Hey Product Hunters - one of the makers of the Infinity here.
I visit PH pretty regularly, so it's pretty cool to see that @bentossell beat me to the punch and posting our project here :D
We're an NFP, and every Infinity order contributes to the distribution of tech to children in need around the world. We've designed the Infinity to be a perfect fit for practically any kid, anywhere - largely thanks to modularity. If you've got any questions for us, just hit me up!
When Phonebloks announced their modular phone, I was very skeptical of it for the same reasons John Gruber mentioned: consumer phones are expectedly replaced every two years, if not one, and so waste is inevitable even in a modular product; and consumers will still prefer to buy the phone that is lighter, smaller, sexier.
I am, however, interested in the Infinity for the same reasons I was skeptical of Phonebloks: computers are replaced less often than phones, children are a market who need their computers replaced even less, and the intrinsic curiosity of a child yields dividends when that curiosity is rewarded—being able to earn ownership through assembling their computer, and knowledge by opening it up to replace parts, is exactly the kind of thing kids crave.
This is neat. I hope it does well.
@thetylerhayes you've pretty much nailed it. The "green angle" works a little better for us than it does with phones simply because the computer lifecycle is a bit longer, and devices for children already make do with less - but the big piece (in my opinion) is that we're a not-for-profit who want to create a "donation market" within the module upgrade cycle.
When the first module upgrades are available, we'll be incentivising customers to send their unused parts back to us so that we can refurb and pass them on to kids who need them (and otherwise couldn't get 'em.)
Couldn't agree more about device ownership and the benefits of being able to explore what your computer is made of, but obviously I'm a bit biased ;)
I just shared this out on Twitter and Scoop.it. It is a great idea. I work for a school district and it can be a slippery slope with the life cycle of purchasing devices for students. I think Australia has been ahead of the game for a long time with mobile learning. Good luck.
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@pwcotton I am interested in trying to combat illiteracy in South Philadelphia. Do you think an adult learning to read would feel embarrassed by using this? I think the concept is amazing and way it is constructed is genius. Introducing people to a new Macbook Pro who have no computer experience can be scary. This seems more friendly.
@youngfonz thanks for the awesome feedback! I don't think so! As much we've designed a computer for children, we've designed a computer we'd be proud to use, a computer without compromise.
The real magic we've seen has been with the quality of the screen, at 2560x1600 it is significantly higher than any iPad, at a fraction of the cost.
On a personal level, I've been so involved with the engineering that we've been caught flat-footed with our campaign.
http://igg.me/at/my-infinity
Any ideas on how we can drive interest in product?
All the best,
R
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@_srikhanta Thank you for responding! I would love to think of ways to get this amazing product noticed! Let's keep in touch!
Infinity
Where can I find an iPhone 7?
Infinity
Where can I find an iPhone 7?
Infinity