KICKSTARTER HYPE RAISED $800K FOR THE BRYDGE IPAD KEYBOARD, BUT POOR PRODUCT DESIGN RESULTED IN A CRUMMY PROUCT

The Brydge is a Bluetooth keyboard/speaker that transforms the iPad into a Macbook-ish creation (Click Image To Enlarge)

THE BRYDGE IS AN IPAD KEYBOARD THAT REMINDS US IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE GREAT PRODUCTS.

Kickstarter is a place of big ideas by small teams. Big companies get bogged down by logistics and profitability, while passionate, agile talent can make the streamlined products customers want. That’s the tacit premise behind every hardware campaign on Kickstarter.

You shove the iPad into two rubber hooks, which hold it tight through friction (Click Image To Enlarge)

You’ll cringe a bit ever time your iPad docks, but they appear to be perfectly safe to use (Click Image To Enlarge)

From the side, it almost looks like you have a small Macbook (Click Image To Enlarge) 

The Brydge was a perfect example of this. Now shipping to early pre-orders, the Brydge was a massively successful ($797,979) Kickstarter-backed Bluetooth keyboard that ostensibly turned the iPad into a Macbook. As the product description read:

"Brydge’s aluminum body is machined and anodized so that it matches the look and feel of the iPad precisely. When paired together Brydge and your iPad appear to be two parts of the same device, blending style and functionality seamlessly. Unlike other products made of painted plastic in an effort to look similar to the iPad, Brydge does not fake it. Not only does it look good, but when held in your hands you can feel the quality craftsmanship Apple lovers demand."

The resulting device is like a clunky netbook (remember those?). The problem is that the keyboard looks the part, but it doesn’t feel the part. Every bit of its texture and responsiveness screams knockoff (Click Image To Enlarge)

And I’m not crazy about the fact that a rubber tab is pressed hard against switches and my camera lens, either (Click Image To Enlarge)

I’ve tested out a review unit, and my only real critique--beyond the impossibility of pairing the Bluetooth speakers--is that the Brydge is exactly like every other Apple-stylized product I’ve ever tested. It looks great in product photos, but as soon as you actually touch it in person, you realize all the little things are wrong.

• The anodized aluminum has an uninviting, ever-so-scratchy texture. 
• The keys have a strange amount of give, their plastic lacks suppleness and their edges are sharp. 
• Unlike a real laptop, the Brydge base is lighter than your iPad screen, meaning it constantly teeters on tipping over.

In other words, the Brydge is in the same boat as just about every third-party product (many backed by mega corporations) that’s attempted to match Apple’s build quality blow for blow. It’s absolutely the sort of premium accessory you’d imagine seeing on the shelves at Best Buy: It’s mediocre.

So the Brydge is no scandal, and it’s no messiah, either--though it certainly seems a touch expensive for its quality at ~$200.

For Kickstarter, unrefined and/or overpromised goods are a real problem. Not so long ago, amidst a wave of bad press from outlets like NPR, Kickstarter enacted some new policies to remind “backers” that this was an investment (risk-oriented) site, and that products may differ from sales pitches.

Product renders and simulations were banned, since anyone can draw a flying car. And a risks section was added to each listing, requiring project leads to explain problems that could arise in producing their good. These changes certainly protect consumers--err, investors--but I’m not sure they solve the larger problem: Is Kickstarter a venue that encourages good designs to become great ones, or great designs to be scaled into incredible manufactured products?

The Kickstarter premise is all about big ideas by the little guy--it’s about rolling the dice to back the basement inventors and coffee shop designers, handing a pile of cash to the Thomas Edisons and Jony Ives who haven’t been discovered yet. But while the best ideas may be born from inspiration, they mature through perspiration. And Kickstarter, as inspiring as it may be as a platform, isn’t designed at its core to encourage refinement.

COMMENTARY:   The review of the The Brydge keyboard for the iPad says it all, "Buyer Beware."  Better yet, be wary of all the hype and propaganda that you read about the slick looking products craving for crowdfunds on Kickstarter, Crowdcube, and other crowdfunding sites.  

The inventors of the Brydge keyboard obviously never built a final prototype and failed to conduct adequate test marketing that would've identified the product deficiencies identified above.   The one that gets me is that the keyboard "keels over" when the iPad is attached.  That's pretty tacky.  

The lessons to be learned from all of this:  If you are a Kickstarter contributor make sure that the inventors have an actual working prototype and indicate that they have tested the product so that it fully satisifies the claims being made.      

Courtesy of an article ated November 28, 2012 appearing in Fast Company Design

 

Comments

[Tommy Toy]

If you agreed to wait for the Brydge keyboard until some future date, you may have no choice but to wait. The company does owe everybody the courtesy of an email or text message notifying them of when they can expect delivery. If Brydge has gone past their promised delivery date, then I would contact your credit card company and request a credit for failure to deliver the product as promised. i have experienced this myself, and was able to get a refund through that mechanism. Good luck to you. Tommy

[Jes]

Brydge has bad customer service and no business sense. I ordered this product on December 18th with the promise on their website that the product was actually available for shipment (seems like they always promise something they can't deliver). My credit card was charged $200+ and one month later I still haven’t received a product or any email or other communication with an Order Number or status. I found a comment on a discussion board online that Brydge+ is actually backordered until at least March! Brydge has no phone number for customer service (the phone number linked to the company for credit card statements is an unmanned Google phone number). Someone named “Whitney” responds to the email address and is unhelpful and just says “Your order is being processed,” with no additional details. I’ve read horrible experiences from others online. I have asked for an order cancellation and full refund. If I don’t see it within 24 hours I’ll be calling my credit card company to reverse charges. Ridiculous. At this point, I’m just happy not to be one of the people who received a faulty keyboard only to have to pay a 15% restocking fee to receive a replacement.

[Computer Geek]

I hate to be the one to ruin your bad review but, don't be a retard, put the ipad in the hinges the other (and correct way) so they won't press the buttons or on the camera. Thanks and think before you write.

[Preston Lucas]

Despipte your claims here, many backers of this project are extremely pleased with what they purchased. I highly doubt there is much reason to "learn some lesson" from having backed the project. I have also purchased one because quite frankly, all of the other hinge based keyboards are all unattractive to me and the other ones without hinges are too cramped.

It seems like there is a certain "forcing" of your opinion on everyone else with this article, and I happen to disagree with the findings....

[Bones SEO]

I truly appreciate the content of your blog.. Keep going.