Nextbit Robin's backers who hoped to see a CDMA variant of the phone are out of luck, as a press release from the company confirms that variant will never see the light of day.
The CEO of Nextbit, Tom Moss, apologized to Sprint and Verizon loyalists and spelled out the harsh truth: no CDMA Robin handset is coming out from his company's workbench.
Initially, only a GSM version of Robin was in the works, but the hype surrounding Robin attracted a big number of fans who requested a CDMA model as well. Moss explains that his company embraced the wave of enthusiasm during the Kickstarter campaign and thought the second project is feasible.
However, due to inconsistent or delayed information from potential carrier partners, Nextbit reached the conclusion that a CDMA Robin "doesn't appear to be a workable solution." To appease disappointed backers who supported the project, the company offers a full refund within 48 hours alongside a 25 percent price cut for an order from Nextbit's online store. This means that you can purchase a GSM Robin for $100 off, should that strike your fancy. Alternately, you can use the coupon as a gift card for someone who you know is interested.
This is not the first time techies were left dismayed during the development of the Robin smartphone. First news of the CDMA model reached the media in September, with a purported release date for January this year. Several delays occurred, pushing back the official launch to February, March and eventually April.
According to Moss, another reason why the project got the boot was the overextended enthusiasm and optimism of Nextbit's team. The handset manufacturer was "too optimistic, too bullish" and too focused on giving backers what they wanted that it forgot about reality checks until it was too late.
The CEO explains that both time and money projections were unrealistic.
"What people at the carriers [...] thought would take 'weeks' has turned into 'months,'" Moss writes. "What they thought would cost 'hundreds of thousands of dollars' has turned into millions."
At the end of the day, we can understand the disappointment of mobile fans who will no longer receive the CDMA Robin, but we must commend Nextbit for being frank about it.
