A year ago nobody had ever heard of Notion Ink. This week the company started taking pre-orders for one of the most hotly anticipated tablet computers around, thanks to a strong showing at CES in January, and a long list of cutting edge features including an optional Pixel Qi display, NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, custom Android user interface, rotating camera, and more.
Unfortunately, yesterday’s pre-launch event was marred by some problems which has led the company to go on the defensive. If Notion Ink is truly trying to deliver on its promises, that’s a shame. But a number of web sites are reporting concerns that the Adam tablet may not really exist, or at the very least that the company behind it is getting a bit greedy.
I’m going to reserve judgment for now, but here’s the short version of the debate:
Causes for concern
- There are no pictures of the finished product on the order page.
- At first the company didn’t make it clear that the tablet won’t ship until January at the earliest, even if you pre-order today.
- The company is charging a $50 flat fee for shipping to any destination around the globe (which seems high for some, low for others).
- The company has a short return window of just 10 days.
- There are high restocking fees, even on defective products — although those fees seem to have changed several times yesterday.
- There’s no way to pay with MasterCard, and many customers had problems paying with Visa.
In Notion Ink’s defense
- This is the company’s first major product launch and there are likely to be some problems accepting credit cards, etc.
- The company says the $50 shipping fee works because it’s low to some countries and high to others, thus evening things out in the end.
- Notion Ink has applied for the right to accept MasterCard payments but hasn’t received approval yet.
- Notion Ink is hardly the first company to charge a restocking fee.
- The company had hoped to build some more buzz around the product at CES, by holding off on hands-on photos and videos until then
Notion Ink says that it will produce an in-depth video on December 18th to help alleviate some concerns about the Adam tablet being vaporware.
Honestly, I’m not surprised to see strange shipping rates, high restocking fees, or problems processing orders from a young company based in India and hoping to ship internationally. If you’ve been following the company’s progress over the last year, it really sounds like there’s an effort to try to make the Adam different by offering a truly global launch — but that’s tough to do without a huge Apple-like global presence. Heck, even major PC makers including Apple, Samsung, and others have a tendency to roll out new products first in specific regions for a variety of logistical reasons.
It’s possible that Notion Ink has bitten off more than it can chew, which is leading to some bumps. If the product really were vaporware, I can’t see why the company would have waited nearly 12 months to begin taking orders and ripping off consumers. But at the very least, you might want to make sure you’re well aware of the shipping and return policies before plunking down any cash on the Notion Ink tablet.
What do you think? Do you still trust Rohan Shravan and company, are you starting to have doubts, or are you taking a wait-and-see approach?
Update: For what it’s worth, Pixel Qi’s Mary Lou Jepsen confirms that Notion Ink has sold out of versions of the tablet with the Pixel Qi display, but that the company has placed orders for additional Pixel Qi screens.
I still believe them. However, a PQi cannot be delivered soon enough for Xmas and the preorder stock is already sold out. Thus a wait-and-see approach is for me most reasonable.
I was all hot and bothered to pre-order, seeing how I’ve been waiting for this particular device for months! Ever since the Ipad hit I’ve been holding off, knowing something more set for my usage would hit the market. The Adam seemed like a miracle device and I was all ready to pre-order 2 of them. Upon getting online and simply searching for “notion ink adam” to be directed to their website… I was bombarded by sites speaking of the issues in ordering, them requiring a SSN and NOT requiring proper shipping information which of course makes it all seem very, very fishy.
I for one have decided to say “I’ve waited 6 months, I can wait another 2”. This failure in launch not only has made me question the company but whether or not I’ll choose this device AT ALL.
Strange. I didn’t see any of what you talked about on the ordering page. No mention of ssn and I had to fill out complete shipping information twice. Might be smoke and mirrors, but seemed normal to me….only time will tell
The info I was referring too was unconfirmed from other websites/blogs and such. But it was enough to make me step back and curb my enthusiasm toward this device.
I know they’re a new company and deserve some grace but you have to wonder if they can’t pull off an effective sale/shipping process… perhaps they need some time to smooth out issues in their PRODUCTS as well?
It hasn’t killed my want for the Adam, but I will definitely wait until after CES before even contemplating buying… it would be even better if they found some local distributors (BestBuy or something)
UNCONFIRMED reports/blogs. Well if you had tried to order then you would have seen the forms first had. YOU STILL CAN TRY.
The do NOT want you SSN.
I still trust Rohan, I have followed him for long time. Developing a product with a world outlook and appeal is bound to generate mixed reviews especially for a young company as this. I am hoping they can keep their gaze on the final product and not allow the bumps to stifle creativity and innovation.
I am started to do pre-order yesterday and STOPPED. $50 for shipping is to high. And no reviews of product by sites. I have waited a year and will wait till mid January. Unless another comes out with the screen type I want.
The shipping is not too high considering it’s being shipped from India.
it’s not being shipped from India, I believe the blog states it’s shipping from China.
That doesn’t quite matter. India and China are neighbours.
Geographic neighbours YES, shipping rates not so neighborly!!!
As far as the shipping rates, they seemed high to me until I queried FedEx. International Economy rates from Bangalore (where Notion is headquartered) to Washington, DC run about $70 for one person mailing one five pound package. My concern, having just gone through the HP Slate preorder process (if you can call it that) would be availability. The lack of a picture of a finished product on the order page would lead me to wonder how many finished products will be available in a month. Or two. If a large company like HP cannot ship for six weeks after the preorder started and still shows a four to six week delay if you order now, I really wonder how Notion Ink will manage to get anything produced and shipped by January. Plus, having owned a tablet from the now bankrupt OQO and seeing the news today that UMID has… Read more »
Can we please stop hearing about this? Let it die. They’ve done nothing to earn this attention and are over-covered. If one day there products are available for review then we can start talking about them again. In the meantime, there’s no reason to keep bringing them up.
Exactly. Taking preorders and NOT having photos of the actual device?! Startup company or not, there is absolutely no excuse for that. Anyone pre-ordering has no grounds for complaints should the deal go south.
This story is “Son of CrunchPad/JooJoo”. Online media kept interest in that dud going… the same is happening with the Notion Ink Adam.
But then again, there are quite a few out there pining for the UnicornPad because wishing makes it so. LOL
Agreed. Likewise _anything_ having to do with Pixel Qi. As far as I can tell, it’s all just over-hyped vaporware.
I am hoping for the best, but won’t buy until I see a video and reputable third-party reviews.
Aaargghhhh.. Pix Qi are all sold out. 🙁
One thing for sure, it’s not a scam.
Low funds/low inventory? may be.
M problem is the return policy. No company makes you to return a fault item. Second if the roll out was that and no feedback for 24hrs whats happens when they receive you get the wrong and faulty item and need customer support. They also took no responsibility for there F88kup when a response was released they only bashed other sites for reporting what was true.
I think it’s all good in the long run. I can understand that a young company attempting a global launch with a first product in a relatively new category might be running into issues; maybe if the tablet is really that awesome a big company might help them a teenie bit? maybe..hint. hint…googster ole buddy ole pal…haha j/k…but no really you should look into that.