looking for an honest answer on the N3

[Llama]

We were promised an N3 back in 2005.  Joe, honestly, can we ever truly expect to see an N3?  Is this vaporware?  I remember their being specs posted on the wiki.  Are those specs even relevant anymore?  And if so, do you really plan on releasing outdated hardware again (N1/2)?

[JoeBorn]

Well, I've tried to be as honest as possible and put everything that we knew out in the open for public consumption.  The question of specs and processor is one that's received a good amount of attention on the IRC, etc since we are talking about projects revolving the OSD processor (targeted for the N3 as well).  The simple answer is I don't know.  We've increased our resources for doing mechanical projects (like the N3) but I don't believe we have nearly enough to take on that project yet.  The reality is that we need to make the OSD a success to fund other projects.  Believe me, I would love to produce an N3 more than anyone, but I just don't know when we'll be able to do it.

To answer your final question, we certainly will evaluate the hardware of the N3 at the time we initiate any project.  At that time we'll decide if the DM32o is still the right answer.  We won't put out the product on "obsolete hardware."