[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] kristovaher:
Alright. The forums are filled with speculation, rumours, facts and a lot of first-adopters under caffeine addiction and patience measurable by a microscope.

For many of you this might be a first 'early adoption' attempt. I've been in a few (most recently with Galaxy Nexus just a month ago), so let me just point out a few things that makes this Prime fiasco not sound like a fiasco at all.

There is no such thing as a world wide launch, or even a US/Europe launch, for a flagship device that does not have supply issues. Every flagship device released has supply issues. We live in times where the demand for flagship devices far outweigh the ability to manufacture. This is why Apple (sometimes) starts production much earlier than others since their demand is -even higher- than any device released by Asus or Samsung. But even they get hit by supply issues and some stores or countries don't get the device for months, if at all. Thus, trust me when I say this, a high demand and problematic supply is a good sign. If you are an early adopter of something that does not have a high demand and supply problems, the product might not be as good as you hope.

If they were to manufacture quicker then the price would go up. There are human resources behind product manufacturing, which are limited. And not only is it limited by human resources, but also by supply of parts from partners that end up in the final device. If you had a choice of 'waiting longer' for a cleaner launch (so they could manufacture more devices by the time of launch) or having Asus release products a little sooner to satisfy early adopter interest, we all know we would rather get it sooner rather than later, even if some of us have to wait longer (we are selfish like that). So it is better that at least some of us, who pre-ordered very early and got lucky with the seller, will get the device this month instead of delayed launch in January or later.

Another reason why companies release products sooner is because it is a race. While they can manufacture only certain amount, if they held back a release to have more devices during launch, they would be a month or even more closer to the time when the device becomes outdated. This is especially true with Android tablets that simply do not carry the word of mouth of an iPad or a content ecosystem of Kindle Fire. Android tablets are a niche device which competes in market dominated not by software, but by specs. It is more beneficial for Asus to get the product out quicker from sales standpoint, even if they are unable to manufacture to meet the early demand.

This issue seems huge and bad for you. But to everyone outside the circle, no one is even aware. You simply think this is the worst launch in the history of tech launches, when in fact this type of launch is more common than the changing of socks. Asus and every other company goes through couple of launches like that every year. This here is nothing special, there's no point trying to make it sound like it is. The reason why tech portals are not full of huge discussions about Asus and Transformer Prime launch is because it is not at all a major issue in tech world.

And companies know this. Both sellers and manufacturers know about the impatience of early adopters who place pre-orders often even before they know what the device is about. Reality is that early adopters are a very small percentage of the people who end up buying the product. Upsetting early adopters at a time when the product is not even widely advertised does not damage Asus sales. They are used to it and in fact so is every other company.

Tech problems are also common with devices. In fact I don't know a flagship device that does not come with a quirk or two. Galaxy Nexus smartphone launch involved the phone not working properly on 2G networks which was a major, major issue. A hardware manufacturing flaw. But it was fixed with a software update so it became a non-issue. You can add Apple's Antennagates and battery issues to this pile too. Small issues get blown out of proportion because of user expectation after paying a lot of money. Companies do their best to fix these problems. If Prime is affected by weaker WiFi signal, well, it simply is not perfect. It is also not as fast in certain aspects compared to iPad 2, so what? If you are really disappointed you should wait for something better, but expecting a device to be flawless is silly since it is just not going to happen.

The reason why customer support does not respond to you with all the details in the world is because the customer support does not know. Product launch and manufacturing is something that involves thousands of people and hundreds of companies. Sellers do their best to get their orders, Asus does their best to meet the demand. And every day you ask about the product, that customer support person has gone through many just like you before you contact them. You, an early adopter, who keeps bombing the customer support every day, are just a drop in the pond. You have no idea how low priority it is for any company to deal with your epic problem that is really just about you getting a product few weeks early.

If you want to cancel your pre-order, go ahead and do it. But do not think that any seller or Asus is affected by your canceling. They will sell their items regardless. Do not cancel the pre-order for wrong reasons. If you really want another device or wait for another device, do it. But don't cancel a pre-order just out of bitterness, you'll regret it a month down the road.

I know that we are all frustrated since we want the product right now. Some of us have already paid the full price, some of us have paid even more (I'm paying 20% extra for customs fees from the product and courier shipping). But this is just a product. Unless your friend is a freak of nature like you are about product launches, you will still get a shiny Transformer Prime before your friends and family to show off and feel great about.

I, for one, am glad to have ordered Prime. I will get it and so will you. Just be a little more patient.