The robot ball controlled by a smartphone is still young on the market, and yet it seems that it hit some bumps. Sphero, produced by Orbotix was recently redesigned in order to appeal more to the customers and to be a hit on the holiday season.
In September, its makers announced that Sphero will have a new look, with semi-opaque white finish. Moreover, the robot ball can be recharged with an inductive charger and it was advertised to work with iOS devices as well as with Android smartphones. The price was announced at $130 and now the gizmo should have been on the shelves.
After all, it was about a year since it was first revealed for the public, at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, hosted in Las Vegas in January. At that time, the company announced to be able to present to the market a limited production, but apparently the production was even more limited than the manufacturers anticipated. Paul Berberian, Orbotix CEO, explained in a letter to customers “Demand has been greater than expected and our production capabilities are slower than we planned.”
Pre-orders will be rushed and the company will send a T-Shirt and a card apologizing for the delayed delivery time, but not everyone who ordered this fun toy will be able to enjoy it in the Christmas morning.
