this will work for the masses. Once it gets delivered, I hope it really does plug and play with all software without issue, otherwise late delivery will feel like a minor bump in the road in comparison from an end user perspective.
So fingers crossed for delivery at the end of March. But I suspect the floodgates for refunds are about to be forced wide open.