Indiegogo EXCLUSIVE: Ayi Technology store

Ayi Production Update/Coronavirus
about 4 years ago – Fri, Feb 28, 2020 at 07:28:56 PM

Good morning backers!

We've seen some concerns in comments about finances/production being affected by Coronavirus, and we'd like to alleviate some concerns regarding production and company operations:

- We are financially capable of production and will be able to deliver all backer's Ayi smart mirrors.

- While Coronavirus has slightly affected the current shipment time, we are still aiming at beginning delivery in April. The government mandated shutdown of factories for the post 3 weeks following Chinese New Year has been the main delay, and has set us back 3 weeks. We're doing our best to catch up, though.

- Backer surveys have been finalized and any further changes to shipping addresses should be done through our customer care email at [email protected].

Thank you, and have a great weekend!

December Update: Hardware/Software/Finances/Timeline
over 4 years ago – Wed, Dec 11, 2019 at 01:44:01 AM

Dear Ayi Supporters,

Thank you for your patience while we prepare our latest update. We’ve received comments from some of you that requested more details in updates, we’ll do our best this time to be as specific as possible. This month we’ll give you information on every aspect of Ayi as a company, with progress on hardware, software, financing, and delivery timeline.

In addition, place any questions or comments you have directly in this update and we'll respond in detail.

Before we proceed, we know that some of you are likely past backers of Coolest Cooler or have heard the news. We’d like to reassure our community of backers that we do not support this kind of treatment of backers and are not going to fail delivery. You are and will always be our first priority.

Hardware-

Hardware development is finished, with final prototypes meeting our expectations in terms of internal specifications. The final display is high definition and displays true colors that are on par with the premier end of the competition. Our core operating chip has been upgraded and we have 64GB storage with 8GB of RAM. Finally, our biggest achievement has been to thin down Ayi to 2CM throughout and 3CM at the thickest area. Our main challenge with hardware is scalability, explained more below in finances.

Software-

Software development is still on its way, with initial versions of Instinct OS being delivered in late November to our team in Shenzhen for testing. The updated UI is now similar to our advertising video, and most apps on the Google Play store are now compatible. We are still having some issues with the Google Play store apps not being in the correct resolution (due to Ayi’s size of display) and issues with smart home system compatibility. While NEST has worked flawlessly, other ecosystems such as Google Home are still in development. We hope to hammer these out within the next 60 days.

Finances-

Our finished prototype is a product that we are content with, but we realized an obstacle soon after completing the prototype that has to do with costs. Shipping a product this thin requires a new mold and more expensive chips and displays. Our current final prototype being replicated would result in a $370 net loss per unit. While Ayi Technology’s finances are healthy, we cannot sustain this kind of loss at scale.

What are we doing about it? We’re currently finding ways to lower production cost without affecting the product’s thinness, display quality, or other internal aspects that result in a premium product.

How did we not know about this before prototyping? While no one can be absolutely certain of production cost before finalizing production ready prototypes, our manufacturer quoted us before making the current version. (V3.0) The quote was healthy and allowed us to break even at the Kickstarter selling price, and allowed for profit margins of 60% at future sale price ($1,000 retail). The final production price varied far too much from our initial quote, and this was unforeseen.

What are our next steps in terms of funding? We’re going live on Wefunder, an equity crowdfunding platform, in a couple of weeks. Here, we hope to raise funds that will allow us to produce and expedite final shipment to our Kickstarter backers, and give us traction to sell on the mass market. Please note that we aren’t depending on these funds to ship to you, they will just be an additional assistance.

Timeline-

We now expect a new finished product and shipping starting in April, 2020. We understand delays are unwelcome, however, we do have the ability now to manufacture and sustainably ship version 2.0 of Ayi. Please note that we are not content with this version of the product, but If you’d prefer speed of delivery over finished product, please message us and we will produce prototypes and ship it to you before April.

Version 2.0 of Ayi has a stock Android operating system and is thicker than the newer product. For a full detail on the old product, please see the previous updates.

Again, thank you so much for your patience, and we look forward to hearing your questions and concerns.

We're going on Wefunder!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Nov 05, 2019 at 10:55:03 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Software Update: Instinct OS
over 4 years ago – Mon, Oct 07, 2019 at 11:16:55 PM

Dear Backers,

Thank you for your patience while we work on delivering our latest software update. Last time, we gave you background on how a Smart Mirror is built, and our progress on the hardware side.

This week, we’ll give a status update on Instinct OS and our progress in building Ayi’s unique operating system.

Phase 1: Ground-up custom build based on Linux. In August, we considered building a completely custom OS based on the Linux framework, but eliminated this possibility in September as two issues were brought up:

• The possibility of compatibility with the chip we used in Ayi was unavoidable, unless we redesigned the chip, which would take too long and open up possibility for more risk.
• The timing and risk involved with a custom OS was not good enough to outweigh the custom look and feel that is the main positive attribute of this option.

Phase 2 (current):

We switched to building an Android skin, otherwise known as a layer of Android’s framework. This allows us access to Google Play apps and IFTTT smart home compatibility, without the ground level operating system work required in Phase one. We’ve made some great progress on this end, completing all UI designs and streamlining the UX for our desired system. The level of work required for Phase two is still not small, so we’ve been in the progress of picking a reputable software development firm in Shenzhen to assist with the buildup of Instinct OS.

Our main challenges right now are balancing the practicality of use, and still getting the desired feel of a unique operating system.

We are making good progress but have also developed some backup options to expedite the development of our OS.

QA: Some backers have reached out to request expedited delivery with a stock Android OS. Please allow us to explain why this is not a good option for user experience, or for our product.

We have always had the ability to ship with a stock Android OS, which provides most capabilities we want in Ayi, but we’ve never thought of this as an option because of a few key reasons:

1. It won’t look and feel like a true smart mirror. Android was designed for phones and tablets, and Ayi won’t feel like a mirror with their stock UI.
2. It won’t feel like a unique product. It will simply act and function as another Google Home product, with a huge display.

This wasn’t our vision from the start, and we won’t have to resort to this unless software development encounters insurmountable issues.

We’ll provide another update next month combining software and hardware, with pictures of final, production ready prototypes and initial demos of Instinct OS.

Sincerely,

Ayi Team

Ayi Design
over 4 years ago – Tue, Sep 03, 2019 at 10:41:44 PM

Dear Backers,

We’ve spent the past few months working rigorously on product design and manufacturing. We’re sure some of you are curious how a Smart Mirror is actually made. Here’s how!

Smart Mirrors are notoriously difficult to build to a consumer-friendly level and to do so requires balancing of elements such as brightness, exposure, and temperature. Ayi is composed of multiple layers of displays, with a mirror being the outermost layer.

The core electronic components we use must be powerful enough to support a device capable of computing at an industry standard, but also compact enough to fit inside the thin casing of our device. This is RK3200, used for the prototype of our first device.

One of our biggest challenges during the design process in using each space within the casing of Ayi (now at just 28MM thick including borders) maximum efficiency. We know nobody likes a thick device.

We’ve also updated the side and back profile of Ayi with a high-end, brushed aluminum casing that feels great, and looks even better.

We’re always striving to improve our product design and to set a standard for a new generation of beautiful smart home products. Let us know if you have any suggestions. We’ll touch base in a few weeks as well, with an update and first peek at our software and Instinct OS!

Ayi Team